25 Cities Where You’re Broke Earning $100,000

Even a six-figure salary won't cover your bills in these cities.

By Joel Anderson September 17, 2019 Real Estate Investing 101

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The Los Angeles skyline and lake at Echo Park, in Los Angeles, California - Image.

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It used to be that earning six figures meant living in relative luxury in most of the United States. After all, a $100,000 salary has long been viewed as an important milestone in a person’s career — a sign that you’ve really made it. Unfortunately, the goalposts for success appear to have moved for a considerable portion of America. Many affluent cities that produce the highest salaries have also seen basic costs of living spiral higher and higher. While earning $100,000 a year might make you “rich” in much of the U.S., in some places it isn’t even enough to cover your bills.

GOBankingRates conducted a study to identify cities where $100,000 won’t cover the average cost of rent for an apartment and basic necessities. Using Zillow to find the median rent and Sperling’s Best Places to calculate the average cost of living, the study found 25 cities where even six-figure earners need to find ways to make ends meet.

Aerial of tract housing and American suburban development in Southern California at sunset.

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25. Santa Clarita, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,554
Overall annual expenditures: $100,101.49
Amount left over from $100,000: -$101.49

Houses in the Old Town of Alexandria, Virginia

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24. Alexandria, Virginia

Metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Average monthly rent: $1,893
Overall annual expenditures: $100,466.38
Amount left over from $100,000: -$466.38

Wine grapes in Sonoma County, California.

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23. Santa Rosa, California

Metro area: Santa Rosa
Average monthly rent: $2,578
Overall annual expenditures: $102,108.39
Amount left over from $100,000: -$2,108.38

Anaheim, CA USA - August 22, 2015: Disneyland 60th aniversary at Cars Land.

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FrozenShutter / iStock.com

22. Anaheim, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,461
Overall annual expenditures: $103,689.58
Amount left over from $100,000: -$3,689.58

Garden Grove California Christ Cathedral

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21. Garden Grove, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,460
Overall annual expenditures: $104,054.47
Amount left over from $100,000: -$4,054.47

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Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

20. Washington, D.C.

Metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Average monthly rent: $2,328
Overall annual expenditures: $105,757.29
Amount left over from $100,000: -$5,757.29

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Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com

19. San Diego

Metro area: San Diego-Carlsbad
Average monthly rent: $2,518
Overall annual expenditures: $107,946.63
Amount left over from $100,000: -$7,946.63

Whittier, California/USA April 1, 2018 Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Memorial Columbarium at Rose Hills Memorial Park - Image.

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18. Whittier, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,336
Overall annual expenditures: $108,311.52
Amount left over from $100,000: -$8,311.52

Make Your City More Affordable: 101 Side Business Ideas

Long Beach is a city on the Pacific Coast of the United States, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area of Southern California.

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17. Long Beach, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,323
Overall annual expenditures: $108,919.67
Amount left over from $100,000: -$8,919.67

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16. Boston

Metro area: Boston-Cambridge-Newton
Average monthly rent: $2,757
Overall annual expenditures: $110,440.04
Amount left over from $100,000: -$10,440.04

Bridge over the marshes of East San Francisco Bay, Hayward, California.

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Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images/iStockphoto

15. Hayward, California

Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward
Average monthly rent: $2,764
Overall annual expenditures: $112,933.46
Amount left over from $100,000: -$12,933.46

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f11photo / Getty Images/iStockphoto

14. Arlington, Virginia

Metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
Average monthly rent: $2,239
Overall annual expenditures: $116,947.25
Amount left over from $100,000: -$16,947.25

Beautiful cloudy day of Los Angeles downtown skyline and palm trees in foreground.

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13. Los Angeles

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,771
Overall annual expenditures: $118,650.07
Amount left over from $100,000: -$18,650.07

Waikiki, Oahu - August 10th 201 7, People lying on the beach sunbathing under parasol and palm trees at Waikiki shore.

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july7th / Getty Images

12. Honolulu

Metro area: Urban Honolulu
Average monthly rent: $2,405
Overall annual expenditures: $122,298.97
Amount left over from $100,000: -$22,298.97

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DianeBentleyRaymond / Getty Images/iStockphoto

11. Oakland, California

Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward
Average monthly rent: $2,942
Overall annual expenditures: $122,359.78
Amount left over from $100,000: -$22,359.78

"Seattle, United States - September 19, 2011: Space Needle is a tower and a symbol of Seattle, the tower is located in Seattle Center, which is a cultural center and in this square there is also the interactive museum of music with its irregular structure and futuristic".

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10. Seattle

Metro area: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
Average monthly rent: $2,238
Overall annual expenditures: $124,062.60
Amount left over from $100,000: -$24,062.60

Huntington Beach California best weather

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9. Huntington Beach, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,754
Overall annual expenditures: $125,461.35
Amount left over from $100,000: -$25,461.35

Scene of stop motion bicycle with Brooklyn bridge when sunrise, USA downtown skyline, Architecture and building with tourist concept.

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8. New York

Metro area: New York-Newark-Jersey City
Average monthly rent: $2,329
Overall annual expenditures: $127,285.80
Amount left over from $100,000: -$27,285.80

IRVINE, CA - OCTOBER 14, 2016: The Great Park Palm Court and Arts Building.

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7. Irvine, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,903
Overall annual expenditures: $128,623.73
Amount left over from $100,000: -$28,623.73

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Meandering Trail Media / Shutterstock.com

6. Glendale, California

Metro area: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Average monthly rent: $2,699
Overall annual expenditures: $134,583.60
Amount left over from $100,000: -$34,583.60

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5. Bellevue, Washington

Metro area: Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
Average monthly rent: $2,421
Overall annual expenditures: $140,908.36
Amount left over from $100,000: -$40,908.36

Amazing sunset at Coyote hills, Fremont, California - Image.

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4. Fremont, California

Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward
Average monthly rent: $3,027
Overall annual expenditures: $154,409.29
Amount left over from $100,000: -$54,409.29

pedestrians in Downtown San Jose California

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3. San Jose, California

Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
Average monthly rent: $3,142
Overall annual expenditures: $158,119
Amount left over from $100,000: -$58,119

Golden Gate bridge with spring flowers and recreational boat, CA.

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2. San Francisco

Metro area: San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward
Average monthly rent: $4,272
Overall annual expenditures: $185,303.31
Amount left over from $100,000: -$85,303.31

October 29, 2018 Sunnyvale / CA / USA - Urban landscape with newly developed residential buildings in downtown Sunnyvale, south San Francisco bay area, California;.

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Andrei Stanescu / iStock.com

1. Sunnyvale, California

Metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
Average monthly rent: $3,551
Overall annual expenditures: $238,333.99
Amount left over from $100,000: -$138,333.99

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Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the 25 cities where you’re broke earning $100,000 by analyzing 200 major cities in the U.S. along the following criteria: (1) average annual expenditures for all consumer units as sourced from the third quarter 2017 through the second quarter 2018 Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and then adjusted to each city’s overall annual expenditures using Sperling’s Best Places’ Overall Cost of Living Index. GOBankingRates also found each city’s (2) average rent, based on Zillow’s median monthly rent from January 2019 to July 2019; (3) itemized costs of living necessities, sourced from Sperling’s Best Places, such as (4) groceries cost of living; (5) healthcare cost of living; (6) utilities cost of living; (7) transportation cost of living; (8) annual cost of necessities, which is the sum of rent, groceries, healthcare, utilities and transportation. All data compiled on Aug. 27, 2019.

About the Author

Joel Anderson

Joel Anderson is a business and finance writer with over a decade of experience writing about the wide world of finance. Based in Los Angeles, he specializes in writing about the financial markets, stocks, macroeconomic concepts and focuses on helping make complex financial concepts digestible for the retail investor.

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