The Best Places To Live On a $50,000 Salary in Every State

If you earn $50,000 a year in San Francisco or New York City, you undoubtedly will need a roommate — or three — to make ends meet. But in many cities in the United States, $50,000 a year is plenty to live on.

From Alabama to Wyoming: The Cost of Living Across America
Learn More: The Cost To Own a 3-Bedroom Home in Every State

So what sort of enclaves against high costs are out there? GOBankingRates compiled the places in each state that are best suited to someone earning $50,000 a year — with a cost of living that will allow them to save for the future as well as cover costs in the present. The study identified towns with at least 5,000 households and a median income between $45,000 and $50,000 a year using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, then looked at the basic cost of living as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The city with the most left over from $50,000 after covering expenses in each state was selected. For Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland and North Dakota, income restrictions were relaxed.

Every state in the U.S. has options on where you can live on less than $50,000.

Take a look and see where you could live in your area to stretch your salary that much further.

Last updated: June 21, 2021

• Median income: $48,011
• Total annual necessities: $20,775
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,225

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• Median income: $62,602
• Total annual necessities: $30,786
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $19,214

Read: 35 Surprising Cities With Low Costs of Living

• Median income: $49,029
• Total annual necessities: $23,723
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,277

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• Median income: $45,841
• Total annual necessities: $20,140
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,860

Pictured: St. Francis River in Arkansas

Whoa: The Cost To Own a 3-Bedroom Home in Every State

• Median income: $47,864
• Total annual necessities: $25,803
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $24,197

• Median income: $45,647
• Total annual necessities: $22,545
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,455

• Median income: $46,298
• Total annual necessities: $24,551
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $25,449

• Median income: $45,032
• Total annual necessities: $24,426
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $25,574

• Median income: $47,941
• Total annual necessities: $22,900
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,100

• Median income: $46,408
• Total annual necessities: $20,439
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,561

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• Median income: $63,283
• Total annual necessities: $37,648
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $12,352

• Median income: $46,617
• Total annual necessities: $23,443
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,557

• Median income: $48,931
• Total annual necessities: $19,515
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,485

• Median income: $45,797
• Total annual necessities: $19,744
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,256

• Median income: $47,540
• Total annual necessities: $20,314
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,686

Pictured: Des Moines, Iowa

• Median income: $47,574
• Total annual necessities: $20,053
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,947

Pictured: Wichita, Kansas

• Median income: $46,105
• Total annual necessities: $21,461
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $28,539

• Median income: $45,088
• Total annual necessities: $22,899
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,101

Pictured: Louisville, Kentucky

• Median income: $46,625
• Total annual necessities: $23,445
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,555

• Median income: $50,379
• Total annual necessities: $23,787
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,213

• Median income: $49,679
• Total annual necessities: $25,506
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $24,494

Pictured: Pittsfield, Massachusetts

• Median income: $45,203
• Total annual necessities: $20,829
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,171

Pictured: Taylor, Michigan

• Median income: $47,508
• Total annual necessities: $19,432
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,568

Pictured: Austin, Minnesota

• Median income: $48,622
• Total annual necessities: $21,827
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $28,173

Pictured: Tupelo, Mississippi

• Median income: $47,727
• Total annual necessities: $20,234
• Salary left over after annual necessities: $29,766

Pictured: St. Louis, Missouri

• Median income: $45,797
• Total annual necessities: $22,043
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,957

Pictured: Great Falls, Montana

• Median income: $48,644
• Total annual necessities: $22,502
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,498

• Median income: $47,535
• Total annual necessities: $25,182
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $24,818

• Median income: $47,649
• Total annual necessities: $22,579
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,421

• Median income: $45,789
• Total annual necessities: $22,719
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,281

Pictured: Millville, New Jersey

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• Median income: $48,065
• Total annual necessities: $20,779
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,221

• Median income: $47,712
• Total annual necessities: $21,256
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $28,744

Pictured: Rochester, New York

• Median income: $45,024
• Total annual necessities: $21,940
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $28,060

• Median income: $51,789
• Total annual necessities: $22,322
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,678

• Median income: $49,628
• Total annual necessities: $19,733
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,267

Pictured: Cleveland, Ohio

• Median income: $47,691
• Total annual necessities: $18,762
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $31,238

Pictured: Lawton, Oklahoma

• Median income: $48,919
• Total annual necessities: $23,026
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,974

• Median income: $47,649
• Total annual necessities: $21,296
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $28,704

Pictured: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Median income: $45,610
• Total annual necessities: $27,843
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $22,157

• Median income: $49,525
• Total annual necessities: $22,949
• Salary left over after annual necessities: $27,051

Pictured: Downtown Columbia, South Carolina

• Median income: $46,106
• Total annual necessities: $19,997
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,003

• Median income: $47,203
• Total annual necessities: $22,364
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $27,636

Pictured: Chattanooga, Tennessee

• Median income: $48,430
• Total annual necessities: $19,226
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,774

Pictured: Lubbock, Texas

• Median income: $48,346
• Total annual necessities: $25,777
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $24,223

Pictured: Ogden, Utah

• Median income: $48,212
• Total annual necessities: $23,359
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,641

Pictured: Burlington, Vermont

• Median income: $48,886
• Total annual necessities: $23,001
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $26,999

Pictured: Richmond, Virginia

• Median income: $47,256
• Total annual necessities: $25,981
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $24,019

• Median income: $49,496
• Total annual necessities: $20,145
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $29,855

• Median income: $47,228
• Total annual necessities: $19,661
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $30,339

Pictured: Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Median income: $46,117
• Total annual necessities: $27,966
• Amount (from $50,000) left over after annual necessities: $22,034

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Joel Anderson contributed to the reporting for this article. 

Photo disclaimer: Photos are for illustrative purposes only. As a result, some of the images may not reflect the exact towns listed.

Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best places to live on a $50,000 salary in each state by analyzing cities along these criteria: (1) a minimum of 5,000 households, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, (2) a median household income between $45,000 to $50,000, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, (3) itemized cost of living index for groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare and miscellaneous expenditure, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2019 Consumer Expenditure Survey (latest full year dataset) by income level ($40,000 – $49,999), which were adjusted to each city’s local cost of living, sourced from Sperling’s Best Places. In order to qualify as a “best” city, the total cost of living expenditures could not exceed $50,000, and the city with the lowest overall total cost of living expenditures was declared the best. For Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland and North Dakota, income restrictions were relaxed. All data was compiled on and up to date as of April 6, 2021.