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What It Costs To Live in These 10 Ultra-Trendy U.S. Cities

Get the lowdown on the living expenses in these 10 U.S. hotspots.

By Jenny Cohen

Edited by Chris Kissell

Updated Dec. 17, 2024

City living can be a great option if you enjoy having restaurants nearby or being close to movie theaters and museums. But some cities can be expensive places to live.

SmartAsset has calculated how much income you need to live comfortably in some key U.S. cities.

The publication used data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator to calculate the cost of living based on expenses such as food, housing, medical care, and transportation, among other factors.

Check out these popular cities and learn how much you need to earn after taxes to live there and maintain your financial fitness.

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St. Louis

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $57,446

St. Louis is the first of several cities on this list that are much more affordable. You need less than $60,000 in take-home pay to live comfortably in Gateway City.

You can use some of that cash for a down payment and mortgage on a home, which costs a median of $200,000 in St. Louis during December.

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Detroit

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $58,358

The median sale price for a home in Detroit was just $85,000 in December, Redfin says. That means you can easily own a home in the Motor City, especially compared to other places.

However, things are slowly getting more expensive in Detroit. The median sale price was up 21.4% in December compared to a year earlier.

San Antonio

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $59,270

Cities like Houston, Plano, and Dallas have higher living costs than San Antonio. That makes the latter city a more inviting option if you want to move to Texas.

According to Redfin, the median sale price for a home in San Antonio was $268,500 in December.

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Philadelphia

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $61,678

Philadelphia is surprisingly affordable for a major East Coast metro.

The median sale price for a home in Philadelphia was $235,000 in December, representing a 2.9% decline compared to a year earlier, Redfin says.

That makes the City of Brotherly Love relatively cheap. For example, the median sale price for a home nationally in December was $403,164.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $62,110

Charlotte is still affordable despite the fact that this city is growing fast. In fact, U-Haul says Charlotte ranked seventh among U.S. cities in terms of attracting new residents in 2023.

Seattle

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $77,634

The Seattle area is home to Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Costco, and other major corporations. The skilled workers who work for those companies command high salaries, which might be a factor in bumping up the cost of living in the city.

The competitive housing market saw a median sale price of $774,125 in Seattle in December, Redfin says.

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New York City

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Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $78,524

The New York metropolitan area can be expensive no matter where you live, but some areas are pricier than others.

For example, the cost of living in the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn is especially high.

Boston

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $78,752

Homes are also expensive in Boston, which drives up the cost of living in the city.

The median sale price for a home in Boston was $830,000 in December, Redfin says. That was a 16.8% increase from a year earlier.

San Diego

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $79,324

As in many California cities, you will need to earn a large salary just to afford a home in San Diego.

The median sale price for a home in San Diego in December was $875,000, according to real estate website Redfin.

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San Francisco

Salary required after taxes to live here comfortably: $84,026

San Francisco's cost of living is among the highest for any city in the U.S.

But it could be worse: The cost of living in nearby San Jose is even steeper, according to research from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Bottom line

The cost of living is an important factor to consider before you decide to move somewhere.

Knowing how much you will need to earn to live comfortably in a potential new home can lower your financial stress by helping you avoid moving to a city that will bust your budget.

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