WBOB Original Reads

Unaffordable City Living: Most Major Cities Too Expensive to Live In

4/5/2017

The latest GOBankingRates study reveals that only 11 of the 50 biggest U.S. cities have a median income high enough to cover what's needed to live comfortably.

The 2017 data is even worse news for Americans than last year's study results, which found 15 of the biggest U.S. cities had incomes large enough to support a comfortable living.

The latest GOBankingRates study finds how much money Americans need to make to live comfortably in the 50 biggest U.S. cities.The study used the 50-30-20 budgeting rule when determining the income required for a comfortable living in each city. This rule divides income into three buckets: 50 percent is expected to go toward necessities, 30 percent towards discretionary items and 20 percent towards savings.

To see the full list ordered by population, click here.

Top 5 Cities Where People Struggle to Live Comfortably:

Miami: $44,840 deficit income
New York: $33,073 deficit income
San Francisco: $29,063 deficit income
Los Angeles: $25,842 deficit income
Oakland, Calif.: $25,820 deficit income

Top 5 Cities Where People Can Easily Afford to Live Comfortably:

Virginia Beach, Va.: $13,985 surplus income
Arlington, Texas: $6,906 surplus income
Colorado Springs, Colo.: $5,112 surplus income
Albuquerque, N.M.: $4,585 surplus income
Austin, Texas: $3,058 surplus income

Additional Insights:

Texas is the state that boasts the most cities in which the median income is enough for a comfortable living (Five out of the seven cities on this list)
All of the nine Californian cities on this list have median incomes below what is needed to live comfortably
Almost 40% of the biggest U.S. cities face a deficit of $10,000 or more between average income and what is needed to live comfortably
Kansas City, Mesa and Omaha had surplus income last year, but now have average incomes below what is needed for a comfortable living
While San Francisco still faces one of the largest deficits in the country, the city's deficit has dropped from $41,192 last year to $33,073 this year