You work hard for your money, but have you ever thought about how where you live impacts your quality of life? Location really does make a difference.
Now, the folks at Glassdoor have ranked the cities where your paycheck goes the furthest.
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10 cities where you can live well making $60K
Glassdoor came up with a cost of living ratio by comparing a city’s median base salary to its median home value. After all, housing is the average American’s biggest expense.
“Though there are certainly other financial factors to consider when taking into account total cost of living, this data reinforces that pay typically goes further in mid-sized cities versus big metropolitan areas where there is often tighter competition for housing,” said Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist.
As you scroll through the list, you won’t see some of America’s biggest cities: Boston, New York and San Francisco. Even with greater median salaries in those cities, residents are weighed down by high housing costs.
Take a look at these 10 cities where Glassdoor says you can have a good quality of life with a base salary of about $60,000 or less:
10. Louisville, Kentucky
- Cost of living ratio: 39%
- Median base salary: $54,000
- Median home value: $137,500
- Number of open jobs: 22,693—¹
9. Kansas City, Missouri
- Cost of living ratio: 39%
- Median base salary: $58,000
- Median home value: $147,500
- Number of open jobs: 35,639
8. Birmingham, Alabama
- Cost of living ratio: 40%
- Median base salary: $50,800
- Median home value: $128,000
- Number of open jobs: 15,299
7. Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cost of living ratio: 40%
- Median base salary: $57,179
- Median home value: $143,400
- Number of open jobs: 32,605
6. St. Louis, Missouri
- Cost of living ratio: 40%
- Median base salary: $56,896
- Median home value: $141,900
- Number of open jobs: 35,300
5. Indianapolis, Indiana
- Cost of living ratio: 43%
- Median base salary: $56,000
- Median home value: $130,200
- Number of open jobs: 33,090
4. Cleveland, Ohio
- Cost of living ratio: 44%
- Median base salary: $55,000
- Median home value: $125,500
- Number of open jobs: 29,304
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Cost of living ratio: 45%
- Median base salary: $56,896
- Median home value: $126,700
- Number of open jobs: 46,379
2. Memphis, Tennessee
- Cost of living ratio: 46%
- Median base salary: $52,000
- Median home value: $112,100
- Number of open jobs: 17,982
1. Detroit, Michigan
- Cost of living ratio: 50%
- Median base salary: $61,500
- Median home value: $123,100
- Number of open jobs: 54,808
Cities including Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Tampa, Minneapolis and Raleigh didn’t make the top 10, but they did make Glassdoor’s top 25 list, which you can find here.
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