15 U.S. Cities Where a $100,000 Salary Feels Like Much Less

A $100,000 salary used to mean absolute security, regardless of where you lived. Now? That’s chump change in some cities.
SmartAsset recently crunched the numbers to create a list of exactly how far $100,000 will go in 69 of the largest U.S. cities. To do so, they used SmartAsset’s paycheck calculator to calculate an individual’s take-home pay after applying federal, FICA, state, and local taxes. That number was then adjusted for the cost of living in each of the 69 cities assessed.
Here are 15 U.S. cities where a salary of $100,000 doesn’t mean that much.
1. Manhattan, NY

Value of $100k, 2025: $30,362
Value of $100k, 2024: $30,914
2. Honolulu, HI

Value of $100k, 2025: $38,610
Value of $100k, 2024: $39,148
3. San Francisco, CA

Value of $100k, 2025: $42,128
Value of $100k, 2024: $40,997
4. Brooklyn, NY

Value of $100k, 2025: $43,461
Value of $100k, 2024: $43,376
5. Queens, NY

Value of $100k, 2025: $46,708
Value of $100k, 2024: $49,978
6. Los Angeles, CA

Value of $100k, 2025: $47,983
Value of $100k, 2024: $47,762
7. San Diego, CA

Value of $100k, 2025: $49,337
Value of $100k, 2024: $50,082
8. Boston, MA

Value of $100k, 2025: $50,602
Value of $100k, 2024: $50,109
9. Washington, DC

Value of $100k, 2025: $51,339
Value of $100k, 2024: $48,734
10. Oakland, CA

Value of $100k, 2025: $52,060
Value of $100k, 2024: $51,237
11. Seattle, WA

Value of $100k, 2025: $54,107
Value of $100k, 2024: $54,004
12. Arlington, VA

Value of $100k, 2025: $54,426
Value of $100k, 2024: $53,443
13. Portland, OR

Value of $100k, 2025: $60,427
Value of $100k, 2024: $58,205
14. Anchorage, AK

Value of $100k, 2025: $63,772
Value of $100k, 2024: $62,968
15. Chicago, IL

Value of $100k, 2025: $64,029
Value of $100k, 2024: $64,603