How far an annual salary of $100,000 stretches varies largely depending on where a worker lives, and can have a big effect on budgeting and long-term financial planning, according to a new report from SmartAsset.
A $100,000 salary places an individual tax filer around the upper limit of the 22% federal tax bracket. In addition, FICA taxes for Social Security and Medicare and state and local income taxes in areas where they apply further reduce the amount left over, as does the local cost of living.
With this in mind, SmartAsset determined the value of $100,000 in 69 of the biggest U.S. cities for 2025, after accounting for applicable taxes and local cost of living premiums.
To arrive at their ranking, researchers used SmartAsset’s online paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 for an individual. This tool calculates the earner’s take-home pay per paycheck for both salary and hourly jobs after taking into account federal, FICA, state and local taxes.
Researchers then adjusted the take-home income figure for the local cost of living in the cities they studied, using data from the Council for Community and Economic Research. The cost of living takes into account the price of housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services.
The most expensive city on the list? Manhattan, in which a worker earning $100,000 has $30,362 in buying power. (Their salary goes slightly further in Brooklyn and Queens, with a value of $43,461 and $46,708, respectively.) Hawaii came in second to last, at
See the gallery for the 12 cities where $100,000 goes furthest, according to SmartAsset.
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