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How Much You Need to Live 'Comfortably' in America's Biggest Cities

The cost of living challenge in America's biggest cities
20. San Antonio, Texas: $199,181
19. Houston, Texas: $206,669
=17. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: $211,494
=17. Jacksonville, Florida: $211,494
16. Dallas, Texas: $213,741
15. Fort Worth, Texas: $217,235
14. Indianapolis, Indiana: $222,726
13. Chicago, Illinois: $232,378
12. Austin, Texas: $233,376
11. Columbus, Ohio: $236,371
10. Charlotte, North Carolina: $244,192
9. Phoenix, Arizona: $247,853
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $256,506
7. Los Angeles, California: $271,981
6. Denver, Colorado: $292,947
5. San Diego, California: $297,190
4. New York City, New York: $306,093
3. Seattle, Washington: $327,475
2. San Francisco, California: $366,829
1. San Jose, California: $371,571
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Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

The cost of living challenge in America's biggest cities

The cost of living varies wildly in some of the biggest cities across the USA, and can even fluctuate significantly within a single state.

City salaries are typically adjusted by about 23% (according to recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York) to help workers cover basic expenses. However, plenty more income is needed if employees want to pay off debt, set aside savings, or splurge on something non-essential – expenses deemed necessary for a 'comfortable' existence.

To get an idea of the cost of living challenge facing millions of Americans today, we’ve used data from SmartAsset to rank America's 20 biggest cities by population from least to most expensive, based on the amount of money a family of four needs to live comfortably.

Population data is based on 2023 US Census Bureau estimates and is limited to cities rather than counties or metropolitan areas.

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Nicole Robinson

26 May 2025

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