Best and worst paying cities, after cost of living

Where does a paycheck go furthest? We compared 30 common jobs across 30 big U.S. metro areas using official government data, then adjusted for local prices. San Jose comes out on top; Miami comes last.

Cities ranked across all 30 jobs

#Metro areaPrices (US = 100)Pay worth vs. US median
1San Jose, CA110.4+34%
2San Francisco, CA115.6+19%
3Seattle, WA111.1+17%
4Sacramento, CA106.7+14%
5Portland, OR105.4+12%
6Boston, MA108.3+10%
7Minneapolis, MN104.8+7%
8Chicago, IL103.6+6%
9Washington, DC108.9+6%
10Denver, CO105.8+5%
11New York, NY112.6+5%
12San Diego, CA111.9+4%
13St. Louis, MO95.1+4%
14Philadelphia, PA102.6+2%
15Charlotte, NC97.3+2%
16Los Angeles, CA113.6+2%
17Austin, TX98.1+1%
18Detroit, MI100.3+1%
19Pittsburgh, PA94.7+1%
20Baltimore, MD104.50%
21Atlanta, GA100.10%
22Nashville, TN96.3−1%
23San Antonio, TX94.7−2%
24Las Vegas, NV100.2−2%
25Houston, TX98.6−2%
26Phoenix, AZ103.3−3%
27Dallas, TX103.1−4%
28Tampa, FL100.9−8%
29Orlando, FL101.4−9%
30Miami, FL114.2−17%

The last column is the average, across the jobs, of each job's price-adjusted median pay in that city compared with its national median. +10% means the same jobs pay 10% more in real terms than the U.S. median. "Worth" is the median adjusted for local prices: what that pay buys at average U.S. prices, using U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metro area, 2024.

Best city for each job

Registered Nurse

🥇 San Jose $196,322 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Sacramento

Last: Miami $80,018

Software Developer

🥇 San Jose $193,034 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Boston

Last: Miami $116,156

Medical Assistant

🥇 Sacramento $58,079 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Detroit $39,292

Elementary School Teacher

🥇 Sacramento $96,898 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Miami $51,051

Accountant

🥇 San Jose $110,236 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Charlotte

Last: Miami $70,858

Customer Service Representative

🥇 San Jose $54,783 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Miami $34,641

Truck Driver

🥇 Seattle $64,122 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Nashville

Last: Miami $45,166

Electrician

🥇 Portland $99,706 · 🥈 Chicago · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Orlando $50,118

Marketing Specialist

🥇 San Jose $128,587 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Boston

Last: Pittsburgh $66,727

Administrative Assistant

🥇 San Jose $57,011 · 🥈 Boston · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Miami $41,550

Project Manager

🥇 San Jose $122,391 · 🥈 Seattle · 🥉 San Francisco

Last: Miami $86,445

Pharmacy Technician

🥇 San Jose $68,379 · 🥈 Portland · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Miami $39,615

Web Developer

🥇 San Jose $150,969 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Washington

Last: Portland $70,133

Information Security Analyst

🥇 San Jose $159,529 · 🥈 Seattle · 🥉 San Francisco

Last: Las Vegas $103,463

IT Support Specialist

🥇 Sacramento $99,381 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 San Francisco

Last: Miami $52,977

Licensed Practical Nurse

🥇 San Jose $86,341 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Portland

Last: Miami $54,825

Nursing Assistant (CNA)

🥇 San Jose $51,486 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Portland

Last: Miami $33,284

Dental Hygienist

🥇 San Francisco $126,955 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Seattle

Last: Miami $72,487

Physical Therapist

🥇 San Jose $125,906 · 🥈 Sacramento · 🥉 San Francisco

Last: Miami $88,327

Pharmacist

🥇 San Jose $180,290 · 🥈 Sacramento · 🥉 Portland

Last: Miami $118,398

Paralegal

🥇 San Jose $89,900 · 🥈 Seattle · 🥉 Denver

Last: Miami $54,370

Graphic Designer

🥇 San Jose $88,188 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Washington

Last: Miami $54,177

Financial Analyst

🥇 San Jose $131,259 · 🥈 New York · 🥉 San Francisco

Last: Tampa $79,197

Human Resources Specialist

🥇 San Jose $101,576 · 🥈 Washington · 🥉 San Francisco

Last: Miami $59,177

Receptionist

🥇 San Francisco $42,777 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Sacramento

Last: Miami $32,898

Bookkeeper

🥇 San Jose $59,900 · 🥈 San Francisco · 🥉 Boston

Last: Miami $44,046

Warehouse Worker

🥇 Minneapolis $45,153 · 🥈 Pittsburgh · 🥉 St. Louis

Last: Miami $33,783

Plumber

🥇 Chicago $99,788 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Minneapolis

Last: Miami $50,578

HVAC Technician

🥇 Chicago $75,251 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Minneapolis

Last: Tampa $50,089

High School Teacher

🥇 Sacramento $98,463 · 🥈 San Jose · 🥉 Chicago

Last: Miami $52,898

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Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metro area, 2024. Median pay for wage and salary workers, excluding bonuses, benefits and overtime. Metro areas, not city limits.