How far does $100K go in different cities?

And how to use TikTok to pay off student debt

Hey you! Let’s start the week off right with some great news, shall we? Vermont is officially the latest state to implement pay transparency! 🙌

11 US states down (12 if you count D.C.), 39 to go.

Check where your state stands right here.

How Far Does $100,000 Go in Different US Cities? 

A six-figure salary is a dream goal for a lot of Americans. 

It’s a big deal to earn over $100,000—people who earn this much sit at the 81st percentile of all US workers. But more and more, people are asking themselves: “Is earning six figures enough?”.

Turns out, the answer depends heavily on where you live. 

Each state has different local, federal, and state taxes. Throw in each city’s relative cost of living (housing, groceries, transportation, etc.) and you’ve got a wild mix of what a six-figure lifestyle can look like. 

Let’s find out which cities will give you the most (and least) bang for your buck: 💸

Most Expensive Cities 

New York City / Christian Ladewig

New York City is the most expensive city in the US. With a cost of living that's 83.6% higher than the national average and taxes nabbing about 41% of your paycheck, a $100,000 salary feels closer to $35,791

California isn’t exactly known for being budget-friendly, either. It’s home to five of the ten priciest cities in the US: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, and Oakland. In California, you can expect to spend an average of $843,340 (more than double the nationwide median of $394,300) for a single-family home. 

And we can’t forget Honolulu, of course. 🏝️ Thanks to importation costs, limited housing availability, and tourism hiking up costs of local goods and services, a $100,000 income in Honolulu is worth just $36,026.

Least Expensive Cities 

Memphis / MJ Tangonan

Don’t panic: There are plenty of US cities where $100,000 goes far. 

One of those cities is Memphis, Tennessee. A six-figure earner here has the equivalent of $86,444 left after taxes (shout-out to a cost of living that’s 13.8% below the national average and no income tax). 

Texas is also home to affordable cities: El Paso, Houston, and Fort Worth, just to name a few. In the Lone Star State, a $100,000 salary amounts to $77,885 after deducting taxes and adjusting for the cost of living. 

What This Means for You

Two things: First, research your state’s average cost of living when negotiating your salary.* This lets you come in with a benchmark of how much you need to earn to live comfortably (ex. $50,000 goes far in Memphis, but not Manhattan). 

* Unsure how to negotiate your salary? We have dozens of negotiation scripts ready for you!

Second, remember: Your salary for the same job can vary significantly depending on the state. Our salary database has thousands of individually reported salaries to help you compare salaries by location (and share yours anonymously, too).

And if you already live in one of the most expensive cities? No, you don’t need to pack your stuff and ship off to Memphis. There are ways you can maximize your income…and we share those strategies with you right here

Let’s chat about ✨ working for the government.✨ 

Because taxpayers fund government jobs, many employers must disclose wage and salary information to all potential candidates. 

Clearly, government workers are no strangers to salary transparency…so we featured them on our latest episode of The Break Room!

In this episode, you’ll hear from Clay ($129,000 as a Department of the Army employee), Stephanie ($99,200 as a budget analyst), and Daniel ($93,000 as a public affairs specialist) as they chat about benefits, pay transparency, the hiring process, and so much more!

  • Walmart is making headlines (again). After going viral for paying its top-performing store managers up to $500,000, Walmart just announced that approximately 700,000 hourly employees will be eligible for a $1,000 annual bonus. We’re here for it. 👏

  • A big win for Colorado’s ride-hail and delivery drivers: Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills into law that promote #transparency. The bills mandate Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash to share how much the ride’s cost will go to the company versus the driver. Plus, drivers will see how much they’ll earn from a ride before they accept it. 

  • Paying off student debt via…TikTok? Yep. TikTokers are banding together to help each other go viral in the hopes of earning money from TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program—and using the cash to pay off their student loans.

  • Here are the deets on Vermont’s pay transparency law: Starting in July 2025, businesses with five or more employees will be required to disclose the minimum and maximum hourly wage or salary of any open position—which includes internal job postings. 

Heads up! We’ll be in Atlanta this Thursday (see you at Ponce City Market? 👀), and New York next week. I’ll be speaking at the NYC Creator Event, hosted by The Publish Press on Tuesday, June 18! I’ll share how I approached content strategy to bring in over $1 million in 2023 in just my second year as a full-time creator. 

I’d love to see you there if you’re around. Register (totally free!) right here

See you next week!

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