One of the biggest points of contention in the 2024 presidential election centered around the perception that inflation has driven the cost of living in the United States to untenable levels — that mortgage rates and rent levels are skyrocketing, that groceries are impossibly expensive, etc.
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While economists often support a gradual increase in inflation and cost of living over time as the sign of a healthy economy, some cities in America have costs of living that are nearly double the household median income of their citizens, which can make living in those cities almost impossible without cohabitation or side gigs.
Recently, GOBankingRates compiled a study regarding the cost of living of 600 major American cities, incorporating such elements as real estate prices, population statistics and income levels, to determine which cities have a cost of living well over $100,000. Further, GOBankingRates compared those costs to the average household median incomes of those cities. For some cities, the disparity between cost of living and household median income are staggering. One such city is Jackson, Wyoming, where the household median income is $101,000, but the cost of living is $190,000; another is Edwards, Colorado, where the total cost of living is $177,000, but the household median income is only $89,000.
Curious whether your city (or dream city) makes the list? Keeping reading.
Jackson, Wyoming
- Total cost of living: $190,371
- Household median income: $101,477
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Edwards, Colorado
- Total cost of living: $177,684
- Household median income: $89,399
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Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- Total cost of living: $139,995
- Household median income: $93,280
San Jose, California
- Total cost of living: $137,721
- Household median income: $136,010
Breckenridge, Colorado
- Total cost of living: $136,304
- Household median income: $129,481
San Francisco
- Total cost of living: $130,708
- Household median income: $136,689
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Santa Cruz, California
- Total cost of living: $124,889
- Household median income: $105,491
Ocean City, New Jersey
- Total cost of living: $122,684
- Household median income: $98,576
Key West, Florida
- Total cost of living: $115,780
- Household median income: $80,828
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San Diego
- Total cost of living: $107,787
- Household median income: $98,657
Boulder, Colorado
- Total cost of living: $105,769
- Household median income: $80,243
Kahului, Hawaii
- Total cost of living: $105,614
- Household median income: $94,712
San Luis Obispo, California
- Total cost of living: $103,857
- Household median income: $65,000
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Kapaa, Hawaii
- Total cost of living: $102,283
- Household median income: $87,895
Truckee, California
- Total cost of living: $102,274
- Household median income: $107,423
Los Angeles
- Total cost of living: $100,697
- Household median income: $76,244
Methodology: Household median income was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. Cost of living includes average mortgage for each city and expenditures, sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and including the grocery, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous cost-of-living indexes. Mortgages were determined using the average single-family home value via Zillow Home Value Index, assuming a 10% down payment, and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Oct. 4, 2024.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 16 Cities Where the Cost of Living Is Over $100K Per Year
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