Where Do You Have The Most Buying Power? In These 4 Cities, Your Paycheck Is Worth More Than It Seems.

Purchasing powerfulness tin alteration greatly depending connected wherever you live.

A caller Bankrate study examined accusation from nan U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to spot wherever nan costs of surviving takes nan largest (and smallest) portions of a paycheck. In nan report, "cost of living" is defined arsenic nan money required to unrecorded successful a definite area to surface nan basics, including groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare. It too factors successful specifics, from level rent to nan worth of cooking oil.

San Francisco topped nan database pinch surviving costs taking nan astir coiled retired of nan mean worker's wages. There, buying powerfulness is diminished by overmuch than 15%.

According to Payscale, lodging successful San Francisco is 182% overmuch costly than nan nationalist average, pinch utilities and groceries costing 48% and 23% overmuch than nan average.

A worker pinch a $100,000 nett successful San Francisco has nan aforesaid buying powerfulness arsenic personification making $79,000 successful San Antonio aft nan costs of surviving is factored successful for immoderate cities, per Bankrate.

All of this tin facet into wherever professionals return to activity and live.

"To find if a compensation package is sufficient, it's important to measurement it comprehensively," occupation coach Melissa Fleury told Bankrate.

How does your paycheck stack up against your city's surviving costs?

U.S. Cities Where Workers Have nan Most Purchasing Power

Out of nan 25 largest metro areas successful nan U.S., location are only 4 cities wherever emblematic workers personification overmuch purchasing powerfulness erstwhile their wages are adjusted for nan costs of living: San Antonio, St. Louis, Charlotte, and Detroit.

Related: This Is nan Living Wage You Need successful All 50 States

In San Antonio, nan mean worker makes $57,700 but really has $61,580 successful purchasing power. In San Antonio, lodging costs are beneath nan nationalist mean by complete 20%, according to Apartments.com. Living successful nan metropolis too intends that workers net 5.1% small than nan nationalist mean for groceries, 17.4% small for utilities, and 6.3% small for transportation.

In St. Louis, a nett of $61,910 has nan purchasing powerfulness balanced of $64,289 owed to nan city's debased lodging costs. According to Payscale, lodging is 27% cheaper successful St. Louis compared to nan nationalist average.

"Given that nan aforesaid instrumentality and services tin often costs overmuch aliases small successful different parts of nan country, it's not ever existent that personification pinch higher wages makes overmuch money," said Bankrate economical master Sarah Foster, successful nan report.

Related: Here's How Much It Costs to Live successful America's 10 Most Expensive Cities

U.S. Cities Where Workers Have nan Least Purchasing Power

San Francisco topped nan database pinch workers losing astir 15% of their buying power, while four cities averaged astatine slightest 10%: Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, and Miami.

In Los Angeles, for example, wherever lodging costs are 137% supra nan nationalist mean and proscription costs 33% more, nan mean yearly nett of $73,400 feels for illustration $63,550. In Phoenix, nan mean yearly nett of $64,890 is overmuch for illustration $61,507 worthy of instrumentality and services successful purchasing power. Though Phoenix's marketplace costs are only 4% higher than nan nationalist average, nan costs of lodging successful nan area is 16% higher.

Washington D.C., Denver, and Phoenix saw astatine slightest 5% of wages lost.

Related: The United States Is successful a Housing Crisis — Here's One Practical Alternative to Soaring House Prices

Here's what workers typically make successful nan largest metropolitan areas successful nan U.S., and really overmuch purchasing powerfulness they personification erstwhile adjusted for nan costs of living.

Least purchasing power:

1. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $97,460

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $82,453

Change: -15.4%

2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $73,400

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $63,550

Change: -13.4%

3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $86,520

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $76,566

Change: -11.5%

4. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $82,050

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $72,933

Change: -11.1%

5. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $63,380

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $56,691

Change: -10.6%

6. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $84,490

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $75,708

Change: -10.4%

7. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $76,010

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $68,170

Change: -10.3%

Most purchasing power:

1. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $57,700

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $61,580

Change: 6.7%

2. St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $61,910

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $64,289

Change: 3.8%

3. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $64,440

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $66,433

Change: 3.1%

4. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $64,360

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $65,673

Change: 2.0%

5. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $63,510

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $63,383

Change: -0.2%

6. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $66,910

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $66,313

Change: -0.9%

7. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area

Annual mean wages, earlier costs of surviving adjustment: $57,960

Wages aft costs of surviving adjustment: $57,329

Change: -1.1%

For nan afloat Bankrate report, click here.