Best Places to Live on Less than $100k a Year

Written By:

May 20, 2021

Best Places to Live on Less than $100k a Year

Joy Wallet is advertiser-supported: we may earn compensation from the products and offers mentioned in this article. However, any expressed opinions are our own and aren't influenced by compensation. To read our full disclosure, click here.

Making six figures is the goal from the moment we leave home and strike out on our own. Then we find out that entry-level jobs are far less and we have to work our way up to six figures (and hopefully more!). GoBankingRates annually reviews U.S. cities across the country to find those where you can live comfortably for less than $100k. It looks at the cost of living, average rents and home prices, median salaries, and – the best part – the quality of life because we know we can live cheap in the boonies but what we really want is a place where can we live, work and play.

Here’s a look at the best cities to live, in every state.

In this article

The top cities where your money goes the furthest

When it comes to affordability, the annual costs for necessities such as a place to live, utilities, and food were lowest in the South and Northwest states but there were a couple of northeastern states that made the cut. These cities all fell below the $40k mark for costs of annual necessities.

City	Total annual necessities cost
Fort Polk South, Louisiana	$28,728
Madison, Alabama	$38,796
Bentonville, Arkansas	$38,513
Ammon, Idaho	$38,460
Fort Thomas, Kentucky	$38,539
Belfast, Maine	$37,638
Petal, Mississippi	$34,128
Miles City, Montana	$31,895
Tonawanda, New York	$34,669
West Fargo, North Dakota	$38,089
Dormont, Pennsylvania	$34,189
Mauldin, South Carolina	$35,018
Brandon, South Dakota	$38,928
Teays Valley, West Virginia	$36,263
De Pere, Wisconsin	$38,134

Renters Insurance That Keeps Your Stuff Safe

Lemonade renters insurance protects your stuff from the unexpected. Get covered with America's best-loved renters insurance in seconds. Starting from $5/month.

Starting From $5/mo
Most loved renters insurance in America
Covered in as little as 90 seconds
Claims paid at record speed

Get an Instant Quote Online

The top cities for comfortable living

Only 10 of 50 cities receive livability scores above 93 out of 100 points, and more than half of them are in the Midwest.

City	Total annual necessities cost
Hilliard, Ohio	98
Papillion, Nebraska	97
Allen, Texas	95
Fort Thomas, Kentucky	94
Carmel, Indiana	93
Champlin, Minnesota	93
Eureka, Missouri	93
Dormont, Pennsylvania	93
Short Pump, Virginia	93
De Pere, Wisconsin	93

The cities where you can earn the most

Twelve of the 50 cities had median annual salaries of just over six figures so although take-home pay may be less than $100k (especially if you are ), they are the highest-earning states in the review.

City	Median income
Marina del Rey, California	$112,050
Simsbury Center, Connecticut	$108,264
Pike Creek, Delaware	$114,865
Algonquin, Illinois	$104,532
Carmel, Indiana	$116,867
Eureka, Missouri	$106,000
Greentree, New Jersey	$128,797
White Rock, New Mexico	$135,929
Holly Springs, North Carolina	$104,822
Collierville, Tennessee	$113,789
Allen, Texas	$106,736
Short Pump, Virginia	$109,384

The best of the best

Not one city appeared within the top 10 of all three study components, but six did appear in at least two top 10s. These are the best of the best places to live on $100k or less – all of them suburbs of thriving cities.

Carmel, Indiana

Ranked as the best place to live in America by Town & Country and Money magazines, this suburban city outside of Indianapolis is renowned for its affordable cost of living, great schools, and safe neighborhoods. The city has more than 91,000 residents and is filled with indoor and outdoor fun. But, of course, it is close enough to Indianapolis if you need to work in a big city or want more excitement.

Dormont, Pennsylvania

Another top suburban city is Dormont, within Pittsburgh’s metropolitan area. Livability calls the area a “testbed and proving ground for world-shaping technologies and innovations” while Area Vibes named it the Keystone State’s most livable city. Allegheny County is both a mix of city and country life, as well, providing residents with the best of both worlds.

Short Pump, Virginia

Richmond’s suburban Short Pump is considered Virginia’s best-kept secret. Filled with lots of parks and restaurants, the city features top-rated schools, shopping, and home values so good that its residents are more likely to own than rent. In fact, most of the city is made up of homeowners.

De Pere, Wisconsin

You’ll find De Pere outside of Green Bay, and it is Wisconsin's top place to live. According to Area Vibes, De Pere ranks better than 90% of cities in the U.S. for livability. Young professionals love this community for its proximity to the city and its own array of parks, restaurants, and shops, not to mention good schools.

Fort Thomas, Kentucky

Across the river from Cincinnati is Kentucky's best city and a reason many who work in the Ohio city live across the border. The city has low unemployment rates and crime is in the lowest 10% for the state. Plus, all you have to do is cross the river into Ohio when you seek big city life or more job ops.

Eureka, Missouri

This St. Louis suburb provides a more rural feel within miles of city life. Highly rated schools, outdoor space to enjoy, and low crime rates make Eureka popular for young families, plus its median income is above six figures.

Renters Insurance That Keeps Your Stuff Safe

Lemonade renters insurance protects your stuff from the unexpected. Get covered with America's best-loved renters insurance in seconds. Starting from $5/month.

Starting From $5/mo
Most loved renters insurance in America
Covered in as little as 90 seconds
Claims paid at record speed

Get an Instant Quote Online

Ways to live comfortably where you live

But we get it: You may not want to move to these cities and like where you are. There are ways you live comfortably on less than $100k.

Lower your monthly bills. Break free of living paycheck to paycheck by living below your means. The easiest way to do spend less is to make cuts but they don't all have to be on the fun stuff. Finding ways to lower your monthly bills – a little here, a little there – can add up.

Budget. We know this is a tired "how-to" but it is repeated for a reason: If you don't know where your money is going every month, it's easy to overspend and to get into debt. Creating a budget in a way that is not overwhelming to you and that can be followed if the best way to stay on track.

Earn passive income. Investing so you can earn money without working extra hours is the true way to have financial freedom.

Get a side hustle. If you are in a cycle of living paycheck to paycheck and even small changes are not helping, getting a part-time job or working a side hustle to bring in extra money may be just what you need to get caught up and then get ahead.

See GoBankingRates' full list of the Best Place To Live on a $100,000 Salary in Every State.

Joy Wallet is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor, financial advisor, loan broker, insurance producer, or insurance broker. Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide investment advice. Joy Wallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues. Featured estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

Our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market. We are compensated by our partners, which may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on our site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice. Our editorials are grounded on independent research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.

We value your privacy. We work with trusted partners to provide relevant advertising based on information about your use of Joy Wallet’s and third-party websites and applications. This includes, but is not limited to, sharing information about your web browsing activities with Meta (Facebook) and Google. All of the web browsing information that is shared is anonymized. To learn more, click on our Privacy Policy link.

Images appearing across JoyWallet are courtesy of shutterstock.com.

Lissa Poirot is an award-winning journalist and editor with a focus on finance, travel and health. Her work has appeared online and in print, and she has often been cited as a source on both. She currently resides in Pennsylvania.

Share this article