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Cheapest and most expensive cities after taxes and rent (2026): 40 cities ranked
The same $75,000 salary leaves $3,956 a month after a one-bedroom in San Antonio and $1,838 in San Jose — taxes and rent together swing the monthly budget by $2,117. The second table shows the salary each city needs before rent takes more than 30% of take-home.
$75,000 salary: what is left after rent, ranked
| # | City | Take-home / mo | 1-bed rent | Left after 1-bed | Rent share | Left after 2-bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio, TX | $5,133 | $1,177 | $3,956 | 22.9% | $3,707 |
| 2 | St. Louis, MO | $4,859 | $995 | $3,864 | 20.5% | $3,641 |
| 3 | Cleveland, OH | $4,869 | $1,058 | $3,811 | 21.7% | $3,590 |
| 4 | Houston, TX | $5,133 | $1,323 | $3,810 | 25.8% | $3,560 |
| 5 | Jacksonville, FL | $5,133 | $1,382 | $3,751 | 26.9% | $3,475 |
| 6 | Louisville, KY | $4,786 | $1,047 | $3,739 | 21.9% | $3,514 |
| 7 | Columbus, OH | $4,869 | $1,194 | $3,675 | 24.5% | $3,439 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh, PA | $4,749 | $1,077 | $3,672 | 22.7% | $3,450 |
| 9 | Kansas City, MO | $4,859 | $1,197 | $3,662 | 24.6% | $3,501 |
| 10 | Las Vegas, NV | $5,133 | $1,478 | $3,655 | 28.8% | $3,398 |
| 11 | Detroit, MI | $4,738 | $1,122 | $3,616 | 23.7% | $3,327 |
| 12 | Austin, TX | $5,133 | $1,562 | $3,571 | 30.4% | $3,281 |
| 13 | Indianapolis, IN | $4,825 | $1,267 | $3,558 | 26.3% | $3,352 |
| 14 | Nashville, TN | $5,133 | $1,578 | $3,555 | 30.7% | $3,403 |
| 15 | Dallas, TX | $5,133 | $1,648 | $3,485 | 32.1% | $3,202 |
| 16 | Tampa, FL | $5,133 | $1,696 | $3,437 | 33.0% | $3,156 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $4,884 | $1,456 | $3,428 | 29.8% | $3,137 |
| 18 | Phoenix, AZ | $5,010 | $1,583 | $3,427 | 31.6% | $3,171 |
| 19 | Minneapolis, MN | $4,807 | $1,405 | $3,402 | 29.2% | $3,098 |
| 20 | Orlando, FL | $5,133 | $1,731 | $3,402 | 33.7% | $3,161 |
| 21 | Charlotte, NC | $4,926 | $1,538 | $3,388 | 31.2% | $3,240 |
| 22 | Raleigh, NC | $4,926 | $1,596 | $3,330 | 32.4% | $3,176 |
| 23 | Chicago, IL | $4,835 | $1,581 | $3,254 | 32.7% | $3,054 |
| 24 | Atlanta, GA | $4,883 | $1,660 | $3,223 | 34.0% | $3,063 |
| 25 | Philadelphia, PA | $4,703 | $1,520 | $3,183 | 32.3% | $2,893 |
| 26 | Baltimore, MD | $4,666 | $1,511 | $3,155 | 32.4% | $2,809 |
| 27 | Miami, FL | $5,133 | $1,995 | $3,138 | 38.9% | $2,697 |
| 28 | Denver, CO | $4,889 | $1,754 | $3,135 | 35.9% | $2,800 |
| 29 | Newark, NJ | $4,874 | $1,822 | $3,052 | 37.4% | $2,669 |
| 30 | Portland, OR | $4,667 | $1,677 | $2,990 | 35.9% | $2,745 |
| 31 | Sacramento, CA | $4,820 | $1,832 | $2,988 | 38.0% | $2,565 |
| 32 | Seattle, WA | $5,046 | $2,146 | $2,900 | 42.5% | $2,545 |
| 33 | Washington, DC, DC | $4,847 | $2,015 | $2,832 | 41.6% | $2,601 |
| 34 | Honolulu, HI | $4,754 | $2,016 | $2,738 | 42.4% | $2,112 |
| 35 | Los Angeles, CA | $4,820 | $2,085 | $2,735 | 43.3% | $2,219 |
| 36 | San Diego, CA | $4,820 | $2,459 | $2,361 | 51.0% | $1,819 |
| 37 | Boston, MA | $4,818 | $2,476 | $2,342 | 51.4% | $1,877 |
| 38 | New York City, NY | $4,609 | $2,655 | $1,954 | 57.6% | $1,699 |
| 39 | San Francisco, CA | $4,820 | $2,977 | $1,843 | 61.8% | $1,216 |
| 40 | San Jose, CA | $4,820 | $2,982 | $1,838 | 61.9% | $1,337 |
Salary needed to rent a one-bedroom at 30% of take-home, ranked
| # | City | 1-bed rent | Salary needed (1-bed) | Hourly (40 h) | 2-bed rent | Salary needed (2-bed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $2,982 | $179,687 | $86.39 | $3,483 | $211,654 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $2,977 | $179,340 | $86.22 | $3,604 | $219,542 |
| 3 | New York City, NY | $2,655 | $160,327 | $77.08 | $2,910 | $177,741 |
| 4 | San Diego, CA | $2,459 | $143,461 | $68.97 | $3,001 | $181,003 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $2,476 | $139,059 | $66.86 | $2,941 | $168,634 |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA | $2,085 | $117,699 | $56.59 | $2,601 | $153,297 |
| 7 | Honolulu, HI | $2,016 | $112,623 | $54.15 | $2,642 | $153,653 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $2,146 | $111,669 | $53.69 | $2,501 | $132,572 |
| 9 | Washington, DC, DC | $2,015 | $111,239 | $53.48 | $2,246 | $126,325 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $1,995 | $100,881 | $48.50 | $2,436 | $126,078 |
| 11 | Sacramento, CA | $1,832 | $100,761 | $48.44 | $2,255 | $129,332 |
| 12 | Newark, NJ | $1,822 | $97,625 | $46.94 | $2,205 | $121,728 |
| 13 | Portland, OR | $1,677 | $93,101 | $44.76 | $1,922 | $109,193 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $1,754 | $92,552 | $44.50 | $2,089 | $113,010 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $1,660 | $86,936 | $41.80 | $1,820 | $96,728 |
| 16 | Orlando, FL | $1,731 | $85,871 | $41.28 | $1,972 | $99,574 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $1,696 | $83,881 | $40.33 | $1,977 | $99,858 |
| 18 | Chicago, IL | $1,581 | $82,974 | $39.89 | $1,781 | $95,207 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $1,596 | $82,130 | $39.49 | $1,750 | $91,412 |
| 20 | Baltimore, MD | $1,511 | $82,126 | $39.48 | $1,857 | $104,427 |
| 21 | Philadelphia, PA | $1,520 | $81,881 | $39.37 | $1,810 | $100,158 |
| 22 | Dallas, TX | $1,648 | $81,151 | $39.02 | $1,931 | $97,242 |
| 23 | Phoenix, AZ | $1,583 | $79,716 | $38.33 | $1,839 | $94,808 |
| 24 | Charlotte, NC | $1,538 | $78,634 | $37.80 | $1,686 | $87,555 |
| 25 | Nashville, TN | $1,578 | $77,171 | $37.10 | $1,730 | $85,814 |
| 26 | Austin, TX | $1,562 | $76,262 | $36.66 | $1,852 | $92,751 |
| 27 | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,456 | $74,426 | $35.78 | $1,747 | $92,445 |
| 28 | Minneapolis, MN | $1,405 | $72,646 | $34.93 | $1,709 | $91,913 |
| 29 | Las Vegas, NV | $1,478 | $71,485 | $34.37 | $1,735 | $86,098 |
| 30 | Jacksonville, FL | $1,382 | $66,086 | $31.77 | $1,658 | $81,720 |
| 31 | Indianapolis, IN | $1,267 | $64,302 | $30.91 | $1,473 | $76,569 |
| 32 | Houston, TX | $1,323 | $63,149 | $30.36 | $1,573 | $76,887 |
| 33 | Kansas City, MO | $1,197 | $59,916 | $28.81 | $1,358 | $68,845 |
| 34 | Columbus, OH | $1,194 | $59,660 | $28.68 | $1,430 | $73,110 |
| 35 | Detroit, MI | $1,122 | $57,597 | $27.69 | $1,411 | $74,347 |
| 36 | San Antonio, TX | $1,177 | $55,881 | $26.87 | $1,426 | $68,529 |
| 37 | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,077 | $55,114 | $26.50 | $1,299 | $67,170 |
| 38 | Louisville, KY | $1,047 | $53,024 | $25.49 | $1,272 | $65,080 |
| 39 | Cleveland, OH | $1,058 | $52,416 | $25.20 | $1,279 | $64,187 |
| 40 | St. Louis, MO | $995 | $49,081 | $23.60 | $1,218 | $61,040 |
How these rankings are calculated
Take-home pay is computed by the paycheck engine for a single filer with no pre-tax deductions, 2026 federal and state tables, and city income tax where one applies (New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Louisville, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis and others). Rents are HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for the metro area — the 40th-percentile gross rent including utilities, i.e. a modest typical unit. "Salary needed" is the gross salary at which the one-bedroom rent equals 30% of monthly take-home, solved exactly for that city's taxes. All numbers are regenerated when HUD publishes new rents (October) or a tax table changes; the full table is in open data (CSV, CC BY 4.0).
Frequently asked
Which city is cheapest after taxes and rent?
On $75,000, San Antonio: $5,133 take-home a month minus a $1,177 one-bedroom leaves $3,956. Cities with no state income tax and mid-range rents (Texas, Tennessee, Florida) dominate the top of the list.
Which city needs the highest salary to rent?
San Jose: about $179,687 a year for a one-bedroom at 30% of take-home.
Is 30% of take-home the right rule?
It is the common benchmark (landlords often screen at 3× rent on gross pay, which is similar). The ranking uses take-home rather than gross because city and state taxes differ by up to 10% of pay between these cities.