Being a breadwinner in the Big Apple can really bite.
The big ballers, shot callers and finance bros of NYC making $100,000 each year are, in reality, making peanuts, according to a new report on how far the six-figure salary actually stretches in major U.S. cities in 2025.
And in Gotham, there isn’t much give.
An annual income of “$100K goes least far in Manhattan, NY with only $30,362 spending power,” study authors from SmartAsset, a financial technology company, revealed in their recent findings.
Researchers used $100K as a baseline salary for the nationwide investigation — an earning that places an individual at the upper limit of the 22% federal tax bracket, per the data.
The experts then considered the federal, state and local taxes imposed upon a city resident, as well as FICA taxes, inflation and cost of living premiums (not to mention what the new tariffs will do to rent prices) to determine the truth worth of the wage.
“After accounting for federal taxes, particularly high local taxes, and a cost of living 130.6% higher than the national average, a $100K salary goes least far in [Manhattan],” the examiners reiterated, noting that the net pay’s value has decreased by $552 since 2024 — when earning $100,000 in the heart of the concrete jungle equated to $30,914.
But the slump isn’t much better in its neighboring boroughs.
For bigwigs in Brooklyn, bringing home the $100K bacon amounts to $43,461 this year, which comes as no shock as Red Hook and Carroll Gardens were recently named two of the most expensive nabes in New York.
However, in Queens, the same money equals a measly $46,708. It’s a staggering 6.5% drop from the $49,978 value it held 12 months ago.
“This can mostly be attributed to an increase in the relative cost of living in Queens,” the insiders explained.
But New Yorkers aren’t 9-to-5ers whose dollars aren’t make much sense nowadays.
The study found that Honolulu, Hawaii, alongside several stellar zip codes in California — including San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego — ranked in the top 10 worst cities for workers taking home $100,000.
However, less buzzy and busy locations, such as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and El Paso, Texas, took the top two slots, respectively, on the list of cities where $100,000 is worth the most.
Here’s how far the dough goes in the leading locales.
10 Cities Where $100k Is Worth the Least
Cities are ranked based on the value of $100,000 after accounting for taxes and local cost-of-living premiums.
- Manhattan, NY
- Value of $100K in 2025: $30,362
- Value of $100K in 2024: $30,914
- Year-over-year change: -1.8%
2. Honolulu, HI
- Value of $100K in 2025: $38,610
- Value of $100K in 2024: $39,148
- Year-over-year change: -1.4%
3. San Francisco, CA
- Value of $100K in 2025: $42,128
- Value of $100K in 2024: $40,997
- Year-over-year change: 2.8%
4. Brooklyn, NY
- Value of $100K in 2025: $43,461
- Value of $100K in 2024: $43,376
- Year-over-year change: 0.2%
5. Queens, NY
- Value of $100k in 2025: $46,708
- Value of $100k in 2024: $49,978
- Year-over-year change: -6.5%
6. Los Angeles, CA
- Value of $100K in 2025: $47,983
- Value of $100K in 2024: $47,762
- Year-over-year change: 0.5%
7. San Diego, CA
- Value of $100K in 2025: $49,337
- Value of $100K in 2024: $50,082
- Year-over-year change: -1.5%
8. Boston, MA
- Value of $100K in 2025: $50,602
- Value of $100K in 2024: $50,109
- Year-over-year change: 1.0%
9. Washington, DC
- Value of $100K in 2025: $51,339
- Value of $100K in 2024: $48,734
- Year-over-year change: 5.3%
10. Oakland, CA
- Value of $100K in 2025: $52,060
- Value of $100K in 2024: $51,237
- Year-over-year change: 1.6%
10 Cities Where $100k Is Worth the Most
Cities are ranked based on the value of $100,000 after accounting for taxes and local cost of living premiums.
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Value of $100K in 2025: $89,989
- Value of $100K in 2024: $87,585
- Year-over-year change: 2.7%
2. El Paso, TX
- Value of $100K in 2025: $89,114
- Value of $100K in 2024: $88,840
- Year-over-year change: 0.3%
3. Corpus Christi, TX
- Value of $100K in 2025: $88,015
- Value of $100K in 2024: $86,383
- Year-over-year change: 1.9%
4. Tulsa, OK
- Value of $100K in 2025: $87,439
- Value of $100K in 2024: $84,507
- Year-over-year change: 3.5%
5. Memphis, TN
- Value of $100K in 2025: $87,427
- Value of $100K in 2024: $86,960
- Year-over-year change: 0.5%
6. Lubbock, TX
- Value of $100K in 2025: $86,846
- Value of $100K in 2024: $85,065
- Year-over-year change: 2.1%
7. San Antonio, TX
- Value of $100k in 2025: $86,084
- Value of $100k in 2024: $85,625
- Year-over-year change: 0.5%
8. Jacksonville, FL
- Value of $100K in 2025: $84,509
- Value of $100K in 2024: $83,878
- Year-over-year change: 0.8%
9. Houston, TX
- Value of $100K in 2025: $83,343
- Value of $100K in 2024: $82,986
- Year-over-year change: 0.4%
10. St. Louis, MO
- Value of $100K in 2025: $83,082
- Value of $100K in 2024: $82,614
- Year-over-year change: 0.6%
