It has been expensive to live in New York since the word “expensive” originated sometime in the early 17th century. A new study by SmartAsset included New York’s boroughs as cities, and three of them — Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens — landed in the top five of where a $100,000 salary goes least far.
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SmartAsset looked at 69 of the largest cities in the U.S. to determine where in America $100,000 stretched the furthest, after accounting for applicable taxes and local cost of living premiums.
Here are the eight American cities where your $100,000 goes less far than it did a year ago.
Percentage increase in value of $100,000: -1.8%
Value of $100k in 2025: $30,362
Value of $100k in 2024: $30,914
No huge surprise here. Manhattan ranked eighth in percentage decrease year-over-year, but first in cities where $100,000 is worth the least ($30,362), per SmartAsset.
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Percentage increase in value of $100,000: -1.9%
Value of $100k in 2025: $66,668
Value of $100k in 2024: $67,926
New Orleans received a BestPlaces Cost of Living score of 101.6, indicating that the total cost of housing, food, daycare, transportation, healthcare, taxes and other essentials is 1.6% higher than the national average and 13.0% higher than the Louisiana average.
Percentage increase in value of $100,000: -2.3%
Value of $100k in 2025: $79,543
Value of $100k in 2024: $81,429
Given its many opportunities and attractions, popular Nashville is surprisingly 1% lower than the cost of living national average, according to the Nashville MLS site. However, your $100,000 is only worth $79,543 in 2025, 2.3% less than it was in 2024, per SmartAssets’s study.
Percentage increase in value of $100,000: -2.7%
Value of $100k in 2025: $64,991
Value of $100k in 2024: $66,801
Back in 2022, CBS’s MoneyWatch deemed Florida the least affordable place to live in the U.S. 300,000 people moved to the Sunshine State between 2020 and 2021, and housing and renting trends subsequently rose. Miami’s typical rent takes up a whopping 60% of a household’s typical income.
Percentage increase in value of $100,000: -3.0%
Value of $100k in 2025: $77,647
Value of $100k in 2024: $80,089
According to U.S. News & World Report, Columbus is the 61st “Best Place to Live” and the 47th “Best Place to Retire” in the USA. However, per SmartAsset, the value of $100,000, after accounting for taxes and local cost of living changes year-over-year, was deemed to be the fourth worst in America.
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