If You’re in One of These U.S. Cities, You’re Probably Getting More Bang for Your Buck

If you’re looking to retire, some cities are better than others—like these cities in Florida. (If cities aren’t your scene, check out these perfect small towns for retirement.) But what it comes to toiling away before retirement, where exactly will your money get you the farthest? Most of these spots are also south of the Mason-Dixon Line, for the most part.

A new study from Indeed looked into the cost of living and salary numbers for 104 cities with a metropolitan population of at least 500,000 across the United States. Their rankings didn’t determine which city was the cheapest to live in or which city paid the best, but which combined these two factors perfectly to give its residents the most bang for their buck.

Generally speaking, the study found that the larger the city, the higher the cost of living. The exception to the rule was found in paradise; Honolulu was ranked the single hardest city to make ends meat. Residents of Honolulu had impressive average salaries ($74,553), but also fairly high costs of living ($59,882).

The top bang for your buck metro areas were as follows: Birmingham-Hoover Alabama ($76,886 average salary, $86,196 adjusted salary), Jackson, Mississippi ($76,666, $84,995), Fresno, California ($82,236, $84,604), St. Louis, Missouri ($76,567, $84,511), and El Paso, Texas ($75,457, $84,498).

Looking for other ways to compare your cost of living? This is how far $100 goes in each state.

[Source: CBS News]