{"h1":"Best cities for finance pay after cost of living","faq":[{"a":"Mountain View leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this job family: its median posted salary buys what $161k buys at average US prices.","q":"Which city ranks first: best cities for finance pay after cost of living?"},{"a":"35 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 35 entries.","q":"How many cities are ranked?"},{"a":"The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for this job family in a city, divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 20 listings in the family that post a salary are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Mountain View leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this job family: its median posted salary buys what $161k buys at average US prices.","minN":30,"rows":[{"n":26,"key":"CA|mountain view","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/mountain-view","name":"Mountain View","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$178k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+10%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"26"}],"value":160778.9855072464,"change":null,"employers":["Intuit","Waymo","Google"],"valueLabel":"$161k"},{"n":28,"key":"CA|san mateo","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/san-mateo","name":"San Mateo","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$184k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+16%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"28"}],"value":158905.7093425606,"change":null,"employers":["Roblox","Verkada","Skydio"],"valueLabel":"$159k"},{"n":31,"key":"CA|santa clara","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/santa-clara","name":"Santa Clara","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$173k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"+11%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"31"}],"value":155826.5582655827,"change":null,"employers":["Pure Storage","Advanced Micro Devices","Amazon"],"valueLabel":"$156k"},{"n":282,"key":"CA|san francisco","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/san-francisco","name":"San Francisco","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$180k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+16%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"282"}],"value":155709.3425605536,"change":null,"employers":["OpenAI","Anthropic","University Of California San Francisco Foundation"],"valueLabel":"$156k"},{"n":48,"key":"TX|austin","sub":"TX","href":"/places/texas/city/austin","name":"Austin","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$153k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"−2%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"48"}],"value":155558.1039755352,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","Advanced Micro Devices","Cloudflare"],"valueLabel":"$156k"},{"n":31,"key":"TX|addison","sub":"TX","href":"/places/texas/city/addison","name":"Addison","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$150k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"−3%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"31"}],"value":154801.7507723996,"change":null,"employers":["National Life Group","National Life Insurance Company","Bank of America"],"valueLabel":"$155k"},{"n":28,"key":"CA|san jose","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/san-jose","name":"San Jose","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$158k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+10%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"28"}],"value":143048.0072463768,"change":null,"employers":["Super Micro Computer","Advanced Micro Devices","Cisco Systems"],"valueLabel":"$143k"},{"n":74,"key":"TX|dallas","sub":"TX","href":"/places/texas/city/dallas","name":"Dallas","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$144k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+3%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"74"}],"value":139616.8768186227,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","Shield AI","Texas Instruments"],"valueLabel":"$140k"},{"n":23,"key":"GA|alpharetta","sub":"GA","href":"/places/georgia/city/alpharetta","name":"Alpharetta","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$133k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"−4%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"23"}],"value":137590.8618899273,"change":null,"employers":["Morgan Stanley","Fiserv","Landis+Gyr"],"valueLabel":"$138k"},{"n":573,"key":"NY|new york","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/new-york","name":"New York","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$153k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+13%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"573"}],"value":135479.5737122558,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","Publicis Groupe","Morgan Stanley"],"valueLabel":"$135k"},{"n":37,"key":"OH|columbus","sub":"OH","href":"/places/ohio/city/columbus","name":"Columbus","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$129k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"−5%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"37"}],"value":135183.2460732984,"change":null,"employers":["Nationwide Children's Hospital","State of Ohio","Nationwide"],"valueLabel":"$135k"},{"n":28,"key":"PA|philadelphia","sub":"PA","href":"/places/pennsylvania/city/philadelphia","name":"Philadelphia","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$136k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+3%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"28"}],"value":132797.2709551657,"change":null,"employers":["Confidential","Thomas Jefferson University Hospital","GSK"],"valueLabel":"$133k"},{"n":94,"key":"GA|atlanta","sub":"GA","href":"/places/georgia/city/atlanta","name":"Atlanta","rank":13,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$131k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+0%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"94"}],"value":130494.5054945055,"change":null,"employers":["Emory University","Oxford College of Emory University","Capgemini Invent"],"valueLabel":"$130k"},{"n":26,"key":"CA|sacramento","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/sacramento","name":"Sacramento","rank":14,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$139k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+7%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"26"}],"value":129974.2268041237,"change":null,"employers":["Sutter Health","California Correctional Health Care Services","Nalu Medical"],"valueLabel":"$130k"},{"n":28,"key":"VA|arlington","sub":"VA","href":"/places/virginia/city/arlington","name":"Arlington","rank":15,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$130k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"+1%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"28"}],"value":128767.8041543027,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","AWS","Bloomberg Industry Group"],"valueLabel":"$129k"},{"n":248,"key":"IL|chicago","sub":"IL","href":"/places/illinois/city/chicago","name":"Chicago","rank":16,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$132k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+4%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"248"}],"value":127654.4401544401,"change":null,"employers":["Publicis Groupe","Northern Trust","Confidential"],"valueLabel":"$128k"},{"n":69,"key":"CO|denver","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/denver","name":"Denver","rank":17,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$135k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+6%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"69"}],"value":127599.2438563327,"change":null,"employers":["True Anomaly","Blue Origin","Amazon"],"valueLabel":"$128k"},{"n":65,"key":"MA|boston","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/city/boston","name":"Boston","rank":18,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$138k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+8%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"65"}],"value":127423.8227146814,"change":null,"employers":["Vertex Pharmaceuticals","State Street","Confidential"],"valueLabel":"$127k"},{"n":40,"key":"AZ|phoenix","sub":"AZ","href":"/places/arizona/city/phoenix","name":"Phoenix","rank":19,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$130k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+3%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"40"}],"value":125847.0474346564,"change":null,"employers":["Honeywell Aerospace","State of Arizona","American Society for Microbiology"],"valueLabel":"$126k"},{"n":116,"key":"CA|los angeles","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/los-angeles","name":"Los Angeles","rank":20,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$143k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+14%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"116"}],"value":125792.2535211268,"change":null,"employers":["K2 Space","Cedars-sinai Medical Center","Apex Space"],"valueLabel":"$126k"},{"n":124,"key":"DC|washington","sub":"DC","href":"/places/district-of-columbia/city/washington","name":"Washington","rank":21,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$135k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+9%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"124"}],"value":123966.9421487603,"change":null,"employers":["Anduril Industries","Shield AI","CACI International"],"valueLabel":"$124k"},{"n":39,"key":"NC|charlotte","sub":"NC","href":"/places/north-carolina/city/charlotte","name":"Charlotte","rank":22,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$120k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"−3%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"39"}],"value":123329.9075025694,"change":null,"employers":["Truist Financial","Scout Motors","SMBC Americas"],"valueLabel":"$123k"},{"n":24,"key":"WA|bellevue","sub":"WA","href":"/places/washington/city/bellevue","name":"Bellevue","rank":23,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$129k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"+7%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"24"}],"value":120537.3831775701,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","TerraPower","Okta"],"valueLabel":"$121k"},{"n":31,"key":"TN|nashville","sub":"TN","href":null,"name":"Nashville","rank":24,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$115k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"−4%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"31"}],"value":119418.4839044652,"change":null,"employers":["Oracle","Amazon","Vanderbilt University"],"valueLabel":"$119k"},{"n":54,"key":"NY|new york","sub":"NY","href":"/places/new-york/city/new-york","name":"New York","rank":25,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$131k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+13%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"54"}],"value":116674.0674955595,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","Publicis Groupe","Morgan Stanley"],"valueLabel":"$117k"},{"n":52,"key":"KY|louisville","sub":"KY","href":"/places/kentucky/city/louisville","name":"Louisville","rank":26,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$105k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"−10%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"52"}],"value":116407.9822616408,"change":null,"employers":["BrightSpring Health Services","Norton Healthcare","GE Appliances"],"valueLabel":"$116k"},{"n":35,"key":"MN|minneapolis","sub":"MN","href":"/places/minnesota/city/minneapolis","name":"Minneapolis","rank":27,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$122k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+5%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"35"}],"value":116078.2442748092,"change":null,"employers":["Mortenson","Target ALS Foundation","Ameriprise Certificate"],"valueLabel":"$116k"},{"n":26,"key":"IN|indianapolis","sub":"IN","href":"/places/indiana/city/indianapolis","name":"Indianapolis","rank":28,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$106k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"−7%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"26"}],"value":113527.8670953912,"change":null,"employers":["Eli Lilly and Company","State of Indiana","Masco"],"valueLabel":"$114k"},{"n":24,"key":"OH|cleveland","sub":"OH","href":"/places/ohio/city/cleveland","name":"Cleveland","rank":29,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$104k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"−7%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"24"}],"value":112597.7909482759,"change":null,"employers":["Flexjet","KeyBank","Sherwin Williams"],"valueLabel":"$113k"},{"n":66,"key":"WA|seattle","sub":"WA","href":"/places/washington/city/seattle","name":"Seattle","rank":30,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$125k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+11%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"66"}],"value":112573.3573357336,"change":null,"employers":["Amazon","Blue Origin","Shield AI"],"valueLabel":"$113k"},{"n":58,"key":"CA|san diego","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/san-diego","name":"San Diego","rank":31,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$122k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+12%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"58"}],"value":109249.3297587131,"change":null,"employers":["Qualcomm Inc/De","Qualcomm Technologies","General Atomics"],"valueLabel":"$109k"},{"n":35,"key":"TX|houston","sub":"TX","href":"/places/texas/city/houston","name":"Houston","rank":32,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$103k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"−1%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"35"}],"value":104868.154158215,"change":null,"employers":["Axiom Space","Trinzic","Fervo Energy"],"valueLabel":"$105k"},{"n":35,"key":"CA|irvine","sub":"CA","href":"/places/california/city/irvine","name":"Irvine","rank":33,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$110k"},{"label":"State prices vs US average","value":"+11%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"35"}],"value":99367.6603432701,"change":null,"employers":["Anduril Industries","Field AI","St Edwards University"],"valueLabel":"$99k"},{"n":46,"key":"FL|tampa","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/tampa","name":"Tampa","rank":34,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$97k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+1%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"46"}],"value":96323.0921704658,"change":null,"employers":["DTCC","University of South Florida","Tampa Electric"],"valueLabel":"$96k"},{"n":25,"key":"FL|miami","sub":"FL","href":"/places/florida/city/miami","name":"Miami","rank":35,"stats":[{"label":"Median posted pay","value":"$100k"},{"label":"Local prices vs US average","value":"+14%"},{"label":"Openings with pay posted","value":"25"}],"value":87565.67425569176,"change":null,"employers":["University Of Miami","Royal Caribbean Cruises","Princess Cruises / Holland America Line"],"valueLabel":"$88k"}],"slug":"best-cities-for-finance-pay-vs-cost-of-living","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"us","kind":"national","name":"United States"},"title":"Best cities for finance pay after cost of living","family":"Job families","method":["The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for this job family in a city, divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100.","Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 20 listings in the family that post a salary are ranked.","A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score."],"builtAt":"2026-11-02T22:06:17.622Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"fnpay","sources":["NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges","Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states)"],"baseline":{"label":"the typical city in our data","valueLabel":"$127k"},"keyFacts":["#1 Mountain View, CA: $161k","#2 San Mateo, CA: $159k","#3 Santa Clara, CA: $156k","35 cities ranked in the United States","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["The top ten is tightly packed: Mountain View leads on $161k, and #10 New York is at $135k.","New York is the largest market in the top ten, with 573 openings with pay posted behind its figure.","Cities with fewer than 30 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-finance-pay-vs-cost-of-living"}