NextChapter

Best cities for pay after cost of living

Foster City leads the United States for pay after the cost of living: its median posted salary buys what $208k buys at average US prices.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Foster City, CA: $208k
  • #2 San Mateo, CA: $202k
  • #3 Redmond, WA: $195k
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: $137k across the typical city in our data.

  1. 1Foster City CA$208k
  2. 2San Mateo CA$202k
  3. 3Redmond WA$195k
  4. 4Mountain View CA$193k
  5. 5Chantilly VA$192k
  6. 6Sunnyvale CA$190k
  7. 7Santa Clara CA$188k
  8. 8Cambridge MA$186k
  9. 9San Francisco CA$186k
  10. 10Bellevue WA$184k

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Foster City leads on $208k, and #10 Bellevue is at $184k.
  • Chantilly reaches #5 on a sample of 54 openings with pay posted, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 5,934 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 200 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Foster City CA

    $208k

    Median posted pay
    $230k
    State prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    201

    Hiring most here: Gilead Sciences, Zoox, Replit

    Based on 201 openings with pay posted.

  2. 2

    San Mateo CA

    $202k

    Median posted pay
    $233k
    Local prices vs US average
    +16%
    Openings with pay posted
    565

    Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio

    Based on 565 openings with pay posted.

  3. 3

    Redmond WA

    $195k

    Median posted pay
    $209k
    State prices vs US average
    +7%
    Openings with pay posted
    169

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 169 openings with pay posted.

  4. 4

    Mountain View CA

    $193k

    Median posted pay
    $213k
    Local prices vs US average
    +10%
    Openings with pay posted
    729

    Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google

    Based on 729 openings with pay posted.

  5. 5

    Chantilly VA

    $192k

    Median posted pay
    $194k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    54

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Trinzic, Peraton

    Based on 54 openings with pay posted.

  6. 6

    Sunnyvale CA

    $190k

    Median posted pay
    $210k
    State prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    463

    Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Wayve, Amazon

    Based on 463 openings with pay posted.

  7. 7

    Santa Clara CA

    $188k

    Median posted pay
    $208k
    State prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    513

    Hiring most here: Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon

    Based on 513 openings with pay posted.

  8. 8

    Cambridge MA

    $186k

    Median posted pay
    $197k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    289

    Hiring most here: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Harvard University, Biogen

    Based on 289 openings with pay posted.

  9. 9

    San Francisco CA

    $186k

    Median posted pay
    $215k
    Local prices vs US average
    +16%
    Openings with pay posted
    5,934

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 5,934 openings with pay posted.

  10. 10

    Bellevue WA

    $184k

    Median posted pay
    $197k
    State prices vs US average
    +7%
    Openings with pay posted
    255

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 255 openings with pay posted.

  11. 11

    Palo Alto CA

    $183k

    Median posted pay
    $203k
    Local prices vs US average
    +10%
    Openings with pay posted
    347

    Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care

    Based on 347 openings with pay posted.

  12. 12

    Waltham MA

    $183k

    Median posted pay
    $194k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    173

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 173 openings with pay posted.

  13. 13

    San Jose CA

    $179k

    Median posted pay
    $198k
    Local prices vs US average
    +10%
    Openings with pay posted
    456

    Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems

    Based on 456 openings with pay posted.

  14. 14

    San Carlos CA

    $176k

    Median posted pay
    $195k
    State prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    97

    Hiring most here: 1X Technologies, Joby Aviation, Natera

    Based on 97 openings with pay posted.

  15. 15

    Menlo Park CA

    $169k

    Median posted pay
    $195k
    Local prices vs US average
    +16%
    Openings with pay posted
    134

    Hiring most here: Snowflake, Robinhood Ventures Fund I, Hippocratic AI

    Based on 134 openings with pay posted.

  16. 16

    Austin TX

    $166k

    Median posted pay
    $163k
    Local prices vs US average
    −2%
    Openings with pay posted
    997

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 997 openings with pay posted.

  17. 17

    Princeton NJ

    $164k

    Median posted pay
    $178k
    State prices vs US average
    +9%
    Openings with pay posted
    91

    Hiring most here: Genmab A/S, Otsuka, ZS Associates

    Based on 91 openings with pay posted.

  18. 18

    Oakland CA

    $163k

    Median posted pay
    $180k
    State prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    135

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield of California, Fivetran

    Based on 135 openings with pay posted.

  19. 19

    Seattle WA

    $162k

    Median posted pay
    $180k
    Local prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    981

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 981 openings with pay posted.

  20. 20

    Redwood City CA

    $162k

    Median posted pay
    $187k
    Local prices vs US average
    +16%
    Openings with pay posted
    202

    Hiring most here: Corcept Therapeutics, SB Energy, C3 AI

    Based on 202 openings with pay posted.

  21. 21

    Lexington MA

    $161k

    Median posted pay
    $171k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    67

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 67 openings with pay posted.

  22. 22

    Mc Lean VA

    $161k

    Median posted pay
    $163k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    68

    Hiring most here: Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sunrise Senior Living

    Based on 68 openings with pay posted.

  23. 23

    Quincy MA

    $161k

    Median posted pay
    $170k
    State prices vs US average
    +6%
    Openings with pay posted
    79

    Hiring most here: State Street, Anduril Industries, Anduril

    Based on 79 openings with pay posted.

  24. 24

    Herndon VA

    $159k

    Median posted pay
    $161k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    153

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Peraton

    Based on 153 openings with pay posted.

  25. 25

    Reston VA

    $158k

    Median posted pay
    $160k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    165

    Hiring most here: ICF International, CACI International, Anduril Industries

    Based on 165 openings with pay posted.

Full ranking

All 100 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Foster City CA$208k201
2San Mateo CA$202k565
3Redmond WA$195k169
4Mountain View CA$193k729
5Chantilly VA$192k54
6Sunnyvale CA$190k463
7Santa Clara CA$188k513
8Cambridge MA$186k289
9San Francisco CA$186k5,934
10Bellevue WA$184k255
11Palo Alto CA$183k347
12Waltham MA$183k173
13San Jose CA$179k456
14San Carlos CA$176k97
15Menlo Park CA$169k134
16Austin TX$166k997
17Princeton NJ$164k91
18Oakland CA$163k135
19Seattle WA$162k981
20Redwood City CA$162k202
21Lexington MA$161k67
22Mc Lean VA$161k68
23Quincy MA$161k79
24Herndon VA$159k153
25Reston VA$158k165
26Fremont CA$158k133
27Ann Arbor MI$157k130
28Boston MA$157k1,305
29Santa Ana CA$155k108
30Huntsville AL$155k127
31Santa Monica CA$152k66
32Torrance CA$150k327
33McLean VA$148k239
34Washington DC$148k1,514
35New York NY$147k6,894
36Milpitas CA$145k77
37El Segundo CA$144k334
38Broomfield CO$144k58
39Berkeley CA$144k103
40Arlington VA$143k475
41Westminster CO$143k106
42Jersey City NJ$142k73
43Rockville MD$142k83
44Fort Meade MD$142k84
45Irvine CA$142k420
46Boulder CO$141k120
47Long Beach CA$140k446
48Alexandria VA$139k144
49Aurora CO$138k53
50Eden Prairie MN$138k63
51Somerville MA$137k173
52Irving TX$137k89
53Manassas VA$137k54
54Nashville TN$137k168
55Mundelein IL$136k78
56Bethesda MD$136k89
57Los Angeles CA$134k1,432
58San Diego CA$134k615
59Atlanta GA$133k752
60Denver CO$132k751
61Reno NV$132k54
62Dallas TX$131k593
63Springfield VA$130k53
64Alpharetta GA$130k97
65Chicago IL$129k1,701
66Indianapolis IN$129k129
67Hartford CT$128k50
68Salt Lake City UT$127k188
69Sacramento CA$127k340
70Newport Beach CA$126k55
71Brooklyn NY$126k168
72Kansas City MO$125k103
73Portland OR$125k104
74Charlotte NC$125k415
75Detroit MI$125k66
76Plano TX$124k62
77Tempe AZ$122k53
78Philadelphia PA$122k283
79Raleigh NC$121k205
80Minneapolis MN$121k236
81Milwaukee WI$121k72
82White Plains NY$121k52
83Baltimore MD$120k139
84Oklahoma City OK$120k52
85Houston TX$119k366
86Annapolis MD$119k92
87Pittsburgh PA$119k148
88Miami FL$117k239
89San Antonio TX$116k113
90Columbus OH$116k261
91Omaha NE$116k66
92Louisville KY$115k476
93Colorado Springs CO$114k100
94Scottsdale AZ$114k86
95Newark NJ$114k94
96Fort Worth TX$112k138
97Phoenix AZ$111k279
98Syracuse NY$110k58
99Boise ID$108k53
100Cincinnati OH$107k120

How this ranking works

The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) 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 50 listings 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.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 200 openings with pay posted are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states). Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best cities for pay after cost of living?
Foster City leads the United States for pay after the cost of living: its median posted salary buys what $208k buys at average US prices.
How many cities are ranked?
100 cities have at least 200 openings with pay posted, so the list has 100 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
The score is a city's median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) 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 50 listings 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.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best cities for pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for pay after cost of living (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

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