NextChapter

Best cities for sales pay after cost of living

Santa Clara leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this job family: its median posted salary buys what $175k buys at average US prices.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Santa Clara, CA: $175k
  • #2 Washington, DC: $167k
  • #3 San Francisco, CA: $166k
  • 45 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: $120k across the typical city in our data.

  1. 1Santa Clara CA$175k
  2. 2Washington DC$167k
  3. 3San Francisco CA$166k
  4. 4San Mateo CA$164k
  5. 5Mountain View CA$161k
  6. 6McLean VA$158k
  7. 7Arlington VA$146k
  8. 8Seattle WA$146k
  9. 9Reston VA$145k
  10. 10Frankfort KY$142k

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Santa Clara leads on $175k, and #10 Frankfort is at $142k.
  • San Mateo reaches #4 on a sample of 20 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 794 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.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Santa Clara CA

    $175k

    Median posted pay
    $193k
    State prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    30

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

    Based on 30 openings.

  2. 2

    Washington DC

    $167k

    Median posted pay
    $182k
    Local prices vs US average
    +9%
    Openings with pay posted
    147

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Shield AI, CACI International

    Based on 147 openings.

  3. 3

    San Francisco CA

    $166k

    Median posted pay
    $192k
    Local prices vs US average
    +16%
    Openings with pay posted
    794

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

    Based on 794 openings.

  4. 4

    San Mateo CA

    $164k

    Median posted pay
    $189k
    Local prices vs US average
    +16%
    Openings with pay posted
    20

    Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio

    Based on 20 openings.

  5. 5

    Mountain View CA

    $161k

    Median posted pay
    $178k
    Local prices vs US average
    +10%
    Openings with pay posted
    23

    Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google

    Based on 23 openings.

  6. 6

    McLean VA

    $158k

    Median posted pay
    $160k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    44

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 44 openings.

  7. 7

    Arlington VA

    $146k

    Median posted pay
    $148k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    48

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group

    Based on 48 openings.

  8. 8

    Seattle WA

    $146k

    Median posted pay
    $163k
    Local prices vs US average
    +11%
    Openings with pay posted
    71

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 71 openings.

  9. 9

    Reston VA

    $145k

    Median posted pay
    $146k
    State prices vs US average
    +1%
    Openings with pay posted
    21

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

    Based on 21 openings.

  10. 10

    Frankfort KY

    $142k

    Median posted pay
    $128k
    State prices vs US average
    −10%
    Openings with pay posted
    21

    Hiring most here: Lumen, Oracle, Sazerac

    Based on 21 openings.

  11. 11

    Boston MA

    $139k

    Median posted pay
    $150k
    Local prices vs US average
    +8%
    Openings with pay posted
    165

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 165 openings.

  12. 12

    Minneapolis MN

    $138k

    Median posted pay
    $145k
    Local prices vs US average
    +5%
    Openings with pay posted
    51

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Target ALS Foundation, Ameriprise Certificate

    Based on 51 openings.

  13. 13

    New York NY

    $133k

    Median posted pay
    $150k
    Local prices vs US average
    +13%
    Openings with pay posted
    1,143

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 1,143 openings.

  14. 14

    San Jose CA

    $131k

    Median posted pay
    $145k
    Local prices vs US average
    +10%
    Openings with pay posted
    29

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

    Based on 29 openings.

  15. 15

    Austin TX

    $127k

    Median posted pay
    $125k
    Local prices vs US average
    −2%
    Openings with pay posted
    187

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 187 openings.

  16. 16

    Atlanta GA

    $125k

    Median posted pay
    $125k
    Local prices vs US average
    +0%
    Openings with pay posted
    174

    Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent

    Based on 174 openings.

  17. 17

    New York NY

    $122k

    Median posted pay
    $138k
    Local prices vs US average
    +13%
    Openings with pay posted
    85

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 85 openings.

  18. 18

    Philadelphia PA

    $122k

    Median posted pay
    $125k
    Local prices vs US average
    +3%
    Openings with pay posted
    88

    Hiring most here: Confidential, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, GSK

    Based on 88 openings.

  19. 19

    Chicago IL

    $120k

    Median posted pay
    $125k
    Local prices vs US average
    +4%
    Openings with pay posted
    334

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 334 openings.

  20. 20

    Sacramento CA

    $119k

    Median posted pay
    $128k
    Local prices vs US average
    +7%
    Openings with pay posted
    45

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical

    Based on 45 openings.

  21. 21

    Cleveland OH

    $119k

    Median posted pay
    $110k
    State prices vs US average
    −7%
    Openings with pay posted
    31

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, KeyBank, Sherwin Williams

    Based on 31 openings.

  22. 22

    Los Angeles CA

    $118k

    Median posted pay
    $134k
    Local prices vs US average
    +14%
    Openings with pay posted
    159

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 159 openings.

  23. 23

    Raleigh NC

    $117k

    Median posted pay
    $110k
    State prices vs US average
    −6%
    Openings with pay posted
    71

    Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX

    Based on 71 openings.

  24. 24

    Louisville KY

    $116k

    Median posted pay
    $105k
    State prices vs US average
    −10%
    Openings with pay posted
    93

    Hiring most here: BrightSpring Health Services, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances

    Based on 93 openings.

  25. 25

    San Diego CA

    $114k

    Median posted pay
    $128k
    Local prices vs US average
    +12%
    Openings with pay posted
    49

    Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics

    Based on 49 openings.

Full ranking

All 45 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Santa Clara CA$175k30
2Washington DC$167k147
3San Francisco CA$166k794
4San Mateo CA$164k20
5Mountain View CA$161k23
6McLean VA$158k44
7Arlington VA$146k48
8Seattle WA$146k71
9Reston VA$145k21
10Frankfort KY$142k21
11Boston MA$139k165
12Minneapolis MN$138k51
13New York NY$133k1,143
14San Jose CA$131k29
15Austin TX$127k187
16Atlanta GA$125k174
17New York NY$122k85
18Philadelphia PA$122k88
19Chicago IL$120k334
20Sacramento CA$119k45
21Cleveland OH$119k31
22Los Angeles CA$118k159
23Raleigh NC$117k71
24Louisville KY$116k93
25San Diego CA$114k49
26Denver CO$113k119
27San Antonio TX$106k26
28Nashville TN$105k22
29Cincinnati OH$105k41
30Charlotte NC$103k104
31Columbus OH$102k55
32Orlando FL$102k36
33Brooklyn NY$101k20
34Tallahassee FL$101k21
35Dallas TX$99k113
36Irvine CA$98k35
37Houston TX$96k83
38Richmond VA$95k64
39Pittsburgh PA$95k29
40Miami FL$93k52
41Mundelein IL$90k28
42Phoenix AZ$90k42
43Tampa FL$81k54
44Fort Lauderdale FL$77k24
45United PA$72k23

How this ranking works

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.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 30 openings 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 sales pay after cost of living?
Santa Clara leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this job family: its median posted salary buys what $175k buys at average US prices.
How many cities are ranked?
45 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 45 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
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.
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 sales pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-sales-pay-vs-cost-of-living

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

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