Interesting Cost of Living Survey

Priciest places to be upwardly mobile
Here's how much you'd need to earn to afford the same standard of living in 100 cities.
By Jeanne Sahadi, CNNMoney.com senior writer
March 15, 2006: 2:22 PM EST


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Say you and your spouse want to relocate to a new city.

With any luck, the income from your new jobs will allow you to enjoy at least the same standard of living to which you're accustomed now. The table below reflects what a couple without kids who hold middle-management jobs would need to earn to replicate a moderately affluent lifestyle in various cities.

We've listed the 50 most expensive metropolitan areas and the 50 least expensive from among the 364 cities and counties that participated in the latest ACCRA cost-of-living survey.

As you look the list over, keep in mind that the federal tax bite for the couple will vary considerably based on their nominal income. For instance, even though a $167,000 income in New York City will buy you a basket of goods (including housing) comparable to a $92,000 income in West Palm Beach, Fla., it will cost you almost $20,000 more in federal taxes. (Read more about why many otherwise middle-class couples find themselves classified as high-income taxpayers.)

The table below was compiled on behalf of the Tax Foundation by Scott Moody, chief economist with the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Moody used cost-of-living data from ACCRA, income data from the Census Bureau, and estimates for wage and salary growth from the Congressional Budget Office.

New York (Manhattan) New York $166,777
San Francisco California $145,350
San Jose California $136,252
Honolulu Hawaii $129,729
Los Angeles-Long Beach California $126,736
Orange County California $124,980
Oakland California $123,361
San Diego California $121,279
Stamford Connecticut $120,522
Nassau County New York $120,326
New York (Queens) New York $118,285
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria District of Columbia $115,198
Framingham-Natick Massachusetts $114,913
Bergen-Passaic New Jersey $111,855
Boston Massachusetts $111,752
Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg Maryland $109,484
Juneau Alaska $109,147
Newark-Elizabeth New Jersey $108,430
Middlesex - Monmouth New Jersey $106,010
Kodiak Alaska $105,699
Fairbanks Alaska $104,325
Prince William Virginia $103,896
San Bernardino California $103,561
Chicago Illinois $103,049
Providence Rhode Island $102,548
New Haven Connecticut $100,752
Philadelphia Pennsylvania $100,456
Palm Springs California $100,200
Dutchess County New York $98,730
Hartford Connecticut $97,371
Anchorage Alaska $96,938
Fresno California $96,928
New London Connecticut $95,928
Riverside City California $95,772
Glenwood Springs Colorado $95,638
Seattle Washington $95,018
Los Alamos New Mexico $94,494
Burlington-Chittenden Co Vermont $94,493
Fort Lauderdale Florida $94,191
Baltimore Maryland $94,052
Fitchburg-Leominster Massachusetts $93,814
Miami-Dade County Florida $92,860
Ithaca New York $92,419
Dare County North Carolina $92,261
Lancaster-Palmdale California $92,196
Portland Oregon $92,140
Las Vegas Nevada $91,807
West Palm Beach Florida $91,789
Carson City Nevada $91,631
Reno-Sparks Nevada $89,937>