Where the Same $75,000 Salary Buys the Most and Least

This table compares the purchasing power of the same fixed $75,000 salary across 30 selected major U.S. metros. Because the salary remains unchanged, the ranking reflects only differences in 2024 regional price levels. The results are expressed in national-average-price terms and are separate from the Real Paycheck Index, which uses actual local creative-wage benchmarks.

¹ Local price level vs. U.S. average converts each metro’s 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity into a plain-language comparison. “5% lower” means prices are approximately 5% below the national average, while “16% higher” means they are approximately 16% above it. Metros within 0.5% of the national level are shown as “About average.” Calculations use the underlying unrounded RPP values.
² $75K local buying power shows what the same fixed $75,000 salary is worth in national-average-price terms. It is a purchasing-power comparison, not take-home pay or income remaining after taxes, housing, debt, or other expenses.
³ Gain or loss vs. $75K is the difference between the metro’s national-price-equivalent buying power and the original $75,000 salary. Atlanta’s underlying result is $74,957, only $43 below the benchmark, so it is shown as “About even.”
The $75,000 salary is a standardized illustrative benchmark, not the national average salary for creative workers. Any fixed salary would produce the same metro ranking and percentage differences; only the dollar values would change.
See more in methodology.