A salary of $100,000 annually can go a long away in America — most of America, that is.
The largest cities in California, though, are some of the most expensive in the country. In fact, some are so expensive that a $100,000 salary allows a resident only to break even (and just barely at that). There’s even one extremely pricey California metropolis in which a $100,000 salary doesn’t break even, and will leave you with a negative balance.
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GOBankingRates recently compiled a study to find how far that amount can be stretched in 50 of America’s largest cities — culling information from the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Zillow. While there are more than a few bustling urban areas across America where residents will have almost $40,000 left after cost-of-living expenses, California isn’t so forgiving.
Here’s a rundown of just how far $100,000 goes in California’s nine largest cities in 2025, ordered from the city that will leave you the least amount of money to the one that will leave you with the most.
9. San Francisco
- Population: 836,321
- $100K after taxes: $71,696
- Annual expenditures: $73,103
- Income left after expenditures: Minus-$1,407
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8. San Jose
- Population: 990,054
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $68,929
- Income left after expenditures: $4,267
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7. San Diego
- Population: 1,385,061
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $63,834
- Income left after expenditures: $9,362
6. Los Angeles
- Population: 3,857,897
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $62,892
- Income left after expenditures: $10,304
5. Oakland
- Population: 438,072
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $58,370
- Income left after expenditures: $14,826
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4. Long Beach
- Population: 458,491
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $55,889
- Income left after expenditures: $17,307
3. Sacramento
- Population: 524,802
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $52,301
- Income left after expenditures: $20,895
2. Bakersfield
- Population: 408,366
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $49,204
- Income left after expenditures: $23,992
1. Fresno
- Population: 543,615
- $100K after taxes: $73,196
- Annual expenditures: $48,602
- Income left after expenditures: $24,594
Methodology: In order to find how far a salary of $100,000 goes in the 50 most populated cities in the United States, GOBankingRates found the most populated cities (sourced from the U.S. Census 2023 American Community Survey), along with cost-of-living indexes for groceries, healthcare, utilities, transportation and miscellaneous expenses (all sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces). Using the average expenditure costs for each category for consumer units earning $70,000 to $99,999 (sourced from the 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey), the average annual expenditure costs were calculated. Average rental costs were sourced from the Zillow Observed Rental Index for June 2025 and added to the annual expenses to find the total expenses for each city. Using in-house calculations for each city, the take-home pay after taxes was calculated. By removing the annual total cost for expenses, leftover or take-home pay was determined. All data is up to date as of Aug. 12, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Far a $100,000 Salary Goes in California’s 9 Largest Cities
