Stretching your salary
San Antonio among worst cities to stretch your salary, says new report
It doesn't always pay to live in San Antonio. A new ranking from BusinessStudent.com puts Alamo City among the worst cities to stretch your salary.
To come up with its ranking, BusinessStudent.com examined the average annual salary for 127 white-collar “business” jobs listed on career website Indeed — such as HR director, marketing manager, and IT manager — and subtracted the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment, based on data from apartment search website Rent Jungle.
In all, BusinessStudent.com sifted through data for 65 major U.S. markets.
“When deciding where to work and live, it is critical to look at more than just what salary you can make,” BusinessStudent.com says. “Because if rents are sky high, you may net out at zero, or even worse with mounting credit card debt.”
The BusinessStudent.com study calculated an average yearly salary of $67,195 in San Antonio and an average monthly rent of $1,195 for a two-bedroom apartment. The difference: $52,855. Based on those metrics, San Antonio is the No. 12 in the country for the lowest after-rent salary.
San Antonians don't have it as bad as some of our neighbors, however. College Station ranked No. 1 in the country for the lowest after-rent salary. There, the average yearly salary for a white-collar job was calculated at $55,086, with average monthly rent of $906 for a two-bedroom apartment. The leftover amount: $44,214.
In general, however, it pays big bucks in Texas. Among cities with the highest salaries compared to rent, Dallas came in at No. 4. Dallasites earn an average yearly salary of $82,609 and spend average monthly rent of $1,422 for a two-bedroom apartment. That resulted in a difference of $65,545, behind Palo Alto and San Jose, both in Northern California, and Detroit.
The BusinessStudent.com study calculated an average yearly salary of $79,579 in Houston and an average monthly rent of $1,401 for a two-bedroom apartment. The difference: $62,767.
For Fort Worth, the average yearly salary for a white-collar job added up to $75,797, according to BusinessStudent.com, with average monthly rent of $1,108 for a two-bedroom apartment. That left a gap of $62,501.
Aside from Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth, Irving (No. 12) and Plano (No. 19) showed up in BusinessStudent.com’s top 25.
In Irving, BusinessStudent.com discovered the average yearly salary was $77,527, with average monthly rent of $1,327 for a two-bedroom apartment. The difference was $61,603.
Plano had an average yearly salary of $75,988, with average monthly rent of $1,350 for a two-bedroom apartment. The gap: $59,788.
Imagine a getaway to this Hill Country paradise. Photo courtesy of Vrbo
