Even if San Antonio doesn't feel cheap, a six-figure salary is going a bit further than it used to, according to a just-released income study by fintech company SmartAsset.
An annual $100,000 salary in San Antonio is worth $86,084 after taxes and when adjusted for the city's cost of living, the report revealed. That's about $450 more than what six-figure-earning San Antonians were bringing home last year, according to a chart with both years' data. (A separate study shows a huge discrepancy: SmartAsset's 2025 estimate is $8,000 more than what GoBankingRates estimated in a separate 2024 report.)
In SmartAsset's rankings of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the most, San Antonio ranked seventh.
Manhattan, New York is the No. 1 place where a six-figure salary is worth the least, where a New Yorker's take-home pay is only worth $30,362 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.
The report warns a six-figure salary may seem comfortable at first, but it may not stretch as far depending on where an individual lives, any applicable tax obligations, and the rate of inflation.
"Earning $100,000 places an individual tax filer at the upper limit of the 22 percent federal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "But taxes aren’t the only factor. The cost of living varies widely across the country, affecting how much purchasing power remains after necessary expenses."
Other U.S. cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest
The U.S. city where a six-figure salary goes the furthest is Oklahoma City, where residents come away with $89,989 after all expenses.
However, Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of U.S. cities where a $100,000 is worth the most. Texas doesn't impose state or local income taxes, which likely boosted its statewide six-figure salary value.
Six-figure earners living in El Paso see the greatest amount in take-home pay statewide, according to SmartAsset, with residents making $89,114 annually after taxes and expenses in 2025. That's $274 more than 2024's take-home pay.
The three other Texas cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest after taxes and expenses are:
- No. 3 – Corpus Christi ($88,015)
- No. 6 – Lubbock ($86,846)
- No. 9 – Houston ($83,343)
Despite Texas cities dominating the top 10, six-figure salaries don't stretch very far in Dallas-Fort Worth. An annual $100,000 salary in Dallas is worth only $77,197 after taxes and expenses, which is about $900 less than what six-figure-earning Dallasites brought home in 2024.
North Texans living in Plano are taking home even less: The study says a Plano resident's six-figure salary is only worth $71,372 in 2025.
In the report's rankings of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least, Plano ranked at No. 26, while Dallas ranked 38th.
SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities, which was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services).
