We have a message for all of your post-grads out there – we feel for you.
The year after college graduation is a tough one. First, there’s the insane depression of the summer ending and the withdraw of packing your shit up and moving back into school. Then there’s the whole bills thing, which we won’t even discuss because it’s horrifying. And then there’s that constant “you’re not qualified for this job,” situation, which WTF did I pay for then and how the hell am I going to get any experience so I am qualified?!?!
Luckily for everyone, things get better – for real. For those of you lucky enough to get a legit job shortly after walking across that stage, we want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your first real adult paycheck (depressing, I know – and not just because you have to be associated with the term “adult”).
Forbes compiled some stats from business site Glassdoor to determine the best US cities to live in to get the most our of your paycheck.
As part of determining the top cities for jobs, Glassdoor considered median salaries for employees in the 50 most populous metros in the U.S., as well as median home value as a measure of cost of living, using the ratio of those two metrics to identify the cities where employees get the greatest cost of living bang for their earned buck.
Check out the top ten below and read the full list on Forbes.
10. Atlanta, Georgia
Median home value: $155,200
Median salary: $49,180
9. Cincinnati, Ohio
Median home value: $137,600
Median salary: $43,950
8. Houston, Texas
Median home value: $157,900
Median salary: $52,000
7. Kansas City, Missouri
Median home value: $138,500
Median salary: $46,000
6. St. Louis, Missouri
Median home value: $133,200
Median salary: $45,000
5. Indianapolis, Indiana
Median home value: $130,100
Median salary: $44,000
4. Cleveland, Ohio
Median home value: $120,300
Median salary: $41,000
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Median home value: $124, 500
Median salary: $43,000
2. Memphis, Tennessee
Median home value: $107,000
Median salary: $42,000
1. Detroit, Michigan
Median home value: $114,000
Median salary: $45,000
