In many Southern cities, including San Antonio, wages tend to keep up with cost of living.Sean Pavone/ShutterstockIt's no secret: Most Americans are bad at saving money. But our own shortcomings are not entirely to blame. Geography actually plays a significant role in our ability to sock away cash — specifically, the relationship between cost of living and income in any given city.
That's according to GoBankingRates' latest study, which gathered data for the 60 largest US cities to determine where it's easiest to save money, or the places where the average person has money left over after covering expenses.
For its ranking, GoBankingRates considered seven factors indicative of financial well-being:
Median household income: in 2015 dollars according to U.S. Census QuickFacts.Unemployment rate: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' February 2017 data on unemployment rates for metro areas.Median home list price: according to Zillow data from March 2017.Median rent price: according to Zillow data from March 2017.Average gas price: average reported gas prices from GasBuddy as of April 21, 2017.Average monthly cost of groceries: grocery costs based on recommended minimum amount of food per person from Numbeo data on April 21, 2017.Sales tax: according to TaxFoundation.org 2016 data.
All seven metrics were weighted equally by GOBankingRates and given a score between 0 and 1, then added together for a total score indicating final rank. The list includes multiple cities in both Arizona and Texas, as well as a few in the Midwest, and one increasingly desirable city out West.
Below, check out the full list of the 15 best cities to save money.
15. Raleigh, North Carolina
Population: 451,066
Median income: $55,398
Median home listing price: $299,900
Median monthly rent: $1,367
14. Portland, Oregon
Population: 632,309
Median income: $55,003
Median home listing price: $422,450
Median monthly rent: $1,895
13. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Caleb Long, Wikimedia Commons Population: 403,505
Median income: $42,284
Median home listing price: $162,500
Median monthly rent: $975
12. Mesa, Arizona
Shutterstock / Tim Roberts Photography Population: 471,825
Median income: $48,809
Median home listing price: $243,000
Median monthly rent: $1,325
11. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Vicki L. Miller/Shutterstock Population: 456,568
Median income: $54,527
Median home listing price: $295,000
Median monthly rent: $1,450
10. Phoenix, Arizona
Population: 1,563,025
Median income: $47,326
Median home listing price: $255,000
Median monthly rent: $1,350
9. El Paso, Texas
Jeff Schultes/Shutterstock Population: 681,124
Median income: $42,772
Median home listing price: $155,150
Median monthly rent: $1,100
8. Tucson, Arizona
Population: 531,641
Median income: $37,149
Median home listing price: $184,500
Median monthly rent: $1,150
7. Wichita, Kansas
Ricardo Reitmeyer/Shutterstock Population: 389,965
Median income: $45,947
Median home listing price: $137,250
Median monthly rent: $897
6. Kansas City, Missouri
Population: 475,378
Median income: $45,821
Median home listing price: $177,500
Median monthly rent: $897
5. Arlington, Texas
Population: 388,125
Median income: $53,326
Median home listing price: $199,000
Median monthly rent: $1,495
4. Omaha, Nebraska
Population: 443,885
Median income: $49,896
Median home listing price: $214,000
Median monthly rent: $1,200
3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock Population: 631,346
Median income: $47,779
Median home listing price: $179,900
Median monthly rent: $995
2. San Antonio, Texas
Population: 1,469,845
Median income: $46,744
Median home listing price: $232,443
Median monthly rent: $1,200
1. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Patrickneil / Wikimedia Commons Population: 452,745
Median income: $66,634
Median home listing price: $279,900
Median monthly rent: $1,600