You don't necessarily need to make more money to improve your quality of life. It can also come down to where you choose to live.
The best places are likely the ones where you can find a job, earn a good salary and buy a nice home. In a 2016 report, job-hunting site Glassdoor calculated the top spots where an average paycheck goes the furthest, based on salaries and home values. To do so, the jobs site came up with a cost-of-living ratio — a city's median base salary divided by its median home value. (A higher ratio number is better.)
Noticeably missing are some of America's biggest cities. While you can certainly earn more in hubs like New York and San Francisco, few people can afford to buy a house or an apartment there.
Here are the top 10 places where your pay can go a very long way and the quality of life is great (even without a view of the Golden Gate).
10. Louisville, Ky.
Cost-of-living ratio: 39%
Median base salary: $54,000
Median home value: $137,500
Number of open jobs: 22,693
9. Kansas City, Mo.
Cost-of-living ratio: 39%
Median base salary: $58,000
Median home value: $147,500
Number of open jobs: 35,639
8. Birmingham, Ala.
Cost-of-living ratio: 40%
Median base salary: $50,800
Median home value: $128,000
Number of open jobs: 15,299
7. Cincinnati
Cost-of-living ratio: 40%
Median base salary: $57,179
Median home value: $143,400
Number of open jobs: 32,605
6. St. Louis
Cost-of-living ratio: 40%
Median base salary: $56,896
Median home value: $141,900
Number of open jobs: 35,300
5. Indianapolis
Cost-of-living ratio: 43%
Median base salary: $56,000
Median home value: $130,200
Number of open jobs: 33,090
4. Cleveland
Cost-of-living ratio: 44%
Median base salary: $55,000
Median home value: $125,500
Number of open jobs: 29,304
3. Pittsburgh
Cost-of-living ratio: 45%
Median base salary: $56,896
Median home value: $126,700
Number of open jobs: 46,379
2. Memphis, Tenn.
Cost-of-living ratio: 46%
Median base salary: $52,000
Median home value: $112,100
Number of open jobs: 17,982
1. Detroit
Cost-of-living ratio: 50%
Median base salary: $61,500
Median home value: $123,100
Number of open jobs: 54,808