Techies: Skip Silicon Valley. These five cities will make your money last

Steer clear of San Francisco if you want to rake in the big bucks and still pocket most of your hard-earned cash.

An analysis by Paysa, a company that compiles career and pay data, found the best cities for tech employees based on salary and earnings versus the cost of living.

San Francisco is number one on average salary for tech workers, coming in at $144,390, yet workers blow a large chunk of that money just to reside in town.

The cost of living in the Bay Area is approaching $90,000 a year, according to Paysa. To get that number, the firm used the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which weighs housing costs, food, transportation, child care and health care in a given location.

"The huge salary doesn't look so great when you look at it on a local angle, said Chris Bolte, CEO of Paysa.

"We're seeing people migrate from these high-profile cities to places that have a lower paycheck but the cost of living is appreciably lower and your lifestyle is much better," he said.

This southern charmer is home to a number of major financial services companies, including SunTrust Banks and Invesco. Other well-known employers include Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola.

A good-paying tech job here averages $105,091, while the average cost of living is $43,520.

Apple calls Cupertino, California, home, yet the iPhone manufacturer also keeps a large campus in Austin, Texas. Whole Foods is another big area name.

Tech workers here earn an average salary of $103,049 and can expect the average cost of living to be $49,852.

Notable employers headquartered here include Chipotle and Janus Capital. The Denver area also hosts campuses for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

The average salary for tech workers in the Mile High City is $111,551. On average, about half of that amount is going toward the cost of living: $55,236.

Employers here include SEI Investments and Comcast. On average, tech workers in Philadelphia can expect to earn $96,294 and spend $47,827 living here.

In North Carolina's "Queen City," the average tech worker's salary is $87,397, while the average cost of living is $43,436. Large employers here include Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Novant Health.