Even if you make six figures, the amount of money you bring home each month .
In cities , for example, taxes are , while in cities like Houston, taxes are far lower. That means your paycheck can go further in Texas, though it also means fewer tax dollars go to social services like public transportation, schools and roads.
To find out how much American workers are bringing home in various U.S. cities, financial website How Much calculated the total tax burden associated with living in different places using a federal paycheck calculator and a $100,000 baseline annual salary.
Click to enlarge.
In the map, the size and color of each dot represents the total take-home pay there after taxes, says How Much, including the "state and local income taxes for each city" and "tax levies that apply to everyone, like the federal income tax" and the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. The bigger and darker the circle, the more your take-home pay there.
"Our map reveals a few key things about the tax burden facing Americans," the report explains. For example, "there are lots of small circles scattered throughout the Midwest and South, indicating that it's not just coastal cities with comparably high tax burdens."
While the heaviest tax burden , "where workers earning $100,000 a year only keep $5,574 each month, Louisville, Kentucky, isn't too far off at $5,691," How Much reports. Residents of Houston earning $100,000 a year get to keep over $630 more each month than people in Louisville do.
Here are the top six most populous U.S. cities, listed from highest to lowest average monthly take-home pay.
Houston, Texas
Monthly take-home pay after taxes: $6,329
Phoenix, Arizona
Monthly take-home pay after taxes: $6,104
Chicago, Illinois
Monthly take-home pay after taxes: $6,023
Los Angeles, California
Monthly take-home pay after taxes: $5,752
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Monthly take-home pay after taxes: $5,746
New York, New York
Monthly take-home pay after taxes: $5,574
No matter , though, living within your means and employing can help you better manage your money. So, even if you're in a city with a high tax burden, much of the way you save and spend is up to you.
If you're looking to stash away more or pay off debt, start by re-evaluating how you spend or putting away small amounts of money with each paycheck. If you and are , you're more .
Here are to help you get started.
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