Even with Austin's reputation for a runaway cost of living, making six figures is going a bit further than it did last year, according to a just-released income study by fintech company SmartAsset.

An annual $100,000 salary in Austin is worth $80,605 after taxes and when adjusted for the city's cost of living, the report revealed. That's about $1,600 more than what six-figure-earning Austinites were bringing home last year, according to a chart with both years' data. (That echoes a separate 2024 report, which was an additional $870 lower, from GoBankingRates.com.)

In SmartAsset's rankings of 69 U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the most, Austin ranked No. 19.

Manhattan, New York, is the No. 1 place where a six-figure salary is worth the least. A New Yorker's take-home pay is only worth $30,362 after taxes and cost of living adjustments.

The report warns that a six-figure salary may seem comfortable at first, but it may not stretch as far depending on where an individual lives, any applicable tax obligations, and the rate of inflation.

"Earning $100,000 places an individual tax filer at the upper limit of the 22 percent federal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "But taxes aren’t the only factor. The cost of living varies widely across the country, affecting how much purchasing power remains after necessary expenses."

Other U.S. cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest
The U.S. city where a six-figure salary goes the furthest is Oklahoma City, where residents come away with $89,989 after all adjustments.

However, Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of U.S. cities where a $100,000 is worth the most. Texas doesn't impose state or local income taxes, which likely boosted its statewide six-figure salary value.

Six-figure earners living in El Paso see the greatest amount in take-home pay statewide, according to SmartAsset, with residents making $89,114 annually after taxes and expenses in 2025. That's $274 more than 2024's take-home pay.

The four other Texas cities where a $100,000 salary goes the furthest after taxes and expenses are:

• No. 3 – Corpus Christi ($88,015)
• No. 6 – Lubbock ($86,846)
• No. 7 — San Antonio ($86,084)
• No. 9 – Houston ($83,343)

Despite Texas cities dominating the top 10, six-figure salaries don't stretch very far in Dallas-Fort Worth. An annual $100,000 salary in Dallas is worth only $77,197 after taxes and expenses, which is about $900 less than what six-figure-earning Dallasites brought home in 2024.

North Texans living in Plano are taking home even less: The study says a Plano resident's six-figure salary is only worth $71,372 in 2025.

In the report's rankings of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least, Plano ranked at No. 26, while Dallas ranked 38th.

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities, which was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services).