How Far Does a $100,000 Salary Go in Pennsylvania?

Author Anne Erickson

February 14th 4:03 PM

It’s safe to say that a $100,000 salary is a certainly a good income level. But, it varies depending on where you live. For example, living on a $100,000 salary might be very difficult in New York City. But, in most areas of the country, it should be more than enough to live comfortably. That said, how far does a $100,000 salary go in Pennsylvania?

There’s a new study out from Gobankingrates.com. They emphasize that living in bigger cities can be more expensive than living in smaller cities, so their study focuses on major cities. “What seems like a high salary on paper — $100,000 — might not look quite so huge once you see how much income taxes and basic expenses cost in some of America’s largest cities,” they state. “Some states take a bigger bite in taxes, while others don’t even apply an income tax, making that same number vary widely, depending on where you live.”

The top 10 most expensive cities, according to this study, are New York; San Francisco; San Jose, California; San Diego; Boston; Oakland, California; Los Angeles; Washington; Miami and Long Beach, California, in that order. Of course New York would be the most expensive, right? Also, cities on the West and East Coasts of the U.S. have the most expensive costs of living.

So, how far will a $100,000 salary go in Pennsylvania? This study looked at Philadelphia, in particular. They discovered that for someone with a $100,000 salary, their net annual pay after income taxes is around $71,095. Generally, looking at expenses, their annual rent is $20,328; annual groceries is $5,846; annual healthcare is $5,973; and annual utilities is $4,899. Also, annual transportation costs are $7,615; annual miscellaneous costs are $1,052; and total expenses are $45,713. Finally, income leftover after expenses is $25,382. “The City of Brotherly Love isn’t very friendly when it comes to most expenses,” they note. “However, housing costs here are almost 25% less than the national average.” Find the full list here.

7 Easy Ways to Make Extra Money

• 1. Sell Items You Don't Need Anymore

  This option has been there since the advent of the garage sale. If you have items sitting around that you don’t want or need anymore, sell them. It’s a quick way to make some cash. You can put them up for sale on eBay, a Facebook group or elsewhere online, or you can go the old-fashioned way and hold a yard sale.

• 2. Pet or House Sit

  I’ve house sat quite a bit, and I personally love it. It’s very peaceful to watch over someone’s house. Duties-wise, it can involve anything from watering plants to just staying there so that nobody breaks in during a long vacation. Pet sitting is also a great way to make a little extra money. While you’re at it, try being a dog walker, too.

• 3. Be a Mystery Shopper

  Being a mystery shopper is a real thing. You can shop, either online or in person, and get paid for reviewing your experience. But, watch out for scams. A great way to find legit mystery shopper jobs is by looking on job sites such as Ziprecruiter.com or Indeed.com.

• 4. Take Surveys Online

  You can make money by simply taking online surveys. It’s not usually a lot of money, but it’s better than nothing, and you can do it during downtime. A few major survey sites include Swagbucks and Survey Junkie. Find more via NerdWallet.com here.

• 5. Publish an E-book

  Self-publishing has never been so easy. If you are very knowledgeable in an area that people want to know about, why not self-publish an e-book? Using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, you can sell your books via the Kindle store. Publishing the book is free, and you can earn an upwards of 70% of each sale in royalties. You can even try your hand at a wild novel and see how it does, if you don’t want to write a practical book.

• 6. Deliver Groceries or Food

  A quick way to make some cash during your off hours is by delivering groceries or food. Services such as Instacart and Shipt use independent contractors to deliver food to clients. Also, services such as Uber Eats and Doordash are often looking for delivery people.

• 7. Open a New Bank Account or Credit Card

  It might seem odd to open a new credit card to try to make money, but it can help. Many credit cards offer new client deals, so if you spend a certain amount after signing up, you could get some cash back or other bonuses. Also, you could find a cash back card, where you get cash back on everyday purchases, such as gas or groceries. Say you don’t want a new credit card? You could also open a new bank account at a bank where they are giving cash-back offers for starting business with them. Also, to get the most for your money, look for a high-interest savings.

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Author Anne Erickson

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