Best (and Worst) Cities to Survive on an Entry-Level Job

Business woman in New York City candid and real

Maridav/istockphoto

Cheapism is editorially independent. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site.
Business woman in New York City candid and real
Maridav/istockphoto

It’s Rough Out There

Nailing the intersection of cities that have a lot to do and are still affordable is a difficult balance. With the biggest cities in the world charging arms and legs for rent, entry-level, minimum wage jobs don’t always cut it (though, somehow, New York made this list).  


NetCredit took a look at the cost of living across the country and put together a report detailing which cities are the most forgiving for somebody with an entry-level job. They also took a look at the least forgiving. Curious which cities are the easiest to survive in with a meager paycheck? Here are the 20 best and worst. 

Late Afternoon Sun Hits the Architecture and Landscape in and around Bakersfield California
ChrisBoswell/istockphoto

Best: Bakersfield, California

Living Wage: $22.67 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 100% 

Fargo, North Dakota
DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto

2nd Best: Fargo, North Dakota

Living Wage: $18.74 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 93.67% 

Toledo Skyline, River, and Bridge Aerial View
Davel5957/istockphoto

3rd Best: Toledo, Ohio

Living Wage: $19.50 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 93.07% 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto

4th Best: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Living Wage: $19.90 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 86.59% 

Detroit Aerial Panorama
pawel.gaul/istockphoto

5th Best: Detroit

Living Wage: $21.23 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 84.85% 

Spokane, Washington
benedek/istockphoto

6th Best: Spokane, Washington

Living Wage: $21.11 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 83.67% 

Minneapolis - Summer Cityscape
Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography/istockphoto

7th Best: Minneapolis

Living Wage: $23.17 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 83.41% 

Downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming Street Scene
Davel5957/istockphoto

8th Best: Cheyenne, Wyoming

Living Wage: $20.77 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 80.91% 

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Downtown Skyline
Kruck20/istockphoto

9th Best: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Living Wage: $20.34 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.99% 

Charleston, West Virginia, USA Skyline
Sean Pavone/istockphoto

10th Best: Charleston, West Virginia

Living Wage: $18.75 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.40% 

Downtown Buffalo New York USA Skyline
benedek/istockphoto

11th Best: Buffalo, New York

Living Wage: $21.74 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.33% 

Little Rock, Arkansas City Skyline
pabradyphoto/istockphoto

12th Best: Little Rock, Arkansas

Living Wage: $20.39 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 78.26% 

Des Moines is the Urban Capitol of the Rural State of Iowa
Jacob Boomsma/istockphoto

13th Best: Des Moines, Iowa

Living Wage: $22.26 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 77.38% 

Milwaukee - city panorama
benkrut/istockphoto

14th Best: Milwaukee

Living Wage: $21.07 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 75.92% 

Downtown Stockton
MattGush/istockphoto

15th Best: Stockton, California

Living Wage: $24.92 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 75.56% 

St. Louis downtown city skyline
f11photo/istockphoto

16th Best: St. Louis

Living Wage: $21.61 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 74.70% 

Aerial view of Newark New Jersey skyline
Ultima_Gaina/istockphoto

17th Best: Newark, New Jersey

Living Wage: $28.87 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 74.07% 

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Skyline
Sean Pavone/istockphoto

18th Best: Cincinnati

Living Wage: $20.77 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 73.51% 

new york
frankpeters/istockphoto

19th Best: New York

Living Wage: $28.87 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 71.39% 

Aerial of Downtown Greensboro North Carolina NC Skyline
Kruck20/istockphoto

20th Best: Greensboro, North Carolina

Living Wage: $20.71 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 71.38% 

Honolulu Hawaii from Above
Art Wager/istockphoto

Worst: Honolulu

Living Wage: $30.02 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 27.69% 

Virginia Beach, Virginia
peeterv/istockphoto

2nd Worst: Virginia Beach, Virginia

Living Wage: $24.61 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 32.33% 

Miami Beach
Miami Beach by James Willamor (CC BY-SA)

3rd Worst: Miami

Living Wage: $24.94 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 34.30% 

Boise , Idaho downtown with first snow
4kodiak/istockphoto

4th Worst: Boise, Idaho

Living Wage: $25.02 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 38.72% 

Downtown Anaheim
adamkaz/istockphoto

5th Worst: Anaheim, California

Living Wage: $28.88 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 39.13% 

Mountains Edge Las Vegas
LPETTET/istockphoto

6th Worst: North Las Vegas, Nevada

Living Wage: $24.10 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 39.13% 

Glendale Arizona
DCorn/istockphoto

7th Worst: Glendale, Arizona

Living Wage: $25.69 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 39.27% 

Scottsdale, Arizona
Thomas De Wever / istockphoto

8th Worst: Scottsdale, Arizona

Living Wage: $25.69 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 40.51% 

Santa Ana, California
DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto

9th Worst: Santa Ana, California

Living Wage: $28.88 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 42.00% 

San Jose, California
istockphoto/GerardoBrucker

10th Worst: San Jose, California

Living Wage: $35.28 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 42.02% 

aerial view of downtown Mesa, Arizona
Tim Roberts Photography/shutterstock

11th Best: Mesa, Arizona

Living Wage: $25.69 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 42.99% 

Chandler, Arizona
DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto

12th Best: Chandler, Arizona

Living Wage: $25.69 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.45% 

Chula Vista, California
DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto

13th Best: Chula Vista, California

Living Wage: $30.71 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.47% 

Aerial View of Downtown Gilbert, Arizona
halbergman/istockphoto

14th Best: Gilbert, Arizona

Living Wage: $25.69 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.48% 

Sunrise at Portland, Oregon
Shunyu Fan/istockphoto

15th Best: Portland, Oregon

Living Wage: $27.47 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 43.77% 

Aerial view downtown Atlanta skyline
rodclementphotography/istockphoto

16th Best: Atlanta

Living Wage: $26.28 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 44.87% 

Aerial View of Garland, Texas in the DFW Suburb
Jacob Boomsma/istockphoto

17th Best: Garland, Texas

Living Wage: $23.86 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 45.63% 

Orlando, Florida, USA Downtown Drone Skyline Aerial
Kruck20/istockphoto

18th Best: Orlando, Florida

Living Wage: $24.77 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 45.70% 

Aerial image of San Diego, California neighborhood
Chris Haver/istockphoto

19th Best: San Diego, California

Living Wage: $30.71 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 46.45% 

Riverside, California
MattGush/istockphoto

20th Best: Riverside, California

Living Wage: $28.26 

Percentage of Entry-Level Jobs Above Local Living Wage: 46.83% 

businessman on the phone in Lower Manhattan
lechatnoir/istockphoto

Every State, Ranked by Entry-Level Job Survival

  • Best: Minnesota 
  • 2: Missouri 
  • 3: Wisconsin 
  • 4: Wyoming 
  • 5: Ohio 
  • 6: South Dakota 
  • 7: Indiana 
  • 8: Washington 
  • 9: New Jersey 
  • 10: Michigan 
  • 11: North Dakota 
  • 12: Delaware 
  • 13: Tennessee 
  • 14: New York 
  • 15: Illinois 
  • 16: Kansas 
  • 17: North Carolina 
  • 18: Georgia 
  • 19: Nebraska 
  • 20: Colorado 
  • 21: Texas 
  • 22: Pennsylvania 
  • 23: West Virginia 
  • 24: Vermont 
  • 25: Rhode Island 
  • 26: Florida 
  • 27: Iowa 
  • 28: Alaska 
  • 29: California 
  • 30: Kentucky 
  • 31: South Carolina 
  • 32:Massachusetts 
  • 33: Arkansas 
  • 34: New Hampshire 
  • 35: Montana 
  • 36: Arizona 
  • 37: Virginia 
  • 38: Maryland 
  • 39: New Mexico 
  • 40: Connecticut 
  • 41: Oklahoma 
  • 42: Oregon 
  • 43: Maine 
  • 44: Louisiana 
  • 45: Alabama 
  • 46: Idaho 
  • 47: Utah 
  • 48: Mississippi 
  • 49: Nevada 
  • 50: Hawaii