Top 5 cities for accounting and finance workers.

This is going to be a list of the best cities to live in for people who work in the finance industry. The cities were ranked by looking at not just the amount of income you can earn while working in the finance field, but also the cost of living in those areas. This article does not cover cities like New York, London, Hong Kong or any other metropolis like that, of course these cities offer probably the highest quantity of finance jobs and also very high paying finance jobs, but the cost of living in these areas is also equally as high, so the spread between what you earn versus what you pay to live there isn’t that attractive. This list is going to apply to both people who would rather own a home or people who would rather rent in some of these cities.

Number 5 is Charlotte, North Carolina. That area between the east coast and the south, which really is kind of North Carolina and South Carolina is a really cool region. You get the beaches but you also get exposure to some of all the four seasons and different landscapes. Charlotte is getting really competitive it the spread between what you earn versus what you spend. Also, if you’re a college basketball fan this is probably one of the best areas on planet earth to live.

Number 4 on the list is Dallas, Texas. Dallas is going to be more expensive than almost all the other areas of Texas, but the opportunity set and the average incomes within the finance industry in Dallas are huge. Many people are moving to Dallas, Texas each day, it’s really a metropolis but it also boasts a zero percent state income tax, kind of like Florida if you’re a cost conscious person considering different cities to work in the finance industry, but if you definitely want that big city feel then Dallas is probably your go-to.

Number 3 is inversely one of the smallest cities on our list and that’s going to be Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grand Rapids has the lowest cost of living on this list, you could probably find a two-bedroom one-bath house for about $120 thousand and have a $450 a month mortgage payment. It’s probably a three hour drive around lake Michigan from Chicago and a lot of people in the region actually call it little Chicago. There’s a lot of breweries in the city and a lot of rural areas around it, which contributes to that low cost of living and you’re not going to see any major corporations headquartered here, but certainly many opportunities.

Number 2 Nashville, Tennessee. This city is rapidly growing, the rate of growth of job opportunities in Nashville, Tennessee is maybe unlike anything you’ve seen for a long time. No state income taxes, tons of great food and music, you’re just never going to be able to avoid all the bachelor parties if you’re downtown on a weekend.

Finally coming in at number 1 on the list, the single best city in terms of income in the finance industry versus the cost of living is the armpit of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh scored higher than any other city on the spread, so the people working in the finance field in Pittsburgh are getting a pretty good deal. There are some really well-renowned hospitals in Pittsburgh, so if you’re someone who uses a lot of healthcare and that matters to you, maybe that’s a plus. They used to have a really big steel industry but nowadays there’s less of the steel industry and more of the finance industry.