A six-figure salary (US$) means one thing in New York City and something very different in Bangkok.

Assuming you have a salary of US$100,000 in each location, the difference comes down to taxes, cost of living, and the real estate market.

We calculated your REAL income based on taxes and cost of living (using the Economist’s informal Big Mac Index). And we picked out a property for sale in your price-range, which should be around $300,000.

So where do you want to live?

Check Out What You Can Get In All 20 Cities >

Zurich

Typical home: A one bedroom, 39 sq.m. modern, open floorplan apartment for approximately USD 271,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $41,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (30%) and cost of living compared to USA (172%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Berlin

Typical home: A centrally-located, one bedroom, one bath apartment with 70sq.m., for approximately USD 313,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $42,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (46%) and cost of living compared to NYC (129%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Tel Aviv

Typical home: A 50sq.m. two room apartment for approximately USD 299,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $51,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (43%) and cost of living compared to NYC (112%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Sydney

Typical home:A stylish studio in an affluent inner-city suburb for USD 302,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $54,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (40%) and cost of living compared to USA (111%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Paris

Typical home: A 24sq.m. studio in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement for approximately USD 293,000. 

Adjusted post-tax income: $55,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (39%) and cost of living compared to NYC (129%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Toronto

Typical home: A three bedroom, three bath home on less than half an acre of land in a Toronto suburb, for approximately USD 299,000.

Adjusted income: $55,000

Note: Adjusted post-tax income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (38%) and cost of living compared to NYC (113%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Sao Paulo

Typical home: A 720sq.m., fully furnished, five bedroom beach house two hours drive from Sao Paolo, for USD 320,000. 

Adjusted post-tax income: $60,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (26%) and cost of living compared to NYC (124%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

San Francisco

Typical home: A one bedroom San Francisco home for USD 302,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $62,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (38%)* and cost of living compared to USA (100%).

Source: Forbes, CA tax data, and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Istanbul

Typical home: A 200sq.m. villa located 3 miles from the city center, for approximately USD 300,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $64,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (33%) and cost of living compared to USA (104%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Boston

Typical home: A two bedroom, one bath 900 sq.ft. co-op on Commonwealth Ave., for USD 305,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $67,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (33%)* and cost of living compared to USA (100%).

Source: Forbes, *Mass. tax data, and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

London

Typical home: A centrally located 270 sq.ft. studio apartment for approximately USD 300,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $68,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (34%) and cost of living compared to USA (97%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

New York

Typical home: An Upper West Side two room apartment for USD 284,000. 

Adjusted post-tax income: $72,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (38%) and cost of living compared to USA (100%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Tokyo

Typical home: A one bedroom in Tokyo for USD 300,000. 

Adjusted post-tax income: $75,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (26%) and cost of living compared to USA (99%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Capetown

Typical home: A two bedroom, two bath modern apartment with a view, for approximately USD 245,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $96,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (35%) and cost of living compared to USA (68%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Mexico City

Typical home: A 168 sq.m. apartment in a new construction for approximately USD 301,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $100,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (28%) and cost of living compared to NYC (72%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Dubai

Typical home: A two bedroom 1,153 sq.ft apartment in the Emirates Living District for approximately USD 294,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $113,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (5%) and cost of living compared to NYC (84%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Moscow

Typical home: A newly renovated and fully furnished 30 sq.m. studio for USD 290,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $115,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (13%) and cost of living compared to USA (67%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Bangkok

Typical home: A two bedroom, two bath brand new, centrally located 68 sq.m. condo for approximately USD 298,000. 

Adjusted post-tax income: $120,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (28%) and cost of living compared to USA (60%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Shanghai

Typical home: A one bedroom, one bath centrally located apartment for approximately USD 285,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $139,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (29%) and cost of living compared to USA (51%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Hong Kong

Typical home: A two bedroom on the outskirts of Hong Kong for approximately USD 296,000.

Adjusted post-tax income: $175,000

Note: Adjusted income is a calculation based on an estimate of tax (16%) and cost of living compared to USA (48%).

Source: Forbes and the Economist’s Big Mac Index

Now take a look the local real estate market…

The 10 Housing Markets In America That Are Still Wildly Overvalued

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The whole country was hit by the economic recession, but some stellar states are bouncing back faster than their neighbors.

Employment is up, houses are selling, and people are getting jobs. Maybe it’s not happening in your back yard, but trust us, it’s happening.

Based on a report by the Brookings Institute, we’ve ranked the twenty best cities.

See The 20 Cities That Are Having an Awesome Recovery >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• The 20 Cities That Have Completely Missed The Recovery
• American Manufacturing Making A Mockery Out of Skeptics
• The 15 Most Dangerous Jobs In America

The Recession never ended in some cities, and the recovery has a long ways to go.

There are cities in Florida where foreclosures are still rising, blotting out any chance of recovery in home prices. The mayor of Detroit plans to demolish a quarter of the city to get a handle on his real estate problem. Homeless communities are growing on the outskirts of Sacramento.

Based on a report by the Brookings Institute, we’ve ranked the twenty worst cities.

See The 20 Cities Where The Recovery Never Happened >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• American Manufacturing Making A Mockery Out of Skeptics
• 20 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy Is Dying And Is Simply Not Going To Recover
• The 15 Most Dangerous Jobs In America