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$22.00 an hour is $45,760 a year before tax at 40 hours a week. It goes furthest in El Paso, where it's worth $43,324 after tax and local prices, and least far in San Francisco at $32,342. That's a $11,000 spread on the identical wage.
That's gross, at 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, which is 2,080 hours. Take-home is lower everywhere and the amount it's lower by depends on the state, which is what the table sorts on.
“Real value” converts local buying power back to a national equivalent. Above $45,760 means the money goes further than average once tax and prices are both accounted for, and below means it goes less far. Take-home is 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and state income tax where the state charges it.
| Metro | Take-home a month | Price level | Real value a year | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El PasoTX | $3,246 | 89.9 | $43,324 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 31% · $1,013/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $19.78 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for El Paso → | ||||
| MemphisTN | $3,246 | 92.2 | $42,243 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 36% · $1,154/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $20.28 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Memphis → | ||||
| San AntonioTX | $3,246 | 94.7 | $41,128 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 36% · $1,177/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $20.83 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for San Antonio → | ||||
| ColumbusOH | $3,205 | 95.5 | $40,278 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,465 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,479 | |||
| Rent takes | 37% · $1,194/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $21.01 | |||
| State income tax | $483 at 1.1% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Columbus → | ||||
| AustinTX | $3,246 | 98.1 | $39,703 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 48% · $1,562/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $21.58 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Austin → | ||||
| HoustonTX | $3,246 | 98.6 | $39,501 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 41% · $1,323/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $21.69 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Houston → | ||||
| Las VegasNV | $3,246 | 100.2 | $38,870 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 46% · $1,478/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.04 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Las Vegas → | ||||
| CharlotteNC | $3,136 | 97.3 | $38,675 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,631 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,447 | |||
| Rent takes | 49% · $1,538/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $21.41 | |||
| State income tax | $1,317 at 2.9% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Charlotte → | ||||
| TampaFL | $3,246 | 100.9 | $38,601 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 52% · $1,696/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.20 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Tampa → | ||||
| OrlandoFL | $3,246 | 101.4 | $38,410 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 53% · $1,731/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.31 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Orlando → | ||||
| DallasTX | $3,246 | 103.1 | $37,777 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 51% · $1,648/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.68 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Dallas → | ||||
| AtlantaGA | $3,118 | 100.1 | $37,376 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,413 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,439 | |||
| Rent takes | 53% · $1,660/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.02 | |||
| State income tax | $1,535 at 3.4% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Atlanta → | ||||
| PhoenixAZ | $3,168 | 103.3 | $36,799 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,013 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,462 | |||
| Rent takes | 50% · $1,583/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.73 | |||
| State income tax | $935 at 2.0% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Phoenix → | ||||
| PhiladelphiaPA | $3,129 | 102.6 | $36,592 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,543 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,444 | |||
| Rent takes | 49% · $1,520/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.57 | |||
| State income tax | $1,405 at 3.1% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Philadelphia → | ||||
| DenverCO | $3,137 | 105.8 | $35,580 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,643 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,448 | |||
| Rent takes | 56% · $1,754/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $23.28 | |||
| State income tax | $1,305 at 2.9% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Denver → | ||||
| ChicagoIL | $3,069 | 103.6 | $35,548 | |
| Take-home a year | $36,828 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,416 | |||
| Rent takes | 52% · $1,581/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $22.79 | |||
| State income tax | $2,120 at 4.6% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Chicago → | ||||
| SeattleWA | $3,246 | 111.1 | $35,057 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 66% · $2,146/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $24.44 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Seattle → | ||||
| MiamiFL | $3,246 | 114.2 | $34,105 | |
| Take-home a year | $38,948 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,498 | |||
| Rent takes | 61% · $1,995/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $25.12 | |||
| State income tax | None in this state | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Miami → | ||||
| San DiegoCA | $3,116 | 111.9 | $33,411 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,387 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,438 | |||
| Rent takes | 79% · $2,459/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $24.62 | |||
| State income tax | $966 at 2.1% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for San Diego → | ||||
| Los AngelesCA | $3,116 | 113.6 | $32,911 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,387 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,438 | |||
| Rent takes | 67% · $2,085/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $24.99 | |||
| State income tax | $966 at 2.1% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for Los Angeles → | ||||
| New York CityNY | $3,070 | 112.6 | $32,722 | |
| Take-home a year | $36,845 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,417 | |||
| Rent takes | 86% · $2,655/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $24.77 | |||
| State income tax | $1,874 at 4.1% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for New York City → | ||||
| San FranciscoCA | $3,116 | 115.6 | $32,342 | |
| Take-home a year | $37,387 | |||
| Every two weeks | $1,438 | |||
| Rent takes | 96% · $2,977/mo one-bed | |||
| Hourly wage here to match nationally | $25.43 | |||
| State income tax | $966 at 2.1% effective | |||
| Read the full breakdown for San Francisco → | ||||
Of the 22 metros here with published HUD fair market rents, a one-bedroom takes more than 30% of monthly take-home in 22 of them at this wage. Thirty percent is the standard line for affordable housing, so anything above it is what housing researchers call cost-burdened. Open any row in the table to see the share for that metro.
Annual gross is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours a week for 52 weeks with no unpaid time off. Plenty of hourly work doesn't run a full 2,080 hours, so treat this as the full-time ceiling rather than a promise. Take-home applies 2026 federal brackets for a single filer taking the standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare, and the state's own 2026 schedule. Price level is the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for that metro, where 100 is the national average, and real value divides take-home by it.
Every metro links to a full breakdown: the exact tax figures, monthly and biweekly pay, what a one-bedroom takes, how prices split across housing, goods and services, and how the metro's price level has moved since 2008.