People living in New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu need to earn $300,000 to feel like they're making $100,000 as inflation bites, survey says

• Earning $300,000 in New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu feels like earning $100,000.
• A study from SmartAsset found surging living costs are severely restricting buying power in big cities.
• Inflation surged to highs not seen since the 1980s in 2022, pushing the cost of living higher.

Americans living in New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu all need to earn in excess of $300,000 per year to have the purchasing power of $100,000 as persistent inflation drives up the cost of living, according to a new report.