A salary can feel generous or tight depending on one thing above all else: where you live. In some parts of the country, $40,000 might barely cover the basics. In more affordable places, though, the same paycheck can stretch surprisingly far.
To see just how much difference location makes, I asked ChatGPT to help identify where a $40,000 salary goes the furthest in the U.S. and what that looks like in real living expenses. READ MORE