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(NEXSTAR) — Are you saving as much as you’d like? Keeping extra money in the bank for emergencies or expenses is one of the wisest things you can do but depending on where you live, it can be difficult.
Recently, personal finance outlet FinanceBuzz analyzed data for 125 U.S. cities with populations greater than 200,000 to rank them based on several metrics, including cost of living, median income and debt-to-income ratios. The cities were then ranked based on ease of saving to difficulty — and three Texas cities made the national top 10.
Coming in at number three in FinanceBuzz’s ranking of the U.S. Cities Where It’s Easiest To Save Money is Amarillo, Texas. The Potter County seat is noted for having the lowest cost of living in any city nationwide. What’s more, FinanceBuzz explains that due to Texas’ low tax burdens compared to other states, Amarillo is able to rank high even if housing costs and credit card debt are higher there than in other top cities.
Here’s a look at the full top 10.
| Rank | City | Median income | Rent as % of income | Debt-to-income ratio | Median credit card debt |
| 1. | Toledo, Ohio | $46,637 | 22% | 1.08 | $2,220 |
| 2. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | $60,084 | 24% | 1.08 | $2,685 |
| 3. | Amarillo, Texas | $48,994 | 25% | 1.195 | $2,739 |
| 4. | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | $52,051 | 22% | 1.195 | $2,781 |
| 5. | St. Louis, Missouri | $53,839 | 20% | 1.3 | $2,858 |
| 6. | Indianapolis, Indiana | $51,461 | 24% | 1.195 | $2,507 |
| 7. | Madison, Wisconsin | $61,942 | 24% | 1.195 | $2,181 |
| 8. | Cincinnati, Ohio | $51,668 | 22% | 1.195 | $2,761 |
| 9. | Irving, Texas | $54,251 | 33% | 0.601 | $2,545 |
| 10. | Frisco, Texas | $93,894 | 24% | 1.67 | $3,366 |
As you’ll see, two other Texas cities — Irving and Frisco — round out the national top 10 rankings.
While Irving’s low debt-to-income ratio (the lowest of any city, except for one other with the same ratio) helps its ranking, Frisco’s high median income (the fifth highest of any city) helps its ranking overcome some high debt-to-income figures for the city.
Nationally, Toledo, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, nabbed the no. 1 and no. 2 spots, respectively. FinanceBuzz found Toledo to have the second-lowest cost of living of all cities, not to mention having low rent and mortgage costs compared to income.
Though Texas cities ranked well overall, Dallas was the Lone Star State’s lowest-ranked city. The analysis found that Dallas’ rent and mortgage costs compared to income are pretty high — in fact, median mortgage costs account for 52% of income for Dallas residents.
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