NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Roxy Barghahn recently moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco, because it’s cheaper. She is saving up to $1,000 a month as a result.

“My hometown is San Francisco, but the rent for a centralized and social part of town is exorbitant,” Barghahn told MainStreet.

Her move to a cheaper city is an improvement but not entirely easy going. Now that she lives in Los Angeles, the media executive is surprised to find that the cost of car insurance is high. “If I move again in the next few years, I would consider moving to Austin or Portland [Oregon], where there’s no sales tax and where there’s a seamless, clean public transportation system,” said Barghahn.

She has the right mindset: when it comes to saving money, Portland is in first place among the top ten most affordable cities, according to a GOBankingRates report. Residents there have a median annual income of $52,158, average monthly rent of $905, 5.9% unemployment and gas selling for $2.13 a gallon.

San Francisco is the worst with median income of $73,012, a 4.6% unemployment rate, 8.75% sales tax, $1,512 monthly rent and gas selling for $2.66 a gallon.

Behind Portland, Anchorage, Alaska and Lincoln, Neb. rounded off the top three spots on the GOBankingRates study.

“These cities have little to no income tax, relatively moderate housing prices, high median incomes and low unemployment,” said Morgan Quinn with GOBankingRates. 

Lincoln's unemployment rate is nearly half the national average at 3.2%, and Anchorage's median income is $72,575. By contrast to those two affordable cities, New York has an unemployment rate of 7.7% and a $50,895 median income.

“When Americans ignore sales tax, home values, monthly rent, income, unemployment rates and gas prices, they end up sacrificing their long-term financial goals,” Quinn told MainStreet. “It's harder to pay bills, save money and get ahead. Brief unemployment or a medical emergency can throw certain state residents into deep debt or even poverty.”

Even marginal savings on big-spend items can make a lifestyle difference. In Boise, for example, gas sells for $1.90 a gallon compared to $1.82 in Wichita; $2.83 in Fremont, Calif.; and $2.43 in New York.

“If you’re ignoring these factors, you’re not giving yourself the best chance to be financially healthy,” said Casey Bond with GOBankingRates.

California cities dominated the list of the ten worst cities to save, indicating that residents of the Golden State are struggling financially.

“California is so expensive, because the state has a supply and demand problem,” Quinn said. "Housing costs are high, new construction is still relatively slow and many cities are facing a rental crisis. Wages and job growth have not kept up with the cost of living and affordable housing is hard to find.”

For consumers stuck living in California cities like Oakland, Long Beach, Fremont, San Jose, Stockton and Santa Ana, one way to save is by cutting back on housing expenses.

“Your mortgage or rent payment is probably your biggest monthly expense, so it's the easiest way to cut your cost of living and has the biggest impact on your budget,” said Quinn. “If you have very little money left over after making that payment, it's going to be much harder to pay other bills or build up your savings. It's as simple as that.”

Other cities that round out the top ten best cities for saving include Madison; Omaha; Fort Wayne, Ind., Corpus Christi; Texas; and Arlington, Texas.

--Written for MainStreet by Juliette Fairley