四座城市的房租与薪资Rent and salary in four cities

The table gives information about typical rents and salaries in four cities in 2022, together with the proportion of a monthly salary that rent represented. Overall, cities with higher salaries also had higher rents. However, rent did not take up the same share of income everywhere: it was the heaviest burden in Northam and the lightest in Westbrook. Northam was the most expensive city, with an average rent of $1,800 a month, three times the figure for Westbrook, the cheapest, at $600. Salaries followed a similar pattern but the differences were smaller, ranging from $4,500 in Northam to $2,400 in Westbrook. As a result, the share of salary spent on rent varied considerably. Tenants in Northam paid 40% of their income, compared with only a quarter in Westbrook. Southport stands out, because although its rent was relatively low at $900, salaries there were also low, so rent consumed 36% of income, more than in the wealthier city of Eastvale, where the figure was 30%.