
Tom Merton/OJO Images via Getty Images
Tom Merton/OJO Images via Getty Images
Tom Merton/OJO Images via Getty Images
Although gift-giving isn’t the most important part of the holidays, exchanging presents with those you love most is one of the perks of the season. Creating a budget and taking advantage of Black Friday deals have traditionally been effective ways to not break the bank around the holidays, but with a global pandemic that has left 11.1 million Americans unemployed in full swing, saving and spending less has never been so critical for many.
Where you live, your age and your income can all affect how you spend around the holiday season. But no matter where you live, shopping wisely can help you avoid the anxiety that usually accompanies holiday overspending.
Using data from personal finance site WalletHub, here are the 30 U.S. cities with the highest recommended holiday budgets.
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To determine the maximum holiday budget for every city, WalletHub compared the income, age, debt-to-income ratio, monthly income-to-monthly expenses ratio and savings-to-monthly expenses ratio across 570 American cities.
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In Lee's Summit, Missouri, a town less than 20 miles from downtown Kansas City, residents' maximum holiday budget is $2,233.
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The holiday budget in Roswell, Georgia, is $2,249. The “at your natural pace” city is approximately 21 miles from downtown Atlanta.
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The holiday budget in Walnut Creek, California, a city in Northern California east of the San Francisco Bay Area, is $2,261.
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Only about 13 miles from Walnut Creek is another city with a high holiday budget. The holiday budget in San Ramon, California, 35 miles east of San Francisco, is $2,267.
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You may have heard of Plymouth, Massachusetts, the historic home of Plymouth Rock, but it’s Plymouth, Minnesota, that has one of the highest holiday budgets. The holiday budget in Minnesota’s seventh-largest city is $2,285.
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Another Minnesotan town ranked high on the list of cities with the highest budgets. The holiday budget in Maple Grove, which is 20 minutes from Minneapolis, is $2,304.
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Dubbed one of the safest cities in America, Troy, Michigan, is located in Detroit’s northern suburbs. The holiday budget in Troy is $2,309.
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Just south of Houston is Pearland, Texas. The holiday budget in a city that, yes, uses a pear as its logo, is $2,319.
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In Union City, Georgia, a city 10 miles from the busiest airport in the world, the holiday budget is one of the highest in the nation. The holiday budget in Union City is $2,327.
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Fishers, Indiana, is located northeast of Indianapolis. The holiday budget in the city dubbed the “Best Place to Live in America” by Money Magazine is $2,360.
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The holiday budget in Carmel, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis, is $2,408.
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Cambridge, Massachusetts, might be best known as home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two of the most beautiful college campuses in America. The eastern city also has one of the highest holiday budgets in the nation at $2,414.
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Old Ellicott City is a historic district in Maryland home to the oldest surviving railroad station in America. The holiday budget in this town that looks like it’s stuck in time is $2,430.
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Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is another historic town with homes and preserved districts that date back more than 300 years. Spending is higher in the Southern town than others nearby. The holiday budget is $2,452.
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Bellevue, Washington’s fifth-largest city, is home to some of the world’s biggest businesses, like Microsoft and Amazon. The holiday budget in Bellevue is $2,488.
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Everything is bigger in Texas. That includes the budget for holiday spending. In League City, the holiday budget is $2,501.
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Centreville is one of Virginia’s top destinations for beautiful national parks. The holiday budget in Centreville is $2,502.
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Milpitas, California, is located on the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay. Dubbed the “Crossroads of Silicon Valley,” Milpitas has one of the highest holiday spending budgets in the nation. The holiday budget in Milpitas is $2,610.
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Nicknamed “The Mission City,” Santa Clara, California, might be best known as home to Levi’s Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers play. The holiday budget in the sunny, high-tech city is $2,673.
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Fremont is located on the southeast side of the San Francisco Bay. California’s 15th largest city has the 11th-highest holiday budget in the nation. The budget in Fremont is $2,684.
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To the west of Fort Lauderdale and the northwest of Miami is Weston, Florida. The new city (it was incorporated in 1996) has the tenth-highest budget for this holiday season at $2,698.
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The state of California dominates the list of top 10 locations with the highest holiday budget. The holiday budget in Mountain View, California, is $2,704.
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San Mateo, California, stretches along Silicon Valley. Much like its location implies, San Mateo is an innovation hub where computer software, bioscience and green technology companies thrive. The holiday budget in San Mateo is $2,722.
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Twenty minutes southwest of downtown Houston is the sweetest city in Texas. In Sugar Land, everything is sweet, including the holiday spending budgets. The holiday budget in Sugar Land is $2,728.
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Another Texas city has one of the highest budgets for holiday spending. The Woodlands, which is 28 miles north of downtown Houston, is surrounded by 28,000 tree-filled acres. The holiday budget in The Woodlands is $2,729.
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Newton, Massachusetts — once known as New Town, Cambridge Village and New Cambridge — has the fifth-highest holiday budget this year. The holiday budget in Newton, located just outside of Boston, is $2,768.
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Sunnyvale is the seventh-largest city in California. This sunny city has the fourth-highest holiday budget in the nation, landing at $2,829.
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A city in Illinois has the third-highest holiday budget, and it isn't Chicago. The budget in Naperville, Illinois, a city approximately 33 miles outside of the Windy City, is $2,867.
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Flower Mound, located in northern Texas near the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, has the second-highest budget for holiday spending in the nation. The holiday budget in Flower Mound is $2,973.
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Best known as the “Birthplace of the Silicon Valley,” Palo Alto, California, has the highest holiday budget in the nation. The holiday budget in Palo Alto is $3,056. The holidays are a perfect time for giving, but if budgeting $3,000 for gifts sounds overwhelming, here are tips on how to create a family budget.
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