Cities where clothing costs the most and least, ranked

Name: Robotic clothes allow you to suit up hands-free
Uploaded: 2026-07-30T19:44:13-04:00
Description: Researchers at Stanford University and South Korea’s KAIST have developed a soft-robotic technology that allows users to put on protective clothing hands-free and in seconds. (Credit: Stanford University and South Korea’s KAIST)

Robotic clothes allow you to suit up hands-free

Researchers at Stanford University and South Korea’s KAIST have developed a soft-robotic technology that allows users to put on protective clothing hands-free and in seconds. (Credit: Stanford University and South Korea’s KAIST)

As clothing prices continue to climb, many Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to afford even basic wardrobe essentials.

New data, conducted by financial company WalletHub, shows that where consumers live can make a significant difference in how much of their income goes toward clothing, with some cities forcing residents to spend more than 3% of their monthly household income on clothing items.

The analysis compared the average cost of a men's dress shirt, a pair of boys' jeans and a pair of women's slacks in the nation's 100 largest cities, measuring those prices against each city's median household income.

Cleveland ranks as least affordable city for clothing purchases

By the numbers:

According to WalletHub, Cleveland ranked as the least affordable city for clothing purchases relative to income.

Residents spent an average of about $120 on the three clothing items, representing roughly 3.5% of the city's median monthly household income. While apparel prices in Cleveland were relatively high, the city's low median household income of $40,801 annually played a major role in pushing clothing costs to the top of the rankings.

Cleveland ranked as the least affordable city for clothing purchases, followed by Birmingham, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan. (Credit: Getty Images)

Birmingham, Alabama, placed second, with shoppers paying an average of $124 for the same three items – more than 3.2% of the city's median monthly household income.

Meanwhile, Detroit ranked third, where the three clothing items cost an average of about $103, or 3.1% of the median monthly household income. Although clothing prices were closer to the middle of the pack compared with other cities, Detroit had the nation's lowest median household income at $39,938 annually, making apparel purchases a larger financial burden for residents.

What they're saying:

"In certain cities, a family can expect to shell out close to 4% of the median monthly household income just for a pair of women’s slacks, a men’s dress shirt and a pair of boys’ jeans," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said in a statement. "In the cities where people spend the most, residents typically face high prices in conjunction with low incomes."