Surprise is ranking high in a new study that measures salaries compared to cost of living.

Financial website The Ascent ranked Surprise sixth on its list of the “10 Best Places to Live in the West for High Salaries and Low Cost of Living.”

The study analyzed both cost of living and median income data to find the 10 most affordable cities in the West.

Surprise finished behind only Ogden, Utah; Provo, Utah; Salt Lake City; Denver; and Oakland, California.

The study found the cost of living estimate in Surprise to be $59,758. That’s good news for a place with an average household income of $67,896.

That gives the city an estimated income-to-expense ratio of 1.136 and a cost-of-living index of 94.8.

The Ascent pointed out in its report that although the median income in Surprise is 1.2% below the national median, the city maintains its affordability because it owns a cost-of-living index that’s 5.2% lower than the national average.

The study reported the city has a higher number of people working as health technologists and technicians, in law enforcement, and in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations than is expected.

The study used figures from the Council for Community and Economic Research as well as U.S. Census Bureau data from its American Community Survey. 

Rounding out the top 10 on the list were Olympia, Washington; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Bozeman, Montana and Boise, Idaho.

Click here to see the original report.