Top-spending cities for personal care: What we're paying to keep healthy, fit, and looking good

Top-spending cities for personal care: What we're paying to keep healthy, fit, and looking good

A ranking of the largest 100 cities in the U.S. for personal care spending. Plus: Tips from fitness experts on how to maximize your dollars when working out

If you've made a resolution this year, it's highly likely that you've decided to get back in shape. And if you want to get fit, you're probably buying a gym membership.
You go through the holidays, and everyone gains about 8 to 10 pounds," says Andrea Metcalf, author of Naked Fitness. "You're feeling kind of sluggish, and the logical thing is, 'If I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to need to go to the gym.'"
[More from Bundle: How Much Did Americans Spend on Fashion Trends in 2010?]
You're also going to need to stretch for your wallet. The average U.S. household spends $60 a month on personal care, or $720 annually, according to Bundle data, an amount that includes visits to drugstores, cosmetic stores, salons, spas and gyms. And according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), consumers are paying an average of $41 per month on gym memberships.
Some cities are spending more to look good. The average household in Austin, Texas spends $143 a month on personal care, or $1,716 annually — the highest of the top 100 largest cities in the country, and more than two times the national average.

City, State	Average spend
Austin, TX	$143
Scottsdale, AZ	$137
Washington, DC	$124
Nashville, TN	$120
Arlington, VA	$115
San Francisco, CA	$111
Dallas, TX	$109
Boston, MA	$106
Tucson, AZ	$104
Plano, TX	$100
San Antonio, TX	$99
San Jose, CA	$97
Irvine, CA	$90
Madison, WI	$89
Los Angeles, CA	$88
Hartford, CT	$88
Tampa, FL	$88
Seattle, WA	$87
Bakersfield, CA	$87
New Haven, CT	$85
Durham, NC	$85
Cincinnati, OH	$84
Reno, NV	$84
New Orleans, LA	$84
Omaha, NE	$83
Honolulu, GHI	$83
Chicago, IL	$83
Baton Rouge, LA	$83
Raleigh, NC	$82
Henderson, NV	$82
New York, NY	$81
Virginia Beach, VA	$77
Charlotte, NC	$77
Oklahoma City, OK	$75
Oakland, CA	$74
Columbus, OH	$73
Lubbock, TX	$73
Providence, RI	$72
Denver, CO	$72
Corpus Christi, TX	$71
Chandler, AZ	$71
Albuquerque, NM	$70
Birmingham, AL	$70
Wichita, KS	$69
Minneapolis, MN	$68
Milwaukee, WI	$67
St. Petersburg, FL	$67
Houston, TX	$67
Portland, OR	$67
Atlanta, GA	$66
St. Paul, MN	$66
Colorado Springs, CO	$66
Phoenix, AZ	$65
Indianapolis, IN	$65
Miami, FL	$65
Orlando, FL	$64
Louisville, KY	$63
St. Louis, MO	$63
Chesapeake, VA	$63
Jacksonville, FL	$63
North Las Vegas, NV	$63
Fort Wayne, IN	$62
Newark, NJ	$62
Lexington, KY	$62
Las Vegas, NV	$62
Kansas City, MO	$61
Norfolk, VA	$61
U.S. Average	$60
Sacramento, CA	$59
Greensboro, NC	$59
Fresno, CA	$58
Lincoln, NE	$58
Fort Worth, TX	$58
Riverside, CA	$57
Jersey City, NJ	$57
Rochester, NY	$56
Winston-Salem, NC	$55
San Diego, CA	$55
Santa Ana, CA	$54
Arlington, TX	$54
Aurora, CO	$53
El Paso, TX	$52
Long Beach, CA	$52
Memphis, TN	$51
Akron, OH	$51
Pittsburgh, PA	$49
Philadelphia, PA	$49
Mesa, AZ	$49
Anchorage, AK	$48
Baltimore, MD	$47
Boise, ID	$47
Buffalo, NY	$46
Tulsa, OK	$44
Cleveland, OH	$44
Stockton, CA	$43
Toledo, OH	$42
Garland, TX	$38
Anaheim, CA	$38
Chula Vista, CA	$28
Hialeah, FL	$24
Detroit, MI	$18

Methodology: Bundle data comes from the U.S. government, from anonymous and aggregated transactions from Citi, and third party data providers. The average of the 12 months (July 2009 to June 2010) was ranked in order by the city with the highest spending. Here's a complete summary of how we highlight the data and what's included in each category.

[More from Bundle: How Much Do You Spend on Looking Good? Find Out Here]