Here's where the middle class is experiencing the best — and worst — standard of living

Middle- and working-class families are enjoying the best standard of living in some of the most expensive U.S. cities, according to a new economic analysis. 

That may seem far-fetched given that people earning less than $100,000 in San Francisco are considered low income, but the new analysis from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP) found that the high cost of living in these regions is offset by higher-than-typical wages.

In fact, the best performing region for middle- and working-class families is the Bay Area, despite the sky-high cost of living in San Jose and San Francisco, according to the analysis of 50 big U.S. cities.