The burden of the Sunshine Tax may be too heavy for the American Dream.

San Diego is the worst city in the United States for building wealth, a study released Monday by Bankrate.com showed.

The Florida-based personal finance website looked at what it felt were the most important factors to save money and earn more, including housing prices, income after taxes, average debt, employment and access to education.

San Diego ranked dead last, behind Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. Houston ranked No. 1.

San Diego’s high home and rent prices compared to salaries leave residents unable to build equity, the study said.

Bankrate’s best cities for building wealth Houston Washington, D.C. Cleveland Detroit New York City Dallas-Fort Worth Baltimore Miami Minneapolis-St. Paul Chicago Boston Seattle San Francisco Atlanta Philadelphia Los Angeles Phoenix San Diego

“West Coast cities didn’t do well,” Bankrate researcher Claes Bell said. “If you are accumulating most of your wealth through wages, then that is going to be a problem for you.”

The median home price in San Diego County was $460,000 in September, according to CoreLogic and median household income is roughly $63,000, according to state data. Although San Francisco is known for pricey housing, it makes up for that in part with higher salaries. For this study, its median income was $75,604.

Fifty-three percent of San Diegans own their own home, the study noted. Only three cities have less home ownership: San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. In Detroit, 75 percent of residents own their home. Minneapolis-St.Paul, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Chicago also all have high rates of home ownership.

It’s important to note the top places to save wealth are not necessarily the top places people want to move to. Houston, Washington, D.C., Cleveland and Detroit are the best places to save money, Bankrate said. Extremely low home prices in Detroit do not guarantee a stable job, a safe commute or great schools.

Some factors considered:

▪ Resident debt: The average San Diegan is $78,282 in debt — which can include mortgages, student loans and credit cards — making it the fifth most-indebted city residents on the list. Houston residents have the least, $42,784, and Washington, D.C., residents have the most, $95,560.

▪ Unemployment rate: The study used the average jobless numbers from 2010 to 2014, leaving San Diego at 8.7 percent. During that time, Minneapolis-St.Paul had the lowest at 5.26 percent. (San Diego unemployment fell to 4.6 percent last month.)

▪ Access to education: Furthering one’s career through education (and earning potential) was given high marks by the study. San Diego may seem like it has a lot of colleges but the number of students admitted is one of the lowest in the country for metropolitan areas. Its capacity for students is the fourth lowest on the list. New York City has the most and Cleveland has the least.

▪ Retirement: Just 36 percent of San Diego residents participate in an employer-based retirement plan, such as a 401-k. That is tied for the third-lowest rate in the country. Bell said it could mean employers aren’t offering a retirement savings plan, but it also could mean that workers are not participating. Miami has the least, 35 percent, and Washington, D.C. has the most, 53 percent.

Bell acknowledges the study has two two major caveats. First, it is up to the individual to make good saving decisions. Second, people must move to where jobs are.

“If you’re a computer programer, you’re probably way better off in San Francisco than Detroit,” he said.

University of San Diego economist Alan Gin agreed with the report’s findings.

“It’s really costly to live here (and) the levels of pay are not high compared to other metropolitan areas in the state,” he said. “It’s what we used to call, ‘The San Diego Discount.’”

Bell said San Diego would be a good fit for people with a substantial nest egg because they can purchase a home and build equity.

Bankrate limited the study to 18 cities because the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey focuses on those metropolitan areas.

Gin said turning around the fortunes of San Diegans is possible, but he did not foresee much luck in the housing and rental market.

“It’s just so desirable,” he said of high housing prices. “I think improving access to education would be the big one.”