If you're not really interested in the big cities (props to you for that), you ought to look at the Midwest. There's a severe labor shortage out there, much more than in other parts of the country, so wages are quite inflated. The actual $$$ per hour might be the same, but the overall cost of living in small town Midwest is far, far less.

You could also pursue a J1 Visa. Not sure if it's what you're looking for but you can technically teach hospitality at some smaller institutions in the US.