How Much You Need To Live Comfortably in Every State
Deciding where you want to live is driven by many factors, from the kind of weather you enjoy to the housing market and general cost of living. If you're not attached to a particular area, and you have the freedom to go where it makes the most sense for you, it might help to know exactly how much you need to live comfortably in every state.
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To determine this, GOBankingRates examined annual living expenses in all 50 states, using the 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study also calculated the annual cost of essential necessities and used the 50-30-20 budget rule, which allocates 50% to necessities, 30% to discretionary/luxury spending and 20% for savings.
We also found the median household income of each state from the 2021 American Community Survey and compared the difference between the living wage and median income of each state. Here's how much you need to live "comfortably" in every state.
Alabama
Comfortable wage: $56,646
Median income: $54,943
Alabama ranks No. 1 on this list in that it requires the least amount of money to live comfortably in the 50 states. However, median income is still $1,703 lower than this "comfortable" wage.
Alaska
Comfortable wage: $87,663
Median income: $80,287
Alaska ranks No. 46 on this list. There's a -$7,376 difference between the comfortable wage and the median income.
Arizona
Comfortable wage: $74,418
Median income: $65,913
Arizona ranks No. 37 on this list. There's a -$8,505 difference between the comfortable wage and the median income.
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Arkansas
Comfortable wage: $58,347
Median income: $52,123
Arkansas ranks No. 4 on this list. Like Alabama, lower wages are required to live comfortably here, but there's still a -$6,224 difference between the comfortable wage and the median income.
California
Comfortable wage: $99,689
Median income: $84,097
California ranks No. 48 on this list as it is one of the more expensive places to live. Even at a relatively high median income of $84,097, there's still a sizable -$15,592 difference between the comfortable wage and the median income.
Colorado
Comfortable wage: $71,793
Median income: $80,184
Colorado ranks No. 33 on this list. Colorado is one state where the median income is actually higher than the comfortable wage, with a difference of $8,391.
Connecticut
Comfortable wage: $77,918
Median income: $83,572
Connecticut ranks No. 39 on this list. In Connecticut your money goes further, as the median income is higher than the comfortable wage by $5,654.
Delaware
Comfortable wage: $71,939
Median income: $72,724
Delaware ranks No. 34 on this list. In Delaware, the median income is also a wee bit higher than the comfortable wage, by $785.
Florida
Comfortable wage: $71,092
Median income: $61,777
Florida ranks No. 31 on this list. Floridians see a deficit of $9,315 between their median income and a comfortable wage.
Georgia
Comfortable wage: $59,025
Median income: $65,030
Georgia ranks No. 7 on this list, and the median income is higher than the comfortable wage by $6,005.
Hawaii
Comfortable wage: $136,089
Median income: $88,005
Hawaii takes the No. 50 spot on the list as the most expensive state, where the median wage is just not cutting it for the cost of living comfortably. This gap is a whopping -$48,084.
Idaho
Comfortable wage: $67,057
Median income: $63,377
Idaho falls somewhere in the middle of the rankings, at No. 28, with its median income at $3,680 less than a comfortable wage.
Illinois
Comfortable wage: $62,545
Median income: $72,563
Illinois takes the No. 19 spot, with a favorable median income that is $10,018 more than the comfortable wage.
Indiana
Comfortable wage: $60,796
Median income: $61,944
Indiana ranks No. 14 on this list. Here, the median income is also slightly higher than its comfortable wage, by $1,148.
Iowa
Comfortable wage: $58,719
Median income: $65,429
In Iowa, the wage needed to live comfortably is relatively low compared to the other states, putting Iowa's rank at No. 6. The median income is higher, leaving a $6,710 surplus.
Kansas
Comfortable wage: $59,314
Median income: $64,521
Kansas ranks at No. 8. The wages needed to live comfortably in the state are relatively low and the median income is higher by $5,207.
Kentucky
Comfortable wage: $59,134
Median income: $55,454
Despite Kentucky's median income being lower by $3,680 than the comfortable wage, it still ranks No. 8 on the list for having low overall cost of living.
Louisiana
Comfortable wage: $62,298
Median income: $53,571
Louisiana comes in at No. 18 on the list. Though what it requires to live comfortably is relatively low overall, the median income doesn't quite make it with a $8,727 deficit.
Maine
Comfortable wage: $78,928
Median income: $63,182
Maine falls at No. 42 on the list, with a fairly significant gap of -$15,746 between the median income and the comfortable wage.
Maryland
Comfortable wage: $84,458
Median income: $91,431
Maryland comes in at No. 44, even though the median income is $6,973 more than the comfortable wage. It's still more expensive overall than most states.
Massachusetts
Comfortable wage: $107,378
Median income: $89,026
Massachusetts is second only to Hawaii in high cost of living, ranking No. 49 on the list. Here also, the median income falls $18,352 short of a comfortable living wage.
Michigan
Comfortable wage: $61,411
Median income: $63,202
Michigan ranks at No. 15. Its relatively low cost of living is complemented by a median income that is $1,791 more.
Minnesota
Comfortable wage: $63,800
Median income: $77,706
Minnesota ranks at No. 21 on the list. While its comfortable wages are slightly higher than some cities on this list, the median income is a hearty $13,906 more, leaving some wiggle room.
Mississippi
Comfortable wage: $56,677
Median income: $49,111
Mississippi takes the No. 2 spot with its low comfortable wage. However, even worse than Alabama, the median income leaves a deficit of -$7,566.
Missouri
Comfortable wage: $60,515
Median income: $61,043
Ranking at No. 11, Missouri has a relatively low cost of living and a median income that just covers the comfortable wage with a $528 surplus.
Montana
Comfortable wage: $71,679
Median income: $60,560
Montana takes the No. 32 spot for having a relatively high wage needed to live comfortably, and a median income that doesn't quite meet it -- by a deficit of $11,119.
Nebraska
Comfortable wage: $61,759
Median income: $66,644
The 16th spot on the list goes to Nebraska, where the median income more than covers the comfortable wage by $4,885.
Nevada
Comfortable wage: $72,176
Median income: $65,686
Nevada lands at the No. 32 spot for a comfortable wage, and the median income is $6,490 less than is needed for this comfortable wage.
New Hampshire
Comfortable wage: $75,787
Median income: $83,449
While New Hampshire is No. 38 on the list and the wages needed to live comfortably are leaning toward the higher side, the median income here covers it with $7,662 to spare.
New Jersey
Comfortable wage: $78,822
Median income: $89,703
New Jersey takes the No. 40 spot, but fortunately it's another state where the median income more than covers the wages needed to live comfortably by $10,881.
New Mexico
Comfortable wage: $63,505
Median income: $54,020
New Mexico takes the No. 20 spot on this list. While the wages needed to live comfortably are relatively low, the median income doesn't quite catch up, with a deficit of $9,485.
New York
Comfortable wage: $94,692
Median income: $75,157
Unsurprisingly, New York is another of the most expensive states on this list, taking the No. 47 spot. Here, a comfortable wage falls $19,535 short of the median income.
North Carolina
Comfortable wage: $65,512
Median income: $60,516
North Carolina ranks at No. 24. Though the wages needed to live comfortably are low here, the median income doesn't quite cover it, with a $4,996 deficit.
North Dakota
Comfortable wage: $66,700
Median income: $68,131
North Dakota ranks at No. 27, with moderately low wages needed to live comfortably and a median income that is $1,431 above that wage.
Ohio
Comfortable wage: $58,416
Median income: $61,938
Ohio takes the No. 5 spot on the list for its low wages needed to live comfortably, and a median income that is $3,522 more than those wages.
Oklahoma
Comfortable wage: $57,546
Median income: $56,956
Oklahoma is No. 3 on the list because it takes less wages to live comfortably here. The median income isn't far behind, with just a $590 deficit.
Oregon
Comfortable wage: $86,417
Median income: $70,084
Oregon is another one of the more expensive states to live in, taking the No. 45 spot. The median income earner will find themselves $16,333 short of what they need to live comfortably.
Pennsylvania
Comfortable wage: $66,318
Median income: $67,587
Pennsylvania is another middle-of-the-range state, where the income needed to live comfortably isn't super high, and the median income is $1,269 more than the comfortable wage.
Rhode Island
Comfortable wage: $74,405
Median income: $74,489
Rhode Island takes the No. 36 spot. Though the wages needed to live comfortably here are relatively high, the median income is enough to live on -- by $84.
South Carolina
Comfortable wage: $64,125
Median income: $58,234
South Carolina has a relatively low wage needed to live comfortably, but the median income doesn't quite cover it, by a deficit of $5,891. It ranks at No. 22.
South Dakota
Comfortable wage: $65,654
Median income: $63,920
South Dakota ranks No. 25 on this list. The wage needed to live comfortably is relatively low, but the median income doesn't quite meet the challenge, by a deficit of $1,734.
Tennessee
Comfortable wage: $60,138
Median income: $58,516
Tennessee ranks at No. 10 for a low wage needed to live comfortably. The median income doesn't quite meet the wage needed, though, by -$1,622.
Texas
Comfortable wage: $61,782
Median income: $67,321
Texas ranks at No. 17 for its low wages needed to live comfortably. Here, too, the median income doesn't quite meet the wages needed, by a deficit of $5,539.
Utah
Comfortable wage: $68,816
Median income: $79,133
Utah ranks at No. 29 on this list, for moderately low wages needed to live comfortably, and a median income surplus of $10,317.
Vermont
Comfortable wage: $81,611
Median income: $67,674
Vermont's rank is 43. Vermont also has a high wage needed to live comfortably and a median income that doesn't quite meet it, with a deficit of $13,937.
Virginia
Comfortable wage: $69,192
Median income: $80,615
Virginia ranks at No. 30 on this list. Unlike many of the other more pricey states on the list, the median income here more than covers the wage needed to live comfortably by a healthy $11,423.
Washington
Comfortable wage: $78,822
Median income: $82,400
Washington ranks at No. 41 for a relatively high wage needed to live comfortably. But here, too, the median income is more than the comfortable wage by $3,578.
West Virginia
Comfortable wage: $60,751
Median income: $50,884
West Virginia ranks at No. 13 on this list, with a low wage needed to live comfortably, but also a median income that doesn't meet it by $9,867.
Wisconsin
Comfortable wage: $64,325
Median income: $67,080
Wisconsin ranks at No. 23, with a low wage needed to live comfortably and a median income that is $2,755 more than that wage.
Wyoming
Comfortable wage: $60,547
Median income: $68,002
Wyoming ranks at No. 12 on this list. Not only is the wage to live comfortably low, but the median income more than covers it by $7,455.
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Methodology: GOBankingRates surveyed annual living expenses in all 50 states, using the 2021 Consumer Expenditure Survey (latest available) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The itemized costs of living evaluated were housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare and transportation, collectively termed "necessities." Based on each state's respective cost of living index for each category, sourced from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's 2022 Q3 Cost of Living Data Series, the study calculated the annual cost of each necessity and summed them up to find total annual expenditure on necessities. Using the 50-30-20 budget rule, which allocates 50% of income for necessities, the study doubled the total annual expenditure on necessities in order to determine the "living wage" in each state. "Living wage" is defined as the income required to be able to cover 50% necessities, 30% discretionary/luxury spending and 20% for savings. GOBankingRates also found the median household income of each state from the 2021 American Community Survey and compared the difference between the living wage and median income of each state. All data was collected on and up to date as of December 14, 2022.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much You Need To Live Comfortably in Every State
