United States – November 03, 2026 -- A single adult now needs at least $80,000 a year to live comfortably in every US state, and the threshold tops $100,000 in nearly half of them, according to a new SmartAsset analysis. For a family of four, the required income reaches as high as $329,000.
The estimate builds on MIT living wage data and the 50/30/20 rule
SmartAsset started with the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which shows what a full-time worker must earn to cover minimum basic needs. It then adjusted each figure with the 50/30/20 budgeting rule: 50% of income for necessities such as housing and utilities, 30% for discretionary spending and 20% for savings. The result is the annual pre-tax income needed to live comfortably in each state.
MIT last updated its data in February 2026. SmartAsset also used 2025 figures to calculate year-over-year changes. The calculations cover a single adult with no children and a household with two working adults and two children.
Families in 40 states need at least $200,000
Forty states require $200,000 or more for a family of four with two working adults. Massachusetts is the most expensive, at $329,555. Mississippi is the cheapest, at $187,533.
For single adults, Hawai‘i is the priciest state at $129,002. West Virginia is the least expensive at $81,245.
Montana's requirement jumped 8.6% in a year
Montana posted the biggest increase for single adults, with the needed income rising 8.6% since 2025 to $100,797. New York followed at 8.4% ($124,342), then Maine at 6.5% ($102,918). California rose 6.1% to $126,797, and Massachusetts rose 5.9% to $127,213.
Six states saw the needed income fall
The income a single adult needs declined in six states between 2025 and 2026:
- Tennessee: -1.7% (now $89,898)
- Maryland: -0.9% ($107,910)
- Louisiana: -0.7% ($84,739)
- North Carolina: -0.3% ($93,475)
- Mississippi: -0.3% ($86,070)
- Texas: -0.2% ($90,563)
The source data providers are not affiliated with the study and do not endorse or sponsor it.