Salary Needed To Live Comfortably in Major U.S. Cities

[StarSong]

These kinds of studies work well as comparisons from region to region. Their values as absolutes within a region are iffy at best.

On average, is it more expensive to live in Manhattan than San Antonio? Almost certainly. Twice as expensive? Perhaps so.

Suggesting that the minimum salary for a single adult to live comfortably in Manhattan is $159K and San Antonio is $83K, however, are extrapolations that fail to take into account all manner of variables.

 

[MarciKS]

I earn a little over $16 an hour here in Kansas. I need $20 an hr or more to be comfortable. I am concerned about the future. We get a lousy 30 cent raise every year. Not helpful when everything is skyrocketing price wise. I get around $35K a year.

 

[MarkD]

if you have to ask the salary question in California or NYC, you can't afford to live there "comfortably ", but you can live there "frugally ".

Agreed. We can afford to live where we do because we bought in so long ago and don't have extravagant tastes. I prefer the simple joys in life and absolutely hate air travel. At 73 I find an hour or sometimes two is the longest I can endure sitting in the car to drive, but we still get down to San Jose and Santa Cruz and up into Marin and rarely to Mendocino. Seems fitting to slow down. Won't be long and we'll all become inert anyway.

 

[Muskrat]

I do not know much...but i know that living uncomfortable early and saving and investing gives you a fighting chance of living comfortable later. No savings (regardless of your income) and that will never happen.

 

[Oldeagle66]

I really find these hard to believe since everyone I know is doing okay with way less. Around 40 to 50k and less.

 

[OldOld]

Agreed. We can afford to live where we do because we bought in so long ago and don't have extravagant tastes. I prefer the simple joys in life and absolutely hate air travel. At 73 I find an hour or sometimes two is the longest I can endure sitting in the car to drive, but we still get down to San Jose and Santa Cruz and up into Marin and rarely to Mendocino. Seems fitting to slow down. Won't be long and we'll all become inert anyway.

ok, you bought in so long ago. Now, there is someone patiently waiting for the inheritance.

 

[MarkD]

N

ok, you bought in so long ago. Now, there is someone patiently waiting for the inheritance.

My ten years younger brother is not as well off in spite of working and investing all his life. If either he or my stepson or both need it we will let them park a trailer our side garden. My stepson should be able to provide better for himself but he lost what should have been a lifetime engineering job during all that tariff madness. My brother hopes to retire in a couple more years but his crazy ex is a worry. My wife on the other hand is even better off than me. I had been worried if I’d be able to compete until Mr Biden signed the Fairness in Social Security Act in 25.

The end is coming and there is much I won’t miss at all though of course much else I’ll be sorry to lose. That is life.

 

[Gark]

Thank you for posting that eye-opening web page. I'm flummoxed that in my entire working career I never hauled in anything equal to even the lowest cities listed there. Yet, here we are, doing just fine after 10 years retired. What is your, their, anyone's definition of 'comfortable'?

 

[MarkD]

Thank you for posting that eye-opening web page. I'm flummoxed that in my entire working career I never hauled in anything equal to even the lowest cities listed there. Yet, here we are, doing just fine after 10 years retired.

Depending on what you value and enjoy doing life doesn’t require a keeping-up-with-the-Jones salary. I have no budget for being seen a certain way and no longer have any desire to travel. My biggest splurge is on plants for my garden. Luba ray books and walking my dog is free. That leaves food. Simple id better.

 

[Gark]

I want to 'Like' your response many times, but, alas, the program only allows once.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

Thank you for posting that eye-opening web page. I'm flummoxed that in my entire working career I never hauled in anything equal to even the lowest cities listed there. Yet, here we are, doing just fine after 10 years retired. What is your, their, anyone's definition of 'comfortable'?

You're welcome of course Gark. Like you, I didn't make anything near the numbers for the New Jersey cities listed. My final salary in 1997 was $45,000 and I worked a 35 hour week. I only worked for one month in 1998 before retiring. I was pushing 51, so obviously had to wait several years to collect social security. Still I managed to continue saving and investing. If I had stayed a supervisor, I probably would have been making at least $80,000 after a few years. But I hated that job immensely, so took a demotion and went back to helping our patients and doing field work on solo assignment, which I loved. Funny...I got a raise at the same time I took the demotion, so my paycheck was only $15 less every two weeks.

I imagine everyone's definition of comfortable is different. Mine is being able to pay household expenses and other bills without stressing, always having enough food and toilet paper in the house , being able to take vacations whenever I want and buy whatever I want, all while knowing that I have a healthy nest egg as my security blanket.