A new study reveals the salary needed to live “comfortably” in all 50 states in 2026. According to the data, whether you are single or have a family of four, Hawaii and Massachusetts are the states in which that is most difficult.
A single adult now needs to earn at least $80,000 annually to live comfortably in every state, with the threshold exceeding $100,000 in more than half of them, according to the report. Meanwhile, a family of four may require up to $329,000 in income to live comfortably.
To come up with these numbers, researchers at SmartAsset used the 50/30/20 budgeting guideline to adjust the living wage in each state to determine what a full-time employee needs to make in order to meet their basic needs. Under the guideline, 20% of income is set aside for emergencies and retirement, 30% for discretionary spending, and 50% for basics like housing and utilities. The resulting estimate represents the yearly pre-tax income required to live comfortably in each state.
The salaries needed to live comfortably in each state
They learned that Massachusetts is the most expensive state for a family of four, with an income requirement of $329,555. Hawaii is the most expensive state for single adults, with an income requirement of $129,002. Massachusetts came in second for singles at $127,313, while Hawaii ranked second-highest for a family of four at $313,165.
California ranked third for a single adult at $126,797, followed by New York at $124,342 and New Jersey at $113,776. They were followed in the top 10 by Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, Colorado, and Maryland.
For a family of four, California again ranked third ($302,682), followed by Connecticut ($298,189), and New Jersey ($295,110). The rest of the top 10 most expensive were New York, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Vermont.
On the flip side, Mississippi is the least costly state for a family of four, with an income requirement of $187,533. At $81,245, West Virginia is the least costly state for single individuals.
Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, South Dakota, West Virginia, Texas, and Iowa followed Mississippi on the list of least costly states for a family of four. While, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Alabama followed West Virginia as the least costly states for single people.