Times are tough in the US right now. The cost of living keeps rising while the federal minimum wage remains fixed at $7.25, a rate that hasn’t changed since July 2009. Needless to say, it’s not easy to live comfortably, even within one’s means.
Visual Capitalist Shares Map Showing Which States Are Most Expensive for a Family of Four
Recently, Visual Capitalist released a comprehensive map showing what families need to make annually to “live comfortably” in each state in 2026. The metric here is a family of two working adults with two children. The outlet collated this data from SmartAsset, using the 50/30/20 rule: 50% of your income is for essentials like rent and groceries, 30% is for “wants” or, you know, actually living, and 20% is for savings.
Some of these findings might surprise you. Massachusetts is the most costly, with an income of $329,555 per year needed to adhere to that budget rule, surpassing California, which requires $302,682 annually for a family of four. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, Vermont, and Washington are sitting closer to $300,000 than $200,000, while Hawaii is also high on the cost-of-living front at $313,165.
Visual Capitalist
Meanwhile, the states on the lower side are under $200,000, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, and Arkansas. Mississippi boasts the lowest income rate required to live comfortably at $187,533 per year. The gap between the highest and lowest states is $142,022 annually, a pretty wide margin.
What About the Single Folks?
In the same data release (applicable as of February 2026), SmartAsset also analyzed annual income for single people with no children in the US. The top states with the highest cost of living are still Massachusetts, Hawaii, and California, but the gap between each state is much smaller.
Hawaii requires $129,002 annually for a single resident, while Massachusetts is $127,213, and California is $126,797. None of the states in the top 20 fall below $100,000 for one person, but per the map on SmartAsset, 15 states need less than $90,000 a year to live comfortably.
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