This Is How Much a Family Needs to Make to Live Comfortably in NY

If it feels like your paycheck isn't stretching nearly as far as it used to, a new study suggests you're definitely not imagining things.

Apparently, simply being able to pay the bills and have a little money left over now requires a six-figure salary in the Empire State.

A new study from SmartAsset looked at the salary a single adult needs to "live comfortably" in every state in 2026. New York didn't just land near the top of the list; We're now the fourth most expensive state in the country for a single adult trying to live comfortably.

You Need More Than $124,000 to Live Comfortably in New York

According to SmartAsset, a single adult in New York needs to earn $124,342 per year before taxes to comfortably afford life in the state.

Only three states require more:

Hawaii: $129,002
Massachusetts: $127,213
California: $126,797
New York: $124,342
New Jersey: $113,776

And we're not talking about living some lavish lifestyle filled with fancy dinners, luxury vacations and a closet full of designer clothes.

What Does "Living Comfortably" Actually Mean?

For the study, SmartAsset used data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator to estimate basic living expenses in each state. Researchers then applied the 50/30/20 rule, which breaks your income down like this:

50% for necessities, including housing, food, utilities and transportation.
30% for wants, which could include entertainment, dining out, hobbies and other nonessential spending.
20% for savings and debt, including retirement and emergency savings.

In other words, $124,342 isn't the salary SmartAsset says you need simply to survive in New York. It's what you'd need to cover your bills while still having room in your budget to enjoy life and put money away for the future.

New York Had One of the Biggest Cost Jumps in America

Here's the part that may explain why things have felt particularly expensive lately. The amount a single New Yorker needs to earn to live comfortably jumped 8.4% in just one year.

That was the second-largest increase in the entire country, trailing only Montana, where the required income climbed 8.6%. By comparison, California increased 6.1%, Massachusetts rose 5.9% and New Jersey increased 4.4%.

Meanwhile, six states actually saw the salary needed to live comfortably decrease from 2025: Tennessee, Maryland, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas.

Must be nice...

A New York Family Needs Nearly $300,000

If you're raising kids, you may want to sit down for this one.

SmartAsset estimates that a family of four with two working adults and two children needs a combined income of $291,533 per year to live comfortably in New York.

That's nearly $300,000 a year. And New York isn't even the most expensive state for families.

Massachusetts topped that list at $329,555, followed by Hawaii at $313,165 and California at $302,682. Neighboring New Jersey came in slightly higher than New York at $295,110.

Even America's "Cheapest" States Aren't Exactly Cheap Anymore

Moving somewhere cheaper could save you some money, but "cheap" is apparently a relative term these days.

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West Virginia had the lowest comfortable salary for a single adult at $81,245 per year.

That means there isn't a single state in America where SmartAsset estimates a single adult can comfortably live on less than $80,000. For families, Mississippi was the least expensive state, but a family of four would still need about $187,533 annually.

So if you've been wondering how everyone else seems to be affording groceries, housing, vacations AND saving money at the same time, maybe we're all wondering the exact same thing.