Cost of living
How much money do you actually need to live somewhere?
A $100,000 salary means very different things in San Francisco versus Pittsburgh. This page shows real rent, groceries, taxes, and transport for the major U.S. cities plus three kinds of small town, so you can tell whether your career pays enough to live where you want to live.
How to read the numbers
- Bare minimum = the floor. In expensive cities, this means roommates and a tight budget. Almost no savings — one surprise bill and you're in trouble.
- Comfortable = 1-bed alone, save ~10%, still go out. Rent ≤ 30% of gross.
- Modest = 2-bed rental, one car, some childcare. Tight but doable.
- Stable = own a home, two cars, full childcare, 15%+ savings, real vacations.
- Wealthy = nice home, private school option, frequent travel, building real wealth.
Timing note
These figures assume roughly 10 years into your career, in today's dollars. That's when salaries have climbed from entry-level to mid-career, your debt is half-paid or gone, and you're able to choose where to live on what you earn.
Very expensive cities
Expensive cities
Moderate cities
Affordable cities
Small towns & rural
NY · detailed breakdown
New York City
Apartments are small and old. Most singles have roommates well into their 30s. Food and nightlife are world-class. No car needed: the subway is your life.
Salary needed. Click any tier to see the math
Single person
Family of 4 · total household income
Household earners:
Retiring here (4% rule)
Modest retirement
$650/mo
saved for 30 years
Nest egg: $820k
Essentials only, with Social Security covering the rest
Comfortable retirement
$2.3k/mo
saved for 30 years
Nest egg: $2.8M
Going out, some travel, a real buffer
Assumes 7% avg annual return over 30 years, 4% withdrawal rate, and ~$24k/yr in Social Security (the current average retired-worker benefit).
Same pay, very different life
To show how much location changes things: here's what it takes to live comfortably alone in a 1-bedroom in each city.
New York City
Careers that fit New York City
Careers whose pay around 10 years in clears a comfortable single-person budget here ($135k+). Showing 6 of 60.
Sources: Rent figures drawn from Zillow Rental Index, Apartment List 2024-2025 reports, and local MLS data. Grocery, transportation, and utility costs estimated from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey (regional breakouts) and Numbeo. State + local tax estimates adapted from Tax Foundation data for a single earner at approximately $100,000 of income. All figures are rounded; real costs vary by neighborhood and by month. Use these as rough, relative benchmarks, not precise forecasts.