ATLANTA, Ga. — Living comfortably in Georgia in 2024 requires a salary of nearly $100,000, according to a new study.
Smart Asset ranked all 50 states by the highest annual salary needed for a single adult to live in comfort. The company used the 50/30/20 rule, which recommends spending 50% of your budget on basic needs like food and housing, 30% on wants and 20% toward savings or paying off debt.
They then compared that to cost of living in each state based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator.
For a single, working adult, the study determined that you need to make $96,886 in Georgia to live comfortably. Two working adults raising two children will have to make $212,826 to live comfortably.
Overall, Georgia came in 15th on the list for the highest salary needed to live comfortably. Massachusetts, Hawaii and California made up the top three.
If you want to live the most comfortably, you might have to take up farming. Iowa was ranked the least expensive state to live based on your income.