A family of 4 needs over $300,000 a year to live comfortably in this state—it's not Hawaii or California
Many American families are increasingly struggling to keep up with the cost of living in most of the 50 U.S. states.
The U.S. median household income rose between 2022 and 2023 to just over $80,000 a year, according to the most recent Census Bureau data. But a family of four needs at least $186,618 a year to live comfortably in Mississippi in 2025, the country's most affordable state, found a SmartAsset study that published on June 4.
"Living comfortably" means having enough income to dedicate 50% to necessary costs, 30% to discretionary wants and 20% to debt payments and saving, also known as following the 50/30/20 budget, according to the study.
In Massachusetts, the most expensive state in the U.S., a family of four needs more than $300,000 per year to meet that threshold. Costs of living grew by over 4% in that state from 2024, slightly more than the national average of 3.87%, SmartAsset's analysis found.
Boston has the highest cost of raising a child in the country, a separate SmartAsset study recently found, and much of that total cost comes from child care. Raising a child in Boston costs an estimated $39,221 per year, including $23,800 just for child care, according to SmartAsset.
Having children typically gives families other added costs, too: food, supplies and, in some instances, increased housing costs.
The cost of living for families in other states may not be quite as high as in Massachusetts, but three states — Vermont, New Jersey and Montana — are on track to rapidly catch up, with double-digit growth rates from 2024, found SmartAsset's report.
On the flip side, overall costs of living actually shrank from 2024 in six states, the report said: Hawaii, New York, Georgia, Delaware, Michigan and Iowa.
SmartAsset used the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living wage calculator to estimate the annual cost of essentials in each state. MIT calculates family living costs for two working adults and two children and includes essentials like housing and food for all those family members as well as child care.
Here's the income it takes for families of four to live comfortably in all 50 states in 2025, according to the study:
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