What is the average cost of living in the US in 2026?

The average single person needs $65,000-$75,000 per year to live comfortably in the US. This varies dramatically by location: $50,000 in low-cost states to $100,000+ in expensive cities like San Francisco or New York.

What are the biggest expenses in cost of living?

Housing is the largest expense (30-40% of budget), followed by transportation (15-20%), food (10-15%), healthcare (8-10%), and utilities (5-8%). Location dramatically affects housing costs.

Average Cost of Living in the US in 2026 (By State)

The average cost of living is $65,000-$75,000/year for a single person in the US. Costs range dramatically from $45,000 in affordable states to $100,000+ in expensive metros.

For the full framework and comparison workflow, use the Cost of Living hub.

Average Annual Expenses (Single Person)

Category	Monthly	Annual	% of Budget
Housing	$1,800	$21,600	33%
Transportation	$850	$10,200	15%
Food	$650	$7,800	12%
Healthcare	$450	$5,400	8%
Utilities	$350	$4,200	6%
Personal/misc	$350	$4,200	6%
Entertainment	$250	$3,000	5%
Clothing	$150	$1,800	3%
Education	$150	$1,800	3%
Savings	$600	$7,200	11%
Total	$5,600	$67,200	100%

Cost of Living by State

State	Cost of Living Index	Annual Need (Single)
Hawaii	193	$100,000+
California	142	$85,000
Massachusetts	135	$82,000
New York	130	$80,000
Oregon	115	$72,000
Colorado	112	$70,000
Washington	110	$69,000
Maryland	108	$68,000
US Average	100	$65,000
Florida	98	$64,000
Illinois	93	$60,000
Texas	92	$59,000
Arizona	95	$61,000
North Carolina	90	$58,000
Georgia	88	$57,000
Tennessee	86	$55,000
Ohio	85	$54,000
Indiana	84	$53,000
Kansas	82	$52,000
Arkansas	78	$49,000
Mississippi	77	$48,000
Oklahoma	79	$50,000

Index: 100 = US average.

Major Metro Area Costs

City	Annual Need (Single)	vs. National Avg
San Francisco	$120,000	+85%
New York City	$110,000	+69%
Boston	$95,000	+46%
Los Angeles	$90,000	+38%
Seattle	$88,000	+35%
Washington DC	$85,000	+31%
San Diego	$82,000	+26%
Denver	$75,000	+15%
Austin	$72,000	+11%
Portland	$70,000	+8%
Chicago	$68,000	+5%
Phoenix	$62,000	-5%
Dallas	$60,000	-8%
Atlanta	$58,000	-11%
Houston	$56,000	-14%
Detroit	$52,000	-20%
Cleveland	$50,000	-23%

Family Cost of Living

Family Size	National Average (Annual)
Single adult	$65,000
Couple, no kids	$95,000
Family of 3	$115,000
Family of 4	$130,000
Family of 5	$145,000

Housing Costs by City

Rent (1-Bedroom Apartment)

City	Monthly Rent	Annual
San Francisco	$3,500	$42,000
New York City	$3,400	$40,800
Boston	$3,000	$36,000
Los Angeles	$2,500	$30,000
Seattle	$2,300	$27,600
Washington DC	$2,200	$26,400
Denver	$1,900	$22,800
Austin	$1,800	$21,600
Chicago	$1,700	$20,400
Phoenix	$1,500	$18,000
Dallas	$1,400	$16,800
Atlanta	$1,600	$19,200
Houston	$1,300	$15,600
Cleveland	$1,100	$13,200

Food Costs

Category	Monthly (Single)	Annual
Groceries	$400	$4,800
Dining out	$250	$3,000
Total	$650	$7,800

Regional Food Cost Index

Region	Cost Index
Northeast	108
West	106
Midwest	95
South	96

Transportation Costs

Expense	Monthly	Annual
Car payment	$350	$4,200
Gas	$180	$2,160
Insurance	$150	$1,800
Maintenance	$100	$1,200
Registration/fees	$70	$840
Total (car owner)	$850	$10,200

No-Car Urban Budget

Expense	Monthly	Annual
Transit pass	$100	$1,200
Rideshare/taxi	$150	$1,800
Total	$250	$3,000

Urban dwellers without cars save $7,000+/year.

Healthcare Costs

Category	Monthly	Annual
Insurance premium	$300	$3,600
Deductibles/copays	$100	$1,200
Dental/vision	$50	$600
Total	$450	$5,400

Utility Costs by Region

Region	Average Monthly Utilities
South (high AC)	$400
Northeast (high heat)	$350
West	$280
Midwest	$320
US Average	$350

Utilities include electricity, gas, water, internet, and phone.

Taxes Impact on Cost of Living

State	State Income Tax	Sales Tax	Overall Tax Burden
California	1-13.3%	7.25%	Very high
New York	4-10.9%	8%	Very high
Texas	None	8.25%	Low-moderate
Florida	None	6%	Low
Tennessee	None	9.75%	Moderate
Oregon	4.75-9.9%	None	Moderate
Washington	None	10.25%	Moderate

Living Wage by State

What a single adult needs to cover basic expenses:

State	Living Wage	Typical Minimum Wage
Hawaii	$27/hour	$14
California	$24/hour	$16
Massachusetts	$23/hour	$15
New York	$22/hour	$15
US Average	$19/hour	$7.25 (federal)
Texas	$17/hour	$7.25
Mississippi	$15/hour	$7.25

Budget Categories by Income Level

$50,000 Income (Tight Budget)

Category	Monthly	%
Housing	$1,250	30%
Transportation	$500	12%
Food	$400	10%
Savings	$400	10%
All other	$1,600	38%

$100,000 Income (Comfortable)

Category	Monthly	%
Housing	$2,500	30%
Transportation	$800	10%
Food	$700	8%
Savings	$1,500	18%
All other	$2,800	34%

Tips to Reduce Cost of Living

Strategy	Potential Savings
Move to lower-cost area	$10,000-$30,000/year
Live without a car	$7,000-$10,000/year
Get roommate	$6,000-$12,000/year
Cook at home	$2,000-$4,000/year
Use public transit	$5,000-$8,000/year
Remote work (lower COL area)	$10,000-$40,000/year

Bottom Line

Metric	Amount
US average (single)	$65,000/year
Low-cost state	$48,000-$55,000/year
High-cost state	$80,000-$100,000/year
Expensive city	$100,000-$120,000/year
Family of 4 (average)	$130,000/year

The biggest factors:

Housing — Where you live determines 30-40% of costs
Transportation — Cars cost $10,000/year; going carless saves significantly
Geographic arbitrage — Same salary goes 2× further in low-cost vs. high-cost areas
Family size — Each additional person adds $15,000-$25,000/year

Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.

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