Here’s how much a single adult needs to make to ‘live comfortably’ in Las Vegas
Being a single adult in the majority of large cities in the United States is costly, according to a new study.
Website SmartAsset analyzed the pre-tax salary needed to “live comfortably” in 99 U.S. cities. Based on their findings, on average, an individual needs to make $96,500 “for sustainable comfort” in any major city in the United States.
SmartAsset said that it utilized the 50/30/20 budget to determine comfort, which follows the idea that “50% of your salary should be allocated to your needs, such as housing, groceries and transportation; 30% toward wants like entertainment and hobbies; and 20% toward paying off debt, saving or investing.”
The report found that in order to “live in sustainable comfort” in Las Vegas, a single adult would need to make $94,432 annually or $45.40 per hour.
For two working adults with two children in Las Vegas, SmartAsset said the pair would need to make a combined $239,366 annually in order to live comfortably.
Separately, a report from Zillow recently determined that Las Vegas households now need to make at least $69,810 annually to be able to afford rent in the valley, which is above the median household income.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that as of 2022 the median annual income for a household in the Las Vegas Valley was $66,356.
According to the report, the ten cities with the highest salaries needed to “live comfortably” were:
1) New York City, New York: $138,570
2) San Jose, California: $136,739
3) Irvine, California: $126,797
4) Santa Ana, California: $126,797
5) Boston, Massachusetts: $124,966
6) San Diego, California: $122,803
7) Chula Vista, California: $122,803
8) San Francisco, California: $119,558
9) Seattle, Washington: $119,392
10) Oakland, California: $118,768
On the contrary, the ten cities with the lowest salaries needed to “live comfortably” were:
1) Houston, Texas: $75,088
2) El Paso, Texas: $75,254
3) Lubbock, Texas: $75,379
4) Toledo, Ohio: $77,501
5) Laredo, Texas: $78,458
6) Milwaukee, Wisconsin: $79,664
7) Lexington, Kentucky: $79,997
8) Tulsa, Oklahoma: $81,078
9) Wichita, Kansas: $81,203
10) Cleveland, Ohio: $81,786
According to SmartAsset, the website used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to gather data on the basic cost of living for an individual with no children and for two working adults with two children. Data includes cost of necessities including housing, food, transportation and income taxes, the report said.
