PHOENIX — A single adult in Arizona needs to earn $101,795 a year to live comfortably, according to a new SmartAsset study distributed by Stacker and published by Arizona’s Family.
That figure is up 0.2% from last year, one of the smallest increases in the country. Arizona ranked 44th for year-over-year change.
SmartAsset found a single adult now needs at least $80,000 to live comfortably in every state, and more than $100,000 in nearly half of them. A family of four with two working adults needs more than $200,000 in 40 states.
Hawaii is the most expensive state for a single adult at $129,002, while West Virginia is the least expensive at $81,245. For families, Massachusetts tops the list at $329,555 and Mississippi is lowest at $187,533. Montana saw the biggest jump, up 8.6%.
The study used MIT Living Wage Calculator data, updated in February 2026, and applied the 50/30/20 budget rule: 50% of income for necessities, 30% for discretionary spending and 20% for savings.
Under that method, the MIT living wage is treated as the amount needed for necessities alone, so the comfortable salary is roughly double it.
Sources: Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Sysman / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
