Georgia’s Comfort Income: $100K Falls Short for a Single Adult

SmartAsset released a 2026 report that ranks Georgia as the 21st most expensive state for a single adult to live comfortably. According to the analysis, a lone resident needs roughly $100,714 each year to meet basic needs while following a common budgeting split. This figure marks a slight rise of 1.1% compared to the previous year, pushing the threshold above the $100,000 mark. The study places Georgia in the middle of the 50 states when it comes to required income.

Other states show a wide spread in what a single adult must earn. Hawaii tops the list, demanding about $129,002 annually. Massachusetts follows close behind with $127,213, while California sits at $126,797. New York needs $124,342, and New Jersey $113,776. At the opposite end, West Virginia requires only $81,245. Louisiana, Kentucky, and Arkansas need $84,739, $84,074, and $83,242 respectively.

For households with two working adults and two children, the numbers climb sharply. In Georgia, a family of four is estimated to need $214,573 per year to live comfortably. Massachusetts leads the nation in this category, with a required $329,555. The gap highlights how family size dramatically changes the income needed to meet everyday costs.

The study builds its figures on data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, last updated in February 2026. Researchers first calculated the cost of basic necessities for two household types: a single adult and a family with two earners and two kids. They then applied the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, allocating half of income to needs, a third to wants, and the remaining 20% to savings and debt. By treating the living‑wage estimate as the 50% needs portion, SmartAsset derived the “comfortable” income thresholds. The final numbers are therefore an approximation based on a specific budgeting approach, not a definitive requirement for every household.