252 sats \ 4 replies \ @kepford 23 May \ on: The Income a Family Needs to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State econ
Calling BS. These numbers are stupid high.
I'll say this. Cost of living varies greatly as does income depending on where you live in most states so breaking down by state can really skew things like this.
Another point. A few years ago I dove head first into trying to compare MY cost of living in various places in the US. What I learned is that most of these sites that provide comparisons are off in key areas. There are far to many factors. Which city or county you live in, your income, and fees/taxes that these sites seem to overlook.
Don't trust, verify. The data is out there. If you really want to know you need to do your own homework. Things like electricity tariffs, different fees for car licenses, auto insurance rates, gas prices, availability of natural gas, property taxes vs property prices. Make a spreadsheet and start getting your hands dirty.
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Just to confirm my understanding, you're saying that an average annual income of $135k is enough to live in California with a wife and two kids on a 50/30/20 budget? I agree that the term "comfortable" is subjective, but are the numbers that different from your perception?
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I mean I'd argue the numbers are off in other states too. I know plenty of people that live very well in some of the other states. I just think articles like these get attention. Don't get me wrong, it is getting harder to survive but I don't think inflating stats is the answer.
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Depending on WHERE in the state and other factors like how large your home is... yes. Unless I'm missing something with the budget. It would be tight with that budget but It would be closer to 130 than 277. The problem is that most people in California live in SoCal or SF area and those areas for sure are in that range.
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