This is how much singles need to live comfortably in California (2024)

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This is how much singles need to live comfortably in California? ›

But just how much does a single person in California need to make to live comfortably? A new study from Smart Asset determined that a person must make at least $ 89,190 to get by comfortably.

While California ranks third-most expensive for a single adult to live comfortably at $113,652, it only ranks fifth-most expensive for two working adults raising two children. The total family income should be at least $276,724 in the latter case.

According to 2021 research from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, California's average cost of living is $53,082 annually (rising above $ 70,000 for heavily populated areas like Los Angeles).

An individual needs $96,500, on average, to live comfortably in a major U.S. city. That figure is even higher for families, who need to earn an average combined income of about $235,000 to support two adults and two children.

Economic Class as Defined by Income in California

By Pew's standard, a California household has to earn between $61,270 and $183,810 to join the state's middle class. Those earning $61,269 or less are lower-middle class and $183,811 or more buys you a ticket to the upper-middle class.

But just how much does a single person in California need to make to live comfortably? A new study from Smart Asset determined that a person must make at least $ 89,190 to get by comfortably.

A single person needs upwards of $80,000 a year to live comfortably in California, survey data shows.

The following data are the most current income statistics for California from the US Census Bureau, are in 2022 inflation adjusted dollars and are from the American Community Survey 2022 5-year estimates. Median Household Income: $91,905. Average Household Income: $130,718. Per Capita Income: $45,591.

The average household in California spends approximately $297 a week on grocery shopping, according to the data released in November. That is almost $30 more than the reported national average. Here's how much California spends based on household size: One person - $176.81.

What is a realistic living budget for a single person? ›

A single person household spends an average of $4,337 on monthly expenses. Married couples without kids spend an average of $7,111 on monthly expenses. A family of four spends an average of $7,875–9,168 on monthly expenses (depending on kids' ages).

SmartAsset says a single working adult must earn at least $114,000, or about $55 an hour, to support themselves in the Golden State. When it comes to a basic “living wage,” MIT says a single adult in California needs to earn $27.32 per hour or $56,800 per year.

The average monthly expenses for a single person will depend quite a bit on where you live, and if you're living alone for the first time, you might be surprised that most things cost more, not just your rent. The national average expenses for a single person living alone are around $3,500 per month.

Upper-middle class: $94,001 – $153,000. Upper class: greater than $153,000.

The data used in the study analyzed the cost of living in each city as of 2022. For California cities like Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Diego, a single person must make more than $76,000 to “live comfortably,” the data shows.

As of Jul 23, 2024, the average hourly pay for an An Hour in California is $18.55 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $35.11 and as low as $5.22, the majority of An Hour salaries currently range between $15.91 (25th percentile) to $21.59 (75th percentile) in California.

California's minimum is high enough to ensure that full-time workers earn more than the federal poverty threshold. The state's expensive cost of living, however, means a minimum wage income might not be enough to make ends meet.