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Once upon a time, Americans flocked to the Sonoran Desert to enjoy a comfortable, sun-drenched and air-conditioned lifestyle at an affordable price. The AC and the heat haven’t gone away, but as Phoenix has become increasingly expensive in the last decade, it’s worth asking: How much money do you need to live the good life in these high times of late-stage American capitalism?
A new study from travel website Upgraded Points endeavored to answer that question — not just for the Phoenix metro area, but for cities across the United States. The analysis used data from the Economic Policy Institute and the U.S. Census Bureau that estimate the annual cost of living and median income.
Obviously, comfort is more of a subjective psychological state than anything else — the richest person might have every material possession they can dream of yet still be uncomfortable. But for the purposes of analysis, “living comfortably” means three things — being able to pay for expenses like housing, food, transportation, health care and child care; having the means to put away 20% of income for savings or debt payments; and using 30% for discretionary spending.
“Across the country, Americans are discovering that ‘living comfortably’ now carries a much higher price tag,” the study noted. “Essentials like rent, groceries, and child care have grown more expensive in nearly every region — and, in some cities, families need to earn well into six figures just to keep up with the basics.”
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As it turns out, being comfortable in Phoenix ain’t all that cheap, according to the study. It found that even single Valley residents need a six-figure salary to qualify.
In the Phoenix metro area — which includes cities like Scottsdale, Mesa and Chandler — a single adult needs to make slightly more than $110,000 to reach the capitalist nirvana of living comfortably. That reflects the city’s status as an increasingly expensive place to live, but it’s still in the middle of the pack nationwide. Out of the 53 largest metro areas in the United States, Phoenix’s required salary for a comfortable financial existence was the 21st-highest. It’s also slightly higher than the national average of nearly $107,000.
Upgraded Points
The statewide figure for single adults to live comfortably in Arizona isn’t far off at more than $104,000.
Most people are not making that much and, by that logic, living in discomfort. The study noted that the median income for a single person in the Phoenix metro area is about $50,000.
For couples and families, the amount of money needed for comfortable living in the Valley is even higher. Here is how much the study found they need to make:
- 2 adults, 0 kids: $139,868
- 2 adults, 1 kid: $194,357
- 2 adults, 2 kids: $234,141
- 2 adults, 3 kids: $286,850
The median family income is far below even the two-adults-and-one-child figure, at just less than $109,000. That means the median family isn’t even making what it takes for a single individual to live comfortably.
Unfortunately for the advancement of progressive values, the study did not estimate how much combined income a throuple of adults without kids would need to live comfortably — but it just might be the most economically viable choice.
The most affordable states were in the Midwest and South. A single adult needs just $83,000 to live comfortably in North Dakota and less than $88,000 in Ohio, Iowa, Arkansas and Indiana. Then again, there is an argument to be made that it’s not possible to live comfortably in any of those places.
That’s, of course, a matter of opinion.
