You must earn this much to live comfortably in Maryland, Virginia in 2026: report
MARYLAND - Comfort is expensive! The price of the American dream has officially crossed the $200,000 threshold for a family of four in 40 states, including Maryland and Virginia.
By the numbers:
As rising costs of housing, groceries, and essentials continue to reshape household budgets, a recent study reveals what it takes to cover your needs, pad your savings and still have enough left over to enjoy life in 2026.
Maryland is one of six states where a single adult needs less income in 2026 than in 2025. However, the state still ranks 10th highest in the U.S. with an income requirement of $107,910 for single adults and $257,837 for a family of four.
Virginia isn't far behind in 12th place: $106, 995 salary needed for single adults and $242, 944 for a family of four.
Big picture view:
The most expensive states to live in comfortably are Massachusetts and Hawaii. The income requirement for a family of four in Massachusetts is $329,555 and $129,002 for a single adult in Hawaii.
Mississippi and West Virginia are the least expensive states to live in comfortably. A family of four needs a salary of $187,533 in Mississippi, while a single adult must make $81,245 in West Virginia.
Dig deeper:
To determine the comfortable living wage for each state, the study based estimates on the baseline living wage for each state and adjusted it to reflect a comfortable lifestyle using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule.
This rule divides income into three categories: 50% for basic needs like housing and utilities, 30% for discretionary wants and 20% for savings, investments, and emergency funds. The resulting numbers reflect the total annual, pre-tax salary a worker needs to live comfortably in every state.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from SmartAsset.