Money tight? No wonder. Study shows six-figure salary needed to live comfortably in WA

KENNEWICK – Washington singles are saddled with the fifth-highest salary needs in the nation, according to a new study.

The 2025 study from financial technology company SmartAsset puts a six-figure total on the pre-tax annual income required for individual Washingtonians to live comfortably: $109,658.

Hawaii, Massachusetts, California and New York are the only places that rank higher than the Evergreen State.

For a four-person family in Washington, SmartAsset suggests an income of $277,888. The state ranks seventh in that regard, behind Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut, California, Vermont and New Jersey.

The change in that salary threshold has risen in the past year by nearly 3% for single Washington adults and almost 8% for families.

Researchers explained that families and individuals need increasingly higher incomes to sustain a long-term comfortable lifestyle amid ever-climbing costs. On top of necessities – like housing, transportation and groceries – living comfortably means being able to cover the price of hobbies, retirement savings, vacations and the odd emergency.

SmartAsset looked at data last updated in February from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which chronicles the cost of needs. The 50/30/20 budgeting rule was then applied to the information gleaned about each of the 50 U.S. states to project a total wage.

That rule refers to a suggested budget formula: One should strive to allocate 50% of their income to cover needs, while 30% should be reserved for wants and 20% for debt payments or savings.

“Given this definition, an individual in any given U.S. state needs about $5,844 more earnings than last year to have a comfortable, sustainable budget, while working families of four need an additional $9,360,” SmartAsset officials wrote.

In another recent study by Child Care Aware of America, Washington ranked as having the fifth-highest child-care costs in the United States last year.

Why does it cost so much?

Housing is a major factor in the state’s relatively high cost of living, as noted by FOX 13.

Washington officials in this year’s legislative session sought to mitigate the problem by passing a slew of housing-related bills.

RentCafe, the apartment-search service, pegs Washington’s cost of living at 34% higher than the national average. Housing expenses are 53% higher than the U.S. average, according to that website.

While monthly utilities in Washington ring in 4% lower compared with the national average, per RentCafe, other areas remained higher, including food (8%), health care (13%) and transportation (24%).