money wise
This is how much money you need to live comfortably in Houston, new study finds
Inflation is high, interest rates are skyrocketing, and honestly, just existing is expensive. Whether it be the price of eggs or a new car, trying to have a financially stable life in one of America’s largest metropolitan areas is becoming more and more difficult.
So, how much money do you need to make to live comfortably in the greater Houston area? Approximately $62,260 a year post-tax, according to a new study by financial tech company SmartAsset.
That’s over an $11,000-plus increase from their previous annual report, where Houston residents only needed to make $51,148 a year post-tax to live comfortably in the area.
Their experts collected data from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator to determine the cost of living for a childless individual in the 25 largest American metro areas. They also used the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy to figure out what a “comfortable lifestyle” meant for the purpose of their study: 50 percent of their income goes to a person’s needs/living expenses, 30 percent to a person’s wants, and 20 percent for their savings or paying down debt.
To live a financially stable life, a childless Houstonian would need to spend $31,130 of their salary on their living expenses, $18,678 for discretionary expenses, and put $12,452 toward their savings or debt payments.
Susannah Snider, SmartAsset’s managing editor of financial education, says in the study that budgeting should be the “bedrock of many people’s financial plans.”
“And it’s especially essential to understand and track your spending when the cost of everyday items is rising,” said Snider. “Being able to stick to a 50/30/20 budget means you have enough to fund short- and long-term goals while paying for essential living expenses.”
To live comfortably in the largest metro areas in the United States, on average, an individual would need to make $68,499 a year after taxes, which is a 20 percent increase from 2022. And, according to the report, salaries aren't rising like inflation.
"While salaries increased 5.1 percent between December 2021 and December 2022, wage growth couldn’t keep up with inflation, which averaged 8 percent in 2022," per SmartAsset.
In other Texas metro areas, like Dallas and San Antonio, a person would need to make $64,742 and $59,270, respectively, a year post-tax.
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This article originally ran on CultureMap.
The Baylor campus is next to Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park, a 37-acre project. Rendering courtesy of BCM
The Cullen Foundation donated $30 million to the project. Rendering courtesy of BCM