NYC Singles Need to Earn Over $138K a Year to Afford Cost of Living, Highest in the US

A single person in NYC needs to make $138,570 a year to cover expenses based on a 50-30-20 budget. This is the highest amount out of 25 major US cities.

A single person in NYC would need $70,000 in wages just to cover necessities like housing and bills.

Other expensive cities for singles include San Jose, Irvine, and several cities in California. High housing costs are a major factor.

Half of New Yorkers plan to leave the city within 5 years due to high inflation making daily expenses unaffordable.

The average person in a major US city needs to make $96,500 a year for comfortable single living. Financial experts recommend not spending more than 30% of income on housing.