Because they’re calculating this by state, most states are probably pretty understated for anyone living in a city. I know they’re pretty damn low for my state.
The data really should be split by urban and rural or even just smaller cities. I’ve lived in both Central New York (Syracuse) and NYC. We were not surviving and almost lost everything living on half of what the article suggested in one of the cheapest parts of NYC. We are rebuilding now, making only a touch more in CNY. We may even be able to afford a house in a couple years still making much less than 70k.
These numbers feel so high to me. I guess my definition of “get by” is different than theirs.
I’m in Austin, TX.
My wife and I pull in about $85k a year, give or take.
We both had to withdraw all of our (admittedly limited) savings (about $4k) and use about every dime of our paychecks to move a couple of weeks ago. The movers cost us $500. First month’s rent plus another for a deposit (bad credit - bankruptcy due to a failed business) was $2,600. Then we still had to pay our old apartment about $1,100 for the last month of rent. Oh, and the $250 deposit for the movers. Also the fact that we couldn’t really cook in the last week because we needed the kitchen in the old place clean.
But I’m saving $25/month on our internet because I’m poor, so I’ve got that going for me. And the new place is 33 sq. ft. bigger and has a garage for the same price as the old place.
Depends on if you have crushing debt or not.
I did some napkin math a while ago for living okay and it came out to about their numbers. I assumed minimal debt, though, and pretty thin margins.
