Comfortable city living usually requires a six-figure salary
By: Jonathan Delozier | Published: 2025-06-13 22:20:00 | Source: www.housingwire.com
The study, based on the 50/30/20 budgeting rule (50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings), found that the income needed to cover essential and discretionary expenses far exceeds the median household income in most metropolitan areas — especially for homeowners.
Irvine, California, ranked first in the nation for the highest income needed to live comfortably as both a homeowner ($326,645) and renter ($130,943). The Southern California city’s median household income is $129,647 — less than half of what’s required for homeowners to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.
Nine of the top 10 cities where homeowners need the highest incomes are located on the West Coast or in the Pacific region. The lone East Coast entry is Arlington, Virginia.
Besides Irvine, the top 10 includes…