Here's What You Need To Earn To ‘Live Comfortably’ In MI: Study

A new study shows how much money Michiganders need to make to live comfortably as essential costs continue rising.

SmartAsset analyzed the living wage in each state using the 50/30/20 rule to determine what a full-time worker must earn to cover minimum basic needs, such as housing, groceries and transportation.

Subscribe

The financial technology company found that only about half of your income can be used to pay for necessities, while the rest should be split: 30 percent for your "wants" and the rest for saving, debt or investing.

Using this rule with the MIT Living Wage Calculator, SmartAsset found that the average Michigan household with two children would need to bring in $214,323 to live comfortably.

For the average single Michigan adult with no children, the study found they would need to earn a salary of $91,811 to live comfortably.

Moreover, that year-over-year change was 5.2 percent, giving Michigan the eighth-highest increase in the nation since 2025.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows year-over-year increases of 6.4 percent for food, 5 percent for housing and 7.7 percent for transportation across metro Detroit. The June numbers are the latest available data from the bureau.

A new University of Michigan Poverty Solutions Program study shows that nearly 40 percent of Michiganders are struggling to afford basic needs.

Additionally, that university study found roughly 13 percent live below the poverty line. It also notes that more than 26 percent of working Michiganders above the poverty line cannot afford the local cost of living.

Overall, the study found that households with two working adults and two children need at least $200,000 a year to live comfortably in 40 states.

The most expensive state for a family of four is Massachusetts, requiring an income of $329,555. Mississippi is the cheapest with an income requirement of $187,533.

Hawaii is the most expensive state for single adults, who need to earn $129,002. That number falls to $81,245 for single adults in West Virginia, which is the least expensive state for single adults.

Montana and New York both saw a year-over-year increase greater than 8 percent, the highest in the nation.

Only Tennessee, Maryland, Louisiana, North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas saw the income needed to live comfortably decline from 2025.