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What does it cost for singles to live in Georgia? SmartAsset has bad news

Portrait of Miguel Legoas Miguel Legoas
Savannah Morning News

For any Georgia bachelors and bachelorettes, you may want to start a family or find a new place to live.

SmartAsset released a study on June 4 detailing salaries needed to live comfortably in each state. Georgia was on the lower end. Here's what we know:

What does it cost to live in Georgia?

The study said Georgia single adults need to make $99,590, ranking it among the 20 most expensive states, specifically No. 17 on the list. However, it's among the 20 cheapest places to live for four-person families with a needed income of $210,829 ranking No. 18 on the list.

To calculate its rankings, SmartAsset used MIT's Living Wage Calculator data which includes cost of necessities covering housing, food, transportation, income taxes, and other miscellaneous items. Applying these costs to the 50/30/20 budget for states, MIT’s living wage is assumed to cover needs (i.e. 50% of one’s budget). From there the total wage was extrapolated for individuals and families to spend 30% of the total on wants and 20% on savings or debt payments.

How many singles live in Georgia?

According to the Census, as of 2023, the number of married (not separated) residents makes up 49% of men and 44.6% of women. Everyone else is single and never been married, widowed, divorced, or separated.

What is the most expensive place to live for singles?

Here are SmartAsset's top 10 most expensive places for singles to live in the U.S. from highest to lowest income needed:

  1. Hawaii: $124,467
  2. Massachusetts: $120,141
  3. California: $119,475
  4. New York: $114,691
  5. Washington: $109,658
  6. New Jersey: $108,992
  7. Maryland: $108,867
  8. Virginia: $106,704
  9. Colorado: $105,955
  10. Connecticut: $105,165

What is the cheapest place to live for singles?

Here are SmartAsset's top 10 cheapest places for singles to live in the U.S. from lowest to highest income needed:

  1. West Virginia: $80,829
  2. Arkansas: $81,078
  3. South Dakota: $82,160.00
  4. North Dakota: $82,285
  5. Kentucky: $83,574
  6. Oklahoma: $84,282
  7. Ohio: $84,282
  8. Alabama: $85,280
  9. Louisiana: $85,322
  10. Mississippi: $86,320

Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email atmlegoas@gannett.com.