Many families with children consider having one parent stay home. Sometimes the decision is driven by lifestyle preferences, but rising child care costs are also pushing more families to rethink whether two incomes always make financial sense.The ability to live on a single income varies widely depending on where a family lives. Housing, taxes and everyday expenses differ significantly from state to state, which can make living on one income easier to manage in some places than others.In lower-cost states, a single salary may be enough to support a parent staying home with a child. In higher cost areas, however, families often need a much larger income to make the same arrangement work.
