Living comfortably might mean pulling your covers up to your chin and watching nine hours of Veep…for some. The more popular definition, though, is feeling financially stable and secure.
But as the cost of living in the U.S. increased to a 40-year-high in 2022, living comfortably became harder to do. While inflation has started to cool down some this year, simply existing still seems to cost a pretty penny. A recent report from SmartAsset found that you’ll need to earn an average $68,499 post-taxes to live comfortably in America's 25 biggest metro areas. That's a 20% increase from a year ago, when you needed just $57,013 after taxes.
