The 15 Most Expensive U.S. States for Single Living (this is a shocker!!)

To live alone in Massachusetts, you need nearly $60,000 annually, making it the most expensive state for single-person households in the U.S., according to a recent SmartAsset analysis.

This amount covers housing, transportation, health care, taxes, and other essential expenses, as calculated by the MIT Living Wage calculator.

Costs vary significantly by state, especially for housing, taxes, and food. Massachusetts tops the list with $58,009 needed annually, compared to $39,386 in West Virginia, the least expensive state for single living.

A full-time worker in Massachusetts needs to earn about $28 per hour to cover basic expenses, whereas in West Virginia, it’s about $19 per hour.

Here are the 15 U.S. states with the highest cost of living for single individuals:

Massachusetts: $58,009

Hawaii: $56,841

California: $56,825

New York: $55,878

Washington: $53,242

Colorado: $51,644

New Jersey: $51,504

Maryland: $51,460

Oregon: $50,553

Rhode Island: $50,418

Connecticut: $50,194

Virginia: $49,973

New Hampshire: $49,045

Arizona: $48,677

Georgia: $48,448

Housing is the largest expense, with median costs in these states nearing $17,000—almost double that of the 15 least expensive states.

States with large cities, such as California and New York, see higher housing costs due to greater demand driven by job opportunities.

Food and tax costs also contribute to the cost of living disparity, varying by as much as $2,000 and $1,500, respectively.

These estimates focus on necessities and exclude discretionary spending such as entertainment and investments.

Unfortunately, minimum wage falls short in covering basic expenses in any state. Even California’s new $20 per hour minimum wage for fast food workers doesn’t meet the $27.32 needed for basic expenses, based on MIT’s data.

MIT’s Living Wage calculator uses data from various federal agencies, adjusted for inflation as of December 2023.