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Homes in the Savannah neighborhood development near Dallas, Texas, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. A state law will prohibit homeowners associations from discriminating against tenants using rental vouchers. Photographer: Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via G

DALLAS – If you’ve felt the pinch lately when paying rent, buying groceries, or filling up your gas tank, you’re not alone. After years of high inflation, the cost of just living comfortably in America has skyrocketed. 

A new report breaks down exactly how much money you need to feel financially secure in major U.S. cities, including here in Dallas-Fort Worth. 

How much income do you need to live comfortably in DFW?

In the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a single adult household needs an annual pretax income of at least $107,061 to live comfortably, according to a 2025 data study. 

DFW ranked 26th for the largest salary required for a single adult. 

For a household with two adults and no children, the combined required salary is $137,978.

To put that in perspective, this required salary far exceeds the area’s current financial reality, where the median personal income in DFW sits at only $51,609.

RELATED: See how these numbers compare to 2024

Where does DFW rank in US cost of living?

The salary needed for a single adult to live comfortably in Texas as a whole is $96,506. While lower than DFW, this figure is still notably higher than in states such as North Dakota, Ohio, Iowa, Arkansas, and Indiana, where the comfortable single-adult salary is under $88,000.

Nationally, the most expensive cities are dominated by California: The top-of-the-scale cities were San Jose, San Francisco, and San Diego, where a single adult needs approximately $163,045 per year.

At the other end of the spectrum, a single adult can live comfortably on less than $87,000 a year in cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Tucson.

What’s the average salary for someone to live comfortably in America?

Across the United States, a single adult with no children in 2025 needs $106,745 per year in pretax income to live comfortably. That’s slightly lower than in DFW.

Costs increase sharply with children: A two-adult household with one child requires $194,038. With two children, the salary rises to $233,158. With three children, the necessary income is $278,252.

How did researchers calculate this?

The report uses the 50/30/20 budget rule, a widely accepted framework for financial balance. This rule allocates 50% of income to necessities, 30% to wants, and the remaining 20% to savings or debt repayment. Researchers applied this rule to local cost-of-living data to determine the required income for each area.

The Source: Information in this article comes from research from the Economic Policy Institute and the United Nations Federal Credit Union.

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