Study Says You Need $96,762 To "Live Comfortably" & Single In Alaska

 Feeling Lucky? 

A SmartAsset analysis of how much an unmarried single person needs to live in each of the states has revealed a harsh truth about Alaska. 

Cabin in Alaska (Photo by Dennis Green, BLM) 

The range of how much a single person "needs" to live "comfortably" apparently varies widely across the nation.

The most expensive state is Massachusetts, the study says. You need $116,022 as a single person to be comfortable there.

Averaged out across the nation, "living comfortably" supposedly requires $89,461 for a single person.

North Dakota is absolutely rock-bottom for living cheaply and in comfort. Apparently a single person in North Dakota needs only $52,807. 

Zip Recruiter says the average salary in Alaska is $63,721 – enough to live comfortably in North Dakota, but perhaps questionable for living comfortably in Alaska, with our higher transportation costs, cold weather, long distances, fuel, electrical, food and freight costs and seasonal work.

In the Copper Valley, the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the household income in 2022 was only $70,606.