A family of four needs to make at least $242,278 to live comfortably in Nevada.
This puts the state 22nd overall for cost of living for a family of four, with two working parents and two children. The highest is Hawaii ($313,165) and the lowest is West Virginia ($202,592).
The income needed for a family of four to live comfortably in Nevada rose 1.3 percent year over year from 2025 to February of 2026, according to the Smart Asset study, which pulled data from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator.
The study’s report addressed how much the cost of living has risen overall in the past few years, putting more families in tough financial spots.
“As housing, grocery, transportation and other essential costs pressure household budgets, earning a six-figure salary no longer guarantees financial comfort in much of the U.S.,” reads the report. “A single adult now needs at least $80,000 a year to live comfortably in every state, while the threshold exceeds $100,000 in nearly half of states. For a family of four, the income needed to live comfortably is as much as $329,000.”
MIT’s Living Wage calculator uses the 50/30/20 budgeting rule in which 50 percent of one’s pre-tax income goes to such necessities as utilities, rent or a mortgage, 30 percent goes to discretionary spending (vacation, entertainment) and 20 percent to savings for emergencies and retirement planning.
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
