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The Living Wage a Family of Four Needs in 50 Major Cities

May 12, 2025 — 07:03 am EDT

Written by T. Woods for GOBankingRates->

Cost of living continues to increase, President Donald Trump’s tariffs have created market havoc and urban rent prices can more often than not seem stratospheric — all of which are reasons the baseline living wage needed for families to survive is such an important thing to know.

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Such information is especially important in America’s largest 50 cities, where the cost of living is typically much higher than the rest of the United States.

With that in mind, GOBankingRates set out to determine the living wage — that is, the minimum income needed for basic survival and amenities — required for a family of four in America’s 50 biggest cities. GOBankingRates did this by culling information from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, Sperling’s BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey and the Federal Reserve Economic Data.

Check out the living wage required in 50 major cities. Also see what it is in every state overall.

The photo shows a bustling city street in San Jose, California. The view captures a mix of modern skyscrapers and historic buildings, with people walking along the sidewalks and cars driving down the road. The shot is taken with a wide-angle lens from a low angle, emphasizing the height of the buildings and the busy urban environment.

1. San Jose, California

Median household income: $141,565
Living wage: $135,604

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Golden Gate bridge with fog over San Francisco and Sutro Tower over the clouds, California.

2. San Francisco

Median household income: $141,446
Living wage: $122,849

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3. San Diego

Median household income: $104,321
Living wage: $105,204

This is a drone photo taken from the above of the Echo Lake Park during sunset, showing the lake and the skyline of DTLA.

4. Los Angeles

Median household income: $80,366
Living wage: $97,110

The skyline of Seattle, Washington, USA with the Space Needle observation tower on a sunny day.

5. Seattle

Median household income: $121,984
Living wage: $93,755

New York City skyline at sunset with Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan.

6. New York City

Median household income: $79,713
Living wage: $91,888

Long Beach moored boats and placid life - Image.

7. Long Beach, California

Median household income: $83,969
Living wage: $88,410

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Elise Amendola/AP/Shutterstock (9921725b)A tour group walks outside Fenway Park, in Boston.

8. Boston

Median household income: $94,755
Living wage: $85,066

Oakland, Alameda County, California, USA.

9. Oakland, California

Median household income: $97,369
Living wage: $80,277

The United States pf America capitol building on sunrise and sunset.

10. Washington, D.C.

Median household income: $106,287
Living wage: $79,455

11. Miami

Median household income: $59,390
Living wage: $74,483

Beautiful Denver skyscraper at night, Denver, Colorado, USA.

12. Denver

Median household income: $91,681
Living wage: $67,203

13. Portland, Oregon

Median household income: $88,792
Living wage: $65,170

Cityscape of downtown Austin from the west in Zilker park 2025 stock photo

14. Austin, Texas

Median household income: $91,461
Living wage: $62,812

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LAS VEGAS, USA - JULY 14 : World famous Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada as seen at night on July 14, 2016 in Las Vegas, USA.

15. Las Vegas

Median household income: $70,723
Living wage: $58,301

16. Atlanta

Median household income: $81,938
Living wage: $57,216

The sun rises over the historical landmarks of West Sacramento, California.

17. Sacramento, California

Median household income: $83,753
Living wage: $57,027

People enjoy a pleasant evening in the Broadway pub district, downtown Nashville, Tennessee, USA at twilight.

18. Nashville, Tennessee

Median household income: $75,197
Living wage: $55,919

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Aerial View of Colorado Springs with Autumn Colors.

19. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Median household income: $83,198
Living wage: $55,733

Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Drone Skyline Aerial stock photo

20. Raleigh, North Carolina

Median household income: $82,424
Living wage: $55,085

21. Virginia Beach, Virginia

Median household income: $90,685
Living wage: $54,692

22. Phoenix

Median household income: $77,041
Living wage: $54,584

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Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.

23. Mesa, Arizona

Median household income: $78,779
Living wage: $54,416

Drone Aerial of Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, NC, USA Skyline.

24. Charlotte, North Carolina

Median household income: $78,438
Living wage: $52,687

Bakersfield sign in Bakersfield, California.

25. Bakersfield, California

Median household income: $77,397
Living wage: $51,281

Arlington, Texas AT&T football Stadium, November 23, 2018 is home of the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium located in Arlington, Texas USA,.

26. Arlington, Texas

Median household income: $73,519
Living wage: $49,827

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Fresno, United States – November 16, 2022: A closeup shot of the side of the Fresno Postage Stamp Mural with cars parked in front of it in the United States.

27. Fresno, California

Median household income: $68,804
Living wage: $49,384

The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark theater located on North State Street in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois.

28. Chicago

Median household income: $75,134
Living wage: $48,231

Aerial View of Minneapolis and the Mississippi river in summer.

29. Minneapolis

Median household income: $80,269
Living wage: $48,228

springtime urban skyline; clean city skyline; refreshing urban scene; springtime in Texas.

30. Dallas

Median household income: $67,760
Living wage: $47,589

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Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA downtown cityscape at twilight.

31. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Median household income: $65,604
Living wage: $46,039

32. Jacksonville, Florida

Median household income: $66,981
Living wage: $45,949

Telephoto looking East up Congress to downtown.

33. Tucson, Arizona

Median household income: $54,546
Living wage: $45,814

Sunrise over Omaha, NE on a winter morning.

34. Omaha, Nebraska

Median household income: $72,708
Living wage: $44,244

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Aerial view of downtown Ft Worth Texas during the day with Trinity River in the foreground.

35. Fort Worth, Texas

Median household income: $76,602
Living wage: $43,383

Mid-air aerial view of sunset over Philadelphia's skyline and Race Street pier at the bottom.

36. Philadelphia

Median household income: $60,698
Living wage: $43,200

The skyline of Houston, Texas at sunset shot from an altitude of about 600 feet .

37. Houston

Median household income: $62,894
Living wage: $42,540

El Paso, Texas, USA downtown city skyline at dusk with Juarez, Mexico in the distance.

38. El Paso, Texas

Median household income: $58,734
Living wage: $42,136

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This is a photograph of the Columbus, Ohio skyline taken from near Bicentennial Park on the winter solstice, 2015.

39. Columbus, Ohio

Median household income: $65,327
Living wage: $41,696

40. Louisville, Kentucky

Median household income: $64,731
Living wage: $41,542

41. Kansas City, Missouri

Median household income: $67,449
Living wage: $40,614

River walk in San Antonio city downtown skyline cityscape of Texas USA at sunset.

42. San Antonio

Median household income: $62,917
Living wage: $39,476

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Aerial view of Indianapolis, Indiana skyline above Indiana World War Memorial and University park, and along Meridian and Pennsylvania streets.

43. Indianapolis

Median household income: $62,995
Living wage: $39,262

The Milwaukee skyline sits behind the view of the Milwaukee River.

44. Milwaukee

Median household income: $51,888
Living wage: $38,684

View on Baltimore skyline and Inner Harbor from Federal Hill at dusk, Maryland.

45. Baltimore

Median household income: $59,623
Living wage: $38,392

Downtown Oklahoma City skyline aerial view at dusk with a reflection of the sunset on the Devon Energy Center in the middle, and Myriad Botanical Gardens in the foreground.

46. Oklahoma City

Median household income: $66,702
Living wage: $38,391

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47. Tulsa, Oklahoma

Median household income: $58,407
Living wage: $38,237

As the sun begins to rise in Wichita, Kansas the neighborhoods of Wichita, Kansas give evidence that spring has arrived.

48. Wichita, Kansas

Median household income: $63,072
Living wage: $37,395

Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tennessee stock photo

49. Memphis, Tennessee

Median household income: $51,211
Living wage: $33,563

Detroit city skyline along the Detroit River at dusk.

50. Detroit

Median household income: $39,575
Living wage: $32,653

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates found the “living wage” needed for a family of four to live in the largest 50 cities by population. The “living wage” was defined as the cost of living. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, Sperling’s BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, the Federal Reserve Economic Data. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 9, 2025.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Living Wage a Family of Four Needs in 50 Major Cities

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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