Washington Ranks Top 5 Most Expensive States For Singles

It’s hard in today’s economy to make ends meet.

Add to the fact that if you’re a single parent, that cost and worry can jump up substantially.

So what can you do?

You can cut coupons and live on noodles, beans, and rice.

Ride a bike, walk, or carpool to your destinations when possible.

Cut back on expenses that aren’t needed, such as extras like streaming services, internet, and cell phones.

All of these, of course, are easier said than done.

So, how much do you need to make to cover the basics and survive?

SmartAsset crunched the numbers by looking at housing, transportation, taxes, health care, and other expenses tracked by MIT’s (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Living Wage Calculator.

On average, a single person needs to make roughly $45,000 a year to live in most states.

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Is Washington above that amount or below that amount?

The most expensive states to live in and what an individual would need to make a year are:

1.  Massachusetts at $58,009
2.  Hawaii at $56,841
3.  California at $56,825
4.  New York at $55, 878
5.  Washington $53,242

Yeah, you read that right. In Washington state, a single individual would need to make, on average, over $53k a year to get by.

Remember, these calculations are just for necessities and don’t include travel or entertainment, and if you were trying to save for the future… good luck!

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If I crunched my own numbers right, someone in Washington would have to make $25.60 an hour and work a 40-hour week to make ends meet.

This can vary from region to region (the cost of living is more expensive on the west side of the state than in central Washington), but is there a solution?

Many will say the solution is to raise the minimum wage (or any wages for that matter). But it seems like when that happens, all the bills also rise.

I recently wrote an article about Washington Lawmakers and a proposed Delivery tax, in which I also addressed the rising cost of utilities.

How would you fix this issue and bring costs of living down? Tap the App and sound off!

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