Mississippi remains one of the least expensive places in the country to live comfortably, according to a new analysis comparing how much income households need across all 50 states.

SmartAsset's 2026 study of what it takes to live comfortably in each state found that single people need at least $80,000 to live comfortably in every state. About half require a six-figure income.

Analysts determined that a family of four needs the least to live comfortably in Mississippi, making it the most affordable state. It ranked 44th nationally for the income a single adult needs to live comfortably.

Here's what those numbers look like.

According to SmartAsset, a single adult in Mississippi needs to earn $86,070 a year to live comfortably.

The amount needed for a single adult in Mississippi fell slightly, by about 0.3%, from 2025, according to the study.

The income requirements are considerably higher for households with two working adults and two children.

For a family of four, the study puts the required annual income at $187,533. Mississippi has the lowest income needed for a family to live a comfortable lifestyle, according to the rankings.

For comparison, Massachusetts had the highest family-of-four figure in the study at $329,555.

More: Mississippi 'upper-middle class' salary requirements

The amount needed varies significantly depending on where someone lives.

Hawaii ranked No. 1, with a single adult needing an estimated $129,002 annually to live comfortably.

Massachusetts followed at $127,213, while California ranked third at $126,797.

New York and New Jersey rounded out the top five, with single adults needing $124,342 and $113,776, respectively.

At the other end of the ranking, West Virginia had the lowest estimated income requirement, at $81,245 for a single adult.

Louisiana ranked No. 47 at $84,739, followed by Kentucky at $84,074 and Arkansas at $83,242.

SmartAsset used data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator to estimate basic living expenses for two household types:

A single adult with no children

A household with two working adults and two children

The MIT data was last updated in February 2026, according to SmartAsset.

The study is an estimate based on a specific budgeting method, not a strict determination of how much money every Mississippi household needs to live comfortably.

Analysts then adjusted those estimates using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. Under that approach, 50% of income goes toward needs, 30% toward wants and 20% toward savings and debt payments.

SmartAsset treated the living-wage estimate as the amount needed for necessities, or 50% of the total budget, to calculate the income needed for its "comfortable" benchmark.

For the full report, visit smartasset.com/data-studies/heres-the-salary-it-takes-to-live-comfortably-in-each-u-s-state.

Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her at [email protected].

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: It now takes $86K+ to live comfortably in Mississippi, study finds