Single people in SC must earn this much money to live comfortably in 2024, new analysis shows

How much does it cost to live single comfortably in South Carolina these days?

Spoiler alert: it ain’t cheap.

A recent SmartAsset.com analysis used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to gather the basic cost of living for a person with no children in every state. The data includes costs of necessities that cover housing, food, transportation, income taxes and other items.

The analysis then applied the 50/30/20 rule to determine how much an individual must earn to live comfortably in 2024. The rule recommends spending about 50% of your income on basic needs like food and housing, 30% on wants and the remaining 20% on savings or paying down debt.

South Carolina costs

So, where does South Carolina fall in the analysis? A single person must earn $88,317 — $42.46 an hour — to cover all basics, wants and savings. That places South Carolina as the 28th most expensive state to live in comfortably.

2 adults and child

The analysis also determined what two parents with a single child would need to earn to live comfortably. In South Carolina, that cost comes to $200,762 a year.

The higher costs of living don’t come as a complete surprise, given the general rise in prices of necessities over the past year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, over the last 12 months, the cost of all items listed rose 3.5% in total. That includes food, which rose 2.2%; shelter, which increased 5.7%; and gasoline at 1.3%.

Costs in other states

Massachusetts took the top spot as the most expensive state to live in comfortably. A single adult there must earn $116,022 or $55.78 an hour to cover basics, wants and savings.

Meanwhile, West Virginia earned the ranking of least expensive state for singles to live in comfortably. There a single individual would need to earn $78,790 — $37.88 an hour — to live comfortably.

To see the full breakdown of costs for every state, click here.