Here’s The Salary Needed To Live Comfortably In Tampa Bay Area: Report

TAMPA BAY, FL — For single adults to live comfortably in the Tampa Bay area, they need to earn a pre-tax salary of $94,432, according to a recent report from SmartAsset, a platform for connecting people with financial advisors.

That breaks down to $45.40 an hour. The combined salaries needed for two working adults and two children in the Tampa Bay region is $209,498.

Tampa and St. Petersburg both landed at No. 50 on SmartAsset’s list of 99 cities assessed for salaries needed to enjoy a comfortable life.

On average, a single person needs to earn $96,500 for “sustainable comfort” in major U.S. cities, the company said. This includes more than assessing the cost of goods and services in a city, but also accounting for things like “a buffer from the stress of living paycheck to paycheck.”

SmartAsset used the 50/30/20 budget in calculating the salaries needed for a comfortable life in each city. In this budget, 50 percent of a salary should be used for housing, groceries and transportation.

Another 30 percent should be allocated for wants, such as entertainment and hobbies. The final 20 percent should be used for paying off debt, savings and investments.

• No. 39 - Port St. Lucie - $91,312 earned annually by a single adult
• No. 40 - Jacksonville - $916,86
• No. 67 - Orlando - $100,298
• No. 68 - Miami - $100,922

New York City, at No. 99 on the list, requires the highest salary of $138,570 for a single person to live comfortably and $318,406 for two working adults with children, SmartAsset said.

Houston ranked No. 1 with the lowest salaries needed. The Texas city requires a salary of $75,088 for a single adult to live comfortably and $175,219 combined for two adults with children.