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What’s it cost to live ‘comfortably’ in DC? $80K

WASHINGTON — D.C. is one of the most expensive cities in terms of the cost of living comfortably, says GoBankingRates.com.

Their list defines living “comfortably” by a 50-30-20 rule — 50 percent of income for necessities, 30 percent for discretionary spending and 20 percent toward savings, a generous household budgeting principle.

By that measure, a person in D.C. needs to earn $80,273 a year to live comfortably — ranking third-highest in the U.S.

San Francisco is the most expensive city for comfortable living at $110,357 a year, while New York ranks second at $86,466.

The most and least expensive cities for ‘comfortable’ living, as determined by GoBankingRates.com. (GoBankingRates.com)

Based on a median income in Washington of $70,848, the median income is $9,425 below what’s needed to live well in the nation’s capital.

See of comfortable costs of living by city, and the comparison with each city’s median income.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø newsroom staff in January 2016.

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