"SmartAsset’s study analyzed the after-tax income needed to live in the nation’s 25 largest metro areas comfortably. To determine the required salary for a single individual with no kids in each city, SmartAsset employed the 50/30/20 rule, which defines a comfortable lifestyle as one in which 50% of after-tax income is applied to basic living expenses (needs), 30% to discretionary income (wants) and 20% to savings and debt.

The MIT Living Wage Calculator was used to calculate basic living expenses for each city. 

The post-tax salary needed in these 25 areas increased by around 20% throughout 2022, while inflation grew about 8%."