Living comfortably in North Carolina is slightly cheaper than it was a year ago -- but Wilmington residents still need to earn more than most people in the state to reach that benchmark.
North Carolina was one of only six states where the salary needed to live comfortably declined last year, according to a recent study that examined the salaries needed to cover everyday expenses while following a common budgeting guideline.
SmartAsset's 2026 "What It Takes to Live Comfortably in Each State" study ranked North Carolina No. 28 nationally for the income needed by a single adult to live comfortably. But the same data shows that Wilmington residents have to earn more to achieve that standard.
How much do you need to live comfortably in North Carolina?
According to SmartAsset, a single adult in North Carolina needs to earn $93,475 a year to live comfortably.
While this number did decrease from last year, the decline was minimal at 0.3%. That's about a $300 difference.
As far as Wilmington goes, it's slightly more expensive than the state as a whole. Using SmartAsset's methodology, the salary needed to live comfortably in Wilmington is $94,515 -- or about $1,000 higher than the North Carolina average.
What about a family of four?
The income requirements are considerably higher for households with two working adults and two children -- North Carolina fares better than some other states.
In North Carolina, SmartAsset estimates a family of four needs $212,410 annually to live comfortably. This puts North Carolina at No. 36 in this category, eight spots lower than its ranking for a single adult.
But for Wilmington, the income requirement for a family of four is estimated at around $3,000 higher -- enough that Wilmington would jump three spots nationally if ranked as its own jurisdiction.
Methodology
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 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.
The study is therefore an estimate based on a specific budgeting method, not a determination of how much money every North Carolina household needs to live comfortably.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment.
Charlie Kingree is the trending topics reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: It now takes $90K+ to live comfortably in NC. What about Wilmington?
