A single renter needs a gross salary of $72,687 to cover their costs in New York City with nothing left over. In San Francisco the figure is $75,260, and in Memphis $38,922. MoveMath’s engine finds the exact income at which 2026 after-tax pay equals modeled costs. Those costs are HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom, USDA Moderate-Cost food, one car, state sales tax, and other goods and services at BEA RPP-adjusted prices. Rank every metro by what your own income leaves in the where-can-I-afford-to-live calculator.
Break-even salary for a single renter: 15 metros
Household: one adult renting a HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent 1-bedroom (40th-percentile gross rent, utilities included). They eat on the USDA Moderate-Cost plan (RPP-adjusted), drive one car 12,000 miles a year at 25 mpg (EIA gasoline, week of 2026-10-05), and spend $500 a month on other goods and $500 on other services (BEA RPP 2024-adjusted). No childcare. Taxes are 2026, including state payroll and local taxes.
| Metro | Break-even salary | Monthly costs | FMR 1-bedroom / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $75,260 | $4,843 | $3,003 |
| New York, NY-NJ | $72,687 | $4,492 | $2,729 |
| Boston, MA-NH | $63,717 | $4,176 | $2,518 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $63,471 | $4,214 | $2,402 |
| Seattle, WA | $57,158 | $3,943 | $2,180 |
| Miami, FL | $54,493 | $3,830 | $2,121 |
| Chicago, IL-IN | $52,447 | $3,489 | $1,780 |
| Denver, CO | $51,144 | $3,453 | $1,831 |
| Nashville, TN | $45,764 | $3,246 | $1,650 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $45,065 | $3,138 | $1,493 |
| Dallas, TX | $44,909 | $3,189 | $1,536 |
| Austin, TX | $43,245 | $3,077 | $1,530 |
| Detroit, MI | $42,347 | $2,803 | $1,167 |
| Houston, TX | $40,178 | $2,872 | $1,261 |
| Memphis, AR-MS-TN | $38,922 | $2,788 | $1,191 |
About FMR: HUD Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile gross rent for a standard-quality unit. It includes tenant-paid utilities, but it is not the asking rent for a new lease or a luxury building.
Monthly costs and the break-even salary don’t rank in the same order because taxes differ. Detroit’s costs are lower than Houston’s, but its break-even is higher: Michigan’s income tax and Detroit’s 2.4% city tax take $8,706 at break-even, against $5,715 in Houston.
Why San Francisco needs more than New York
San Francisco’s 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $3,003 a month, $274 more than New York’s $2,729, and its prices for goods are about the same. New York taxes more: at break-even, a New Yorker pays $18,777 in taxes (with New York State, New York City and payroll premiums) against $17,149 in San Francisco. The extra $3,288 a year of rent in San Francisco outweighs New York’s higher taxes.
Rent as a share of the break-even salary
| Metro | Break-even salary | FMR 1-BR / year | Rent share |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $75,260 | $36,036 | 47.9% |
| Miami | $54,493 | $25,452 | 46.7% |
| New York | $72,687 | $32,748 | 45.1% |
| Austin | $43,245 | $18,360 | 42.5% |
| Memphis | $38,922 | $14,292 | 36.7% |
At break-even, rent takes far more than the 30% of gross income that HUD uses as its cost-burden line. To keep rent at 30% of income in San Francisco, a single renter at Fair Market Rent would need $120,120.
What a $60,000 salary covers
$60,000 is above break-even in 11 of the 15 metros. It falls short in San Francisco, New York, Boston and Los Angeles.
Some examples from the engine at exactly $60,000:
- New York City: $8,344 a year short ($695 a month). Taxes fall along with income, so the gap is smaller than $72,687 − $60,000.
- Seattle: $2,244 a year left over ($187 a month).
- Austin: $13,463 a year left over ($1,122 a month).
- Memphis: $16,936 a year left over ($1,411 a month).
What “other goods and services” means
The model includes $500 a month of other goods (clothing, household supplies, personal care) and $500 of other services, both at US-average prices and scaled by BEA RPP. These are adjustable starting points, not measured costs, and MoveMath labels them as estimates. Change them in the tools to match your spending.
From break-even to a comfortable salary
Break-even means zero savings. MoveMath’s engine gives the salary for a monthly cushion above modeled costs:
| Metro | Break-even | +$500 / month | +$1,000 / month | +$2,000 / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | $72,687 | $82,581 | $92,507 | $112,427 |
| San Francisco | $75,260 | $85,174 | $95,216 | $115,300 |
| Chicago | $52,447 | $60,404 | $68,646 | $86,995 |
| Austin | $43,245 | $50,712 | $58,179 | $74,054 |
| Memphis | $38,922 | $46,389 | $53,857 | $69,117 |
Each $500 a month of cushion costs about $7,500–$10,000 of gross salary, more in high-tax cities. If the cushion has to cover retirement saving, health premiums and a car payment, aim for the right-hand columns. Check any metro and salary in the where-can-I-afford-to-live calculator, or add your actual costs in the relocation budget planner.
Related: New York cost of living, San Francisco cost of living, Memphis cost of living.