PHOENIX — Keeping up with the cost of living can seem daunting after a paycheck is split between groceries, healthcare, housing, utilities, transportation and more.
A recent study by GOBankingRates looks into how much income a typical family in Phoenix has left after all those costs.
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The study shows that a household making the median Phoenix salary of $72,092 would be left with $19,950 after very basic cost-of-living expenses, all calculated using average area costs including housing, transportation, food, utilities and healthcare.
"This is a statistical construct, there's going to be some give and take on where people actually land,” ABC15 Data Analyst Garrett Archer said.
Compared to other major cities across the US, the most affordable cities for the middle class were concentrated in the Midwest and the South.
Other cities, like those in California, consistently put average families in the red, meaning they would have to pay more than they make to live with the average mortgage and other expenses.
