Living in Utah · 2026
Is $61,000 enough to live in Utah?
Single adult · UT · 2026 tax brackets · Real cost-of-living data
Monthly take-home
$4,013
Avg monthly expenses
$2,443
Avg monthly surplus
$1,570
Savings potential
~39%
After-tax take-home in Utah
How $61,000 feels in Utah cities
Rent: HUD FMR 2026 · Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan × COL · Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES × COL
Salt Lake City
COL index: 1.18× national avg
West Valley City
COL index: 1.10× national avg
Provo
COL index: 1.08× national avg
West Jordan
COL index: 1.10× national avg
Orem
COL index: 1.08× national avg
Ogden
COL index: 0.98× national avg
50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner
Based on your monthly take-home of $4,013 ($48,156/yr)
$2,007
per month
- ›Rent / mortgage
- ›Groceries
- ›Utilities
- ›Insurance
- ›Minimum debt payments
- ›Transportation
$1,204
per month
- ›Dining out
- ›Streaming services
- ›Gym
- ›Hobbies
- ›Travel
- ›Shopping
$803
per month
- ›Emergency fund
- ›401(k) / IRA
- ›Investments
- ›Down payment fund
- ›Debt payoff (extra)
Needs / year
$24,078
Wants / year
$14,447
Savings / year
$9,631
Salary Intelligence
Below comfortable level in Salt Lake CityRent would consume 39% of take-home income — above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.
Lifestyle Assessment
A $61,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Salt Lake City, Utah, with approximately $1,350/month (~34% of take-home) available for savings — meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.
Purchasing Power
Salt Lake City's above-average cost of living (index: 1.18) means $61,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $51,695 in an average-cost US city, or $61,000 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.
State & National Benchmark
$61,000 is 28% above the Utah individual median ($47,600) and 9% above the US national median of $56,000.
State individual median
$47,600
+28%
State household median
$86,833
-30%
Tax reduction strategies
$61,000 vs. Utah income benchmarks
Individual median (Utah)
$47,600
+28% vs. this salary
Household median (Utah)
$86,833
-30% vs. this salary
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023
Related salary insights
Explore other salary levels in Utah
Data Sources
- •Tax calculations: IRS federal tax tables
- •Rent data: HUD Fair Market Rents
- •Cost-of-living index: C2ER / ACCRA Cost of Living Index
Data updated monthly using government datasets.