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Living in Vermont ยท 2026

Is $75,000 enough to live in Vermont?

Single adult ยท VT ยท 2026 tax brackets ยท Real cost-of-living data

Statewide verdict:Very comfortable

Monthly take-home

$4,828

Avg monthly expenses

$2,562

Avg monthly surplus

$2,266

Savings potential

~47%

After-tax take-home in Vermont

Gross salary$75,000
Federal income taxโˆ’ $7,854
State income taxโˆ’ $3,475
Social Securityโˆ’ $4,650
Medicareโˆ’ $1,088
Annual take-home$57,933
Effective tax rate22.76%

How $75,000 feels in Vermont cities

Rent: HUD FMR 2026 ยท Food: USDA Low-Cost Plan ร— COL ยท Transport/Utilities/Healthcare: BLS CES ร— COL

Burlington

COL index: 1.28ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,800
Food
$537
Transport
$224
Utilities
$211
Healthcare
$256
Total: $3,028/mo
Surplus: $1,800/mo
Rent burden: 37.3% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full Burlington analysis โ†’

South Burlington

COL index: 1.25ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,750
Food
$528
Transport
$219
Utilities
$206
Healthcare
$250
Total: $2,953/mo
Surplus: $1,875/mo
Rent burden: 36.2% โ€” High (35โ€“50%)
Full South Burlington analysis โ†’

Rutland

COL index: 0.98ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,200
Food
$462
Transport
$172
Utilities
$162
Healthcare
$196
Total: $2,192/mo
Surplus: $2,636/mo
Rent burden: 24.9% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Rutland analysis โ†’

Barre

COL index: 0.93ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,100
Food
$440
Transport
$163
Utilities
$153
Healthcare
$186
Total: $2,042/mo
Surplus: $2,786/mo
Rent burden: 22.8% โ€” Affordable (< 25%)
Full Barre analysis โ†’

Montpelier

COL index: 1.05ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,350
Food
$484
Transport
$184
Utilities
$173
Healthcare
$210
Total: $2,401/mo
Surplus: $2,427/mo
Rent burden: 28.0% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Montpelier analysis โ†’

Winooski

COL index: 1.18ร— national avg

Very comfortable
Rent (1BR)
$1,600
Food
$519
Transport
$207
Utilities
$195
Healthcare
$236
Total: $2,757/mo
Surplus: $2,071/mo
Rent burden: 33.1% โ€” Manageable (25โ€“35%)
Full Winooski analysis โ†’

50 / 30 / 20 Budget Planner

Based on your monthly take-home of $4,828 ($57,936/yr)

Needs 50%Wants 30%Savings 20%
Needs50%

$2,414

per month

  • โ€บRent / mortgage
  • โ€บGroceries
  • โ€บUtilities
  • โ€บInsurance
  • โ€บMinimum debt payments
  • โ€บTransportation
Wants30%

$1,448

per month

  • โ€บDining out
  • โ€บStreaming services
  • โ€บGym
  • โ€บHobbies
  • โ€บTravel
  • โ€บShopping
Savings20%

$966

per month

  • โ€บEmergency fund
  • โ€บ401(k) / IRA
  • โ€บInvestments
  • โ€บDown payment fund
  • โ€บDebt payoff (extra)

Needs / year

$28,968

Wants / year

$17,381

Savings / year

$11,587

Salary Intelligence

Below comfortable level in Burlington

Rent would consume 37% of take-home income โ€” above the 35% stress threshold. A higher salary or lower-cost housing is needed for financial stability in this city.

Lifestyle score: 6/10 (Good)

Lifestyle Assessment

A $75,000 salary comfortably supports a good single lifestyle in Burlington, Vermont, with approximately $1,800/month (~37% of take-home) available for savings โ€” meeting or exceeding the recommended 20% savings rate.

Purchasing Power

Burlington's above-average cost of living (index: 1.28) means $75,000 provides the purchasing power of roughly $58,594 in an average-cost US city, or $69,141 in Austin. Moving to a lower-cost state could effectively increase your take-home by thousands.

State & National Benchmark

$75,000 is 69% above the Vermont individual median of $44,500 and 34% above the US national individual median of $56,000. This is a top-quartile income in this state.

State individual median

$44,500

+69%

State household median

$76,643

-2%

Tax reduction strategies

Maximize 401(k) Contributions โ€” Up to $5,170 in federal tax (22% bracket)
401(k) Age 50+ Catch-Up Contribution โ€” Up to $2,775 additional tax savings (37% bracket)

$75,000 vs. Vermont income benchmarks

Individual median (Vermont)

$44,500

+69% vs. this salary

Household median (Vermont)

$76,643

-2% vs. this salary

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2023

Related salary insights

Explore other salary levels in Vermont

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Reviewed by

Finance Editor

CPA, 10+ years in personal finance

Data Sources

Data updated monthly using government datasets.