Outside of major cities in the US, it's enough to live comfortably alone. I made a little less than that when I lived in the Midwest, and it was enough to buy

Outside of major cities in the US, it's enough to live comfortably alone. I made a little less than that when I lived in the Midwest, and it was enough to buy a $125,000 duplex (mortgage came out to ~25% of my monthly wages), pay the bills, and still go out and have fun a couple nights a week. I made retirement contributions, but I wasn't maxing out my 401k contributions or anything. I would say for much of the US, that's about where life becomes comfortable if you're single (can't comment on with kids, I've never done a budget with them). Bills aren't a worry if you don't make poorly planned large purchases, you can afford a decent place to live, and you've got some money left over at the end of the month to save or work on a hobby or whatever. This is obviously not true in the hot cities, though. I think $75k is under the poverty line if you have children in the Bay Area.