How much do you have to earn to live comfortably in New York and New Jersey?

A SmartAsset survey analyzed data to determine how much people need to earn to live comfortably in the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

New York and New Jersey came in at fourth-highest. 

The survey determined that an individual needs to make an annual salary of $66,434 after taxes to live comfortably live in New York and New Jersey.

Topping the list is San Francisco -Oakland-Berkley.  An individual would have to make an annual salary of $74,282 after taxes to live comfortably.

To determine the results, SmartAsset says it used the 50/30/20 rule to define that comfort level. This rule is a budgeting strategy that allocates 50% of after-tax income to basic living expenses (needs), 30% to discretionary spending (wants) and 20% for savings or debt payments.

It said it used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to gather the basic cost of living for an individual in each metro area. The online tool calculates the cost of living by adding together the average cost of housing, food, transportation, medical care and other expenses within each metro area.