Saturday, May 2, 2026
Real Families · Real Numbers · Every Age

The Equitable Cost Calculator

What does it actually cost to live in America today? A data-backed instrument for the people who shape policy, write the news, and run the programs — built on MIT, USDA, KFF, CMS, HHS-ACF, Experian, and BLS data.

$15,474
Per-capita U.S. healthcare spending, 2024 (CMS NHE)
17.7%
Adults with medical debt in South Dakota — highest in the nation (KFF)
41 + DC
States where infant childcare exceeds public-college tuition (CCAoA)
$767
Average new car payment, Q4 2025 (Experian)
Quick-Start: Real Families
§ 01Household Inputs
Children — enter age (0–17) for each
Child 1
Child 2
Child 3
Child 1: age 1 (infant) · Child 2: age 4 (preschool) · Child 3: age 9 (schoolage)
§ 02The Bottom Line
Annual Income Required
$207,717
Pre-tax, all expenses
Monthly Total
$18,078
All categories
State Median Income
$92,214
California
Income Shortfall
$115,503
Median vs. required
Hourly Wage Equivalent
$99.86
Per worker, full-time
§ 03Where Every Dollar Goes
Monthly Expenses by Category
Share of Total Spend
§ 04The Children — One by One
#AgeStageDirect/moChildcare/moAnnual
11Infant (0–2)$624$1,890$30,174
24Preschool (3–5)$795$1,580$28,503
39School-age (6–11)$1,035$472$18,096
Direct costs scaled by age per USDA Expenditures on Children. Teen costs (15–17) average ~$1,560/mo direct before driving expenses, vs. ~$595/mo for an infant.
§ 05Editorial Read — by Claude

Ask Claude to write a short editorial read on this family's numbers — the kind of prose you'd quote in a brief or a story.

§ 06Transportation Detail
Car Payments
$510
1 × $510/mo
Auto Insurance
$218
California: $218/vehicle
Fuel + Maintenance
$280
$280/vehicle (BLS)
Total Auto/mo
$1,008
5.6% of budget
The single-parent reality.
A single parent in California raising 3 children — currently 1, 4, 9 years old — needs $207,717 annually before tax. The state's median household income is $92,214, leaving a shortfall of $115,503. Our model applies a 12% surcharge on child-related costs since there's no co-parent to share load.
For Policymakers, Press, and Practitioners
Need a custom analysis for your district, story, or grant?

Book a 30-minute walkthrough. We'll pull custom data cuts, build your case, and hand you the citations.

§ 06For Each Audience
For Legislators

Compare your district's living wage to neighbors. Quantify the gap between minimum wage and basic-needs cost. Frame childcare-subsidy and Medicaid-expansion bills in dollar terms voters recognize.

For Journalists

Pull a stat pack in seconds. Median income vs. living wage. Medical-debt penetration by state. Infant care vs. public university tuition. Every figure traces to a public dataset.

For Nonprofits

Build grant proposals on hard numbers. Demonstrate program need with affordability gaps for the populations you serve. Track cohorts against state and national baselines.

§ 07The Data Behind the Numbers
MIT Living Wage Calculator
County-level living wage, required annual income, and basic-needs cost by family composition.
USDA CNPP Thrifty Food Plan
Monthly food cost benchmarks by age group and household size, updated annually.
KFF State Health Facts
Insurance premiums, deductibles, medical-debt penetration by state, and Medicaid enrollment.
CMS National Health Expenditure
Per-capita healthcare spending, including the 2024 figure of $15,474.
HHS-ACF Child Care Affordability
Center-based and family childcare costs by age group and state, used in 50-state comparisons.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey
Household transportation, housing, and miscellaneous spending benchmarks.
Experian Automotive Finance
New and used vehicle loan data including the Q4 2025 average payment of $767.
U.S. Census Bureau ACS
Median household income and poverty-rate data by state and county.
Read full methodology →