Report: DC Proper Has Lowest Cost of Living for Singles

• October 11, 2010

by Mark Wellborn

A study out today from the DC-based group Wider Opportunities for Women concludes that a single individual without children or a car can live within the District borders on about $32,000 a year, the lowest cost of living in the area.

The report calculated the amount of money needed to attain “basic economic security” (approximately four times the federal poverty level) for the city and surrounding areas, according to The Washington Post. The report’s conclusions are separated into tables for individuals and families, and include costs such as food, housing, child care, transportation and monthly savings for emergencies.

We were surprised by the monthly housing costs calculated for the District ($814 a month) as well as the fact that utility costs did not include cell phone bills, a major oversight given how prevalent cell phone usage is these days.

Despite its shortcomings, the report did offer some interesting conclusions for single-mothers and people making minimum wage in the region. From The Washington Post:

“In WOW’s analysis, single mothers are particularly squeezed. In most jurisdictions, the median income for working women who are raising children alone is well beneath WOW’s economic security figure. In many of the tables, two working parents earning the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour would each have to work one full-time and one part-time job to reach financial security.”

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/report_dc_proper_has_lowest_cost_of_living_for_singles/2562