What salary do you need to live in Lubbock, TX?
For a single person: about $63,000/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose TX-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,175 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and no state income tax (Texas doesn't have one).
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Lubbock worker earns about $42,130/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $52,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 19% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,673/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,673/mo
$52,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,408/mo
$63,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,510/mo
$82,000/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $4,911/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,911/mo
$68,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,893/mo
$82,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,367/mo
$104,500/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,088/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,088/mo
$85,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,306/mo
$104,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,132/mo
$131,500/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,064/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,064/mo
$100,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $8,477/mo
$121,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $10,596/mo
$156,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,175) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Texas's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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