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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Barely — $50,000 covers basics in Provo, but leaves little room for savings.
Earning $50,000 a year in Provo puts you significantly below the area's median income of $62,800. Provo is an average-cost city to live in, with a cost of living index of 105 (the national average is 100).
After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Utah's 4.9% state income tax, your effective rate comes out to about 25%. That leaves you with roughly $3,141 per month to work with. Rent in Provo is actually $115/month cheaper than the Utah average, which helps your budget go further.
Financial advisors commonly suggest spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing. With rent consuming 46% of your take-home pay, the math is difficult. Most of your disposable income goes straight to housing, leaving very little margin. There isn't much savings buffer — unexpected expenses like car repairs or medical bills could mean going into the red for a month.
Provo falls close to national averages across most cost categories, making it a fairly typical city to budget for. One positive trend: Provo's cost of living has been easing — the index dropped from 111 to 106 over the tracked period.
After rent, here's roughly what your remaining $1,693/mo covers in Provo:
Same salary, different Utah cities — here's how the numbers shift:
| City | Rent | Rent % | Est. Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provo (you) | $1,448/mo | 46% | +$176 |
| West Valley | $1,560/mo | 50% | +$47 |
| Salt Lake | $1,592/mo | 51% | -$58 |
| West Jordan | $1,651/mo | 53% | -$124 |
These cities have a lower rent-to-income ratio on the same salary.
See how affordability changes in Provo as your salary moves up or down.
Barely — $50,000 covers basics in Provo, but leaves little room for savings.
After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Utah state income tax (~5%), you would take home approximately $37,697 per year ($3,141/month). The effective total tax rate is 25%.
At $50,000/year, your monthly take-home is $3,141. With median rent of $1,448, you'd spend 46% of your net income on rent. Financial experts recommend keeping rent below 30% of gross income.
After estimated living costs (rent, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) of roughly $2,965/month, you'd have approximately $176/month in savings — 6% of take-home pay.
Provo has a cost of living index of 105. The national average is 100. It's roughly in line with national norms.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Provo is $1,448/month. That's $447 below the national average of $1,895.