How Much It Costs A Family To Live In Prince William County Area

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA—The Economic Policy Institute has released a new Family Budget Calculator which breaks down exactly how much it costs a family of four to live in communities across the country. For residents of Prince William County, Manassas City and Manassas Park residents, it takes a decent bit of coin to afford to live here.

A Prince William County family of two adults and two children need to make $105,189 per year, or $8,7667 per month, to attain a "modest yet adequate" standard of living, according to EPIaccording to EPI. For a Manassas Park family, it's $102,162 per year, or $8,514 per month. For a Manassas City family, its $96,314, or $8,026 per month.

The cost breakdown for PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY per month is as follows:

• Housing: $1,727
• Food: $789
• Child care: $1,631
• Transportation: $1,230
• Health care: $949
• Other necessities: $1,015
• Taxes: $1,424

MANASSAS PARK:

• Housing: $1,641
• Food: $787
• Child care: $1,584
• Transportation: $1,223
• Health care: $949
• Other necessities: $980
• Taxes: $1,351

MANASSAS CITY:

• Housing: $1,482
• Food: $772
• Child care: $1,496
• Transportation: $1,185
• Health care: $949
• Other necessities: $909
• Taxes: $1,234

Compare that to the DC metropolitan area average of $105,539, or $8,795 per month. The DC metropolitan area was 10th in the nation for the highest costs of living nationwide. San Francisco was No. 1 with an average cost of $148,440.

"EPI's Family Budget Calculator measures the income a family needs in order to attain a modest yet adequate standard of living," EPI states. "The budgets estimate community-specific costs for 10 family types (one or two adults with zero to four children) in all counties and metro areas in the United States. Compared with the federal poverty line and the Supplemental Poverty Measure, EPI's family budgets provide a more accurate and complete measure of economic security in America."
The calculator is based on 2017 figures.

Reporting by Patch editor Dan Taylor