Where do these numbers come from?

Food

• USDA Food Plans (Aug 2026)

  Thrifty $344, Low-cost $356, Moderate $441, Liberal $549 per month. 1-person figures = the table value for a 2-person household member plus 20%.

  https://www.fna.usda.gov/research/cnpp/usda-food-plans/cost-food-monthly-reports

• BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey (2024 data)

  Food away from home, householders under 25. Used for the dining-out chips.

  https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cesan.nr0.htm

• ELFI college meal plan study (2025–26)

  National average meal plan $2,828 per semester.

  https://www.elfi.com/student-loans/college-meal-plan-study/

Transportation

• EIA gas prices (Sep 2026)

  $4.48 per gallon, week of Sep 21, 2026.

  https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

• FHWA fleet fuel economy (Table VM-1) (2024)

  23.4 miles per gallon average.

  https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2024/vm1.cfm

• NerdWallet car insurance averages (Sep 2026)

  Minimum coverage $54, full coverage $195 per month.

  https://www.nerdwallet.com/insurance/auto/average-car-insurance-cost

• CarInsurance.com rates by age (Sep 2026)

  Full coverage age 22 $322, age 25 $254 per month.

  https://www.carinsurance.com/average-rates-by-age.aspx

• Experian auto loan rates (Q2 2026)

  New car APR 6.35%, used car APR 11.19%.

  https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/average-car-loan-interest-rates-by-credit-score/

• AAA Your Driving Costs (2025)

  Maintenance, repair and tires $92 per month at about 10,000 miles a year.

  https://newsroom.aaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/UPDATE-AAA-Fact-Sheet-Your-Driving-Cost-9.2025-1.pdf

• Transit agency fare pages (Sep 2026)

  Monthly pass prices for the eight cities in the dropdown.

  https://www.mbta.com/fares

Health

• KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey (2025)

  Employee share of a single employer plan, about $120 per month.

  https://www.kff.org/health-costs/2025-employer-health-benefits-survey/

• KFF marketplace benchmark premiums (2026)

  Unsubsidized marketplace plan about $500 per month.

  https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/state-indicator/marketplace-average-benchmark-premiums/

• MoneyGeek dental insurance costs (2026)

  Dental $30 per month.

  https://www.moneygeek.com/insurance/health/dental-insurance-costs/

• Aflac vision insurance costs (2026)

  Vision $15 per month.

  https://www.aflac.com/resources/vision-insurance/how-much-is-vision-insurance.aspx

Housing

• NerdWallet renter's insurance (Sep 2026)

  $14 per month.

  https://www.nerdwallet.com/insurance/renters/learn/how-much-is-renters-insurance

• EIA electricity data (2026)

  Electricity and heating $100 per month.

  https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/update/end-use.php

• BroadbandNow home internet cost (2026)

  Internet $75 per month.

  https://broadbandnow.com/guides/home-internet-cost-2026

• Zumper rent research (2026)

  Look up average rent in your city.

  https://www.zumper.com/rent-research

School and loans

• Federal Direct Loan interest rates (2026–27)

  Undergraduate rate 6.52% for loans first disbursed July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.

  https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2026-06-04/interest-rates-federal-direct-loans-first-disbursed-between-july-1-2026-and-june-30-2027

• College Board, Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid (2025)

  Typical bachelor's borrower debt $29,560.

  https://research.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Trends-in-College-Pricing-and-Student-Aid-2025-final_1.pdf

• NACS Student Watch (2025–26)

  Course materials $338 a year, about $28 a month.

  https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/08/10/digital-boom-drives-down-cost-college-course-materials

Taxes

• IRS 2026 inflation adjustments (2026)

  Federal brackets and the $16,100 standard deduction for a single filer.

  https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-releases-tax-inflation-adjustments-for-tax-year-2026-including-amendments-from-the-one-big-beautiful-bill

• SSA wage base (2026)

  Social Security taxable maximum $184,500.

  https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/cbb.html

• Tax Foundation state income tax rates (2026)

  State brackets, standard deductions and exemptions.

  https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2026/

• ADP salary paycheck calculator (2026)

  Use it to check the take-home estimate.

  https://www.adp.com/resources/tools/calculators/salary-paycheck-calculator.aspx

Wages

• MIT Living Wage Calculator (2026)

  Living wage and typical expenses for 1 adult, 0 children.

  https://livingwage.mit.edu/

• My Next Move (2026)

  Find median salaries by career and ZIP code.

  https://www.mynextmove.org/

• CareerOneStop wage finder (2026)

  A second place to check salaries.

  https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Wages/find-salary.aspx

Transit passes in the dropdown

• Boston (MBTA LinkPass)$90/month
• New York City (OMNY 7-day cap × 4.3)$152/month
• Chicago (CTA 30-day)$75/month
• Los Angeles (Metro fare cap)$78/month
• San Francisco (Muni M pass)$86/month
• Washington DC (WMATA, lowest tier)$72/month
• Philadelphia (SEPTA TransPass)$116/month
• Seattle (ORCA PugetPass $3.00)$108/month

• https://www.mbta.com/fares
• https://www.mta.info/fares-tolls/subway-bus
• https://www.transitchicago.com/fares/
• https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/
• https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/fares
• https://wmata.com/fares/Monthly-Pass
• https://wwww.septa.org/fares/
• https://info.myorca.com/