Is $80K a Good Salary in Vermont? 2026 Take-Home Pay & Cost of Living

Comfortable~53th percentile · Average
Quick answer

Yes — $80K is a comfortable salary in Vermont, leaving real room for savings and lifestyle.

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Take-home pay breakdown

Gross / year
$80,000
Net / year
$59,539
Net / month
$4,962
Effective tax
25.6%

Where your paycheck actually goes

Approximate split of $80,000 gross — federal, state/provincial, social, and what lands in your account.

Federal income tax
$10,115
13%
State income tax
$4,900
6%
Social contributions
$5,446
7%
Take-home (net)
$59,539
74%
What this means in real life

At $80K/year in Vermont, a single adult typically clears about $4,962/month after tax. Rent on a 1-bedroom averages $1,450, leaving roughly $3,512 for everything else. That's enough for steady savings, occasional travel, and lifestyle extras — especially outside Burlington.

Lifestyle verdict
Comfortable lifestyle

Comfortable for a single adult or couple across most of Vermont, with steady saving and lifestyle extras. A family is doable, especially outside Burlington.

How it stacks up in Vermont

Local median household$74,000
This salary$80,000
1.5× median$111,000

Roughly the 53th percentile of Vermont households. Average.

Who can comfortably live on this?

Same take-home pay, three very different realities.

Single adult
Plenty

One income, one rent.

Budget: $3,652/mo
Leftover: $1,310/mo
Couple, no kids
Stretched

Shared rent, two earners possible.

Budget: $5,072/mo
Short: $110/mo
Family (2 adults + kids)
Stretched

Bigger apartment, childcare, more food.

Budget: $6,307/mo
Short: $1,345/mo
Reality check

What can you actually afford in Vermont with $80K?

A realistic monthly breakdown for a single adult — rent in Burlington, food, transport, insurance, and what's left to save. Tuned to the cost of living in Vermont.

Net / month
$4,962
Typical spend
$3,652
74% of net
Monthly leftover
$1,310
26% saveable
Spent 74%Saved 26%
  • Rent in Burlington

    $1,450/mo
    1-bedroom, average neighborhood
  • Food & groceries

    $483/mo
    Cooking mostly, eating out 1–2×/week
  • Car & transport

    $552/mo
    Fuel, insurance, public transit
  • Health & insurance

    $368/mo
    Coverage, dental, prescriptions
  • Utilities & internet

    $224/mo
    Power, water, mobile, broadband
  • Entertainment & dining

    $253/mo
    Streaming, restaurants, weekends
  • Savings potential

    $1,310/mo
    What's left after a typical month
Lifestyle insight

With $80K in Vermont, a single person can generally live comfortably in Burlington while still saving money monthly — enough for vacations, hobbies, and a real cushion.

People love reality. Not just taxes.

Lifestyle & affordability

What life actually looks like on this salary

Lifestyle & affordability in Vermont

$80K in Vermont sits in a real-world context shaped by local rent, car dependency, and US-style health insurance costs.

$80K is a middle-of-the-road income in Vermont — comfortable in mid-cost cities, tighter in the biggest metros.

Outside Burlington, the same paycheck typically goes 15–30% further on housing, which dramatically changes the savings picture.

  • Rent in Burlington drives most of the affordability story
  • A car (and its insurance) is usually a fixed monthly line
  • Employer-sponsored health coverage shapes real take-home
Reality check

$80K works across Vermont, with Burlington requiring the most budgeting.

Lifestyle snapshot

1-bedroom in a decent neighborhood, one car, cooking most nights, modest savings.

Monthly budget for a single adult in Vermont

Comfortable: about 1310/month surplus, enough for steady savings, occasional travel, and modest extras.

Housing (rent + insurance)
$1,450
40%
Transportation
$552
15%
Groceries
$483
13%
Utilities & internet
$224
6%
Healthcare
$368
10%
Entertainment & dining
$253
7%
Misc & personal
$322
9%
Total
$3,652
Surplus / month
$1,310

Savings potential

With a typical single-adult budget, you could put away roughly $15,715/year — about 26% of take-home pay. Cheaper housing or living outside Burlington can lift this significantly.

Savings rate26%

Try your own numbers

All math runs locally in your browser — nothing is saved.

Comfortable
$
$
$
Net / month
$4,962
Leftover / month
$1,310
Rent share
29%

Tip: housing experts suggest keeping rent under 30% of take-home pay. You're at 29%.

Rent share of take-home

Average rent in Vermont: $1,450 (1BR) · $1,750 (2BR).

1BR rent vs net monthly29%
2BR rent vs net monthly35%

Salary ladder in Vermont

  1. $70KComfortable
    Take-home / mo
    $4,426
    Save
    $774/mo
    Pctl
    47th
    $535/mo

    Workable solo outside Burlington; tight inside it.

  2. $75KComfortable
    Take-home / mo
    $4,694
    Save
    $1,042/mo
    Pctl
    51th
    $268/mo

    Workable solo outside Burlington; tight inside it.

  3. $80KComfortable
    Take-home / mo
    $4,962
    Save
    $1,310/mo
    Pctl
    53th

    Workable solo outside Burlington; tight inside it.

    You are here
  4. $85KComfortable
    Take-home / mo
    $5,229
    Save
    $1,577/mo
    Pctl
    56th
    +$268/mo+$268 savings

    Workable solo outside Burlington; tight inside it.

  5. $90KComfortable
    Take-home / mo
    $5,497
    Save
    $1,845/mo
    Pctl
    59th
    +$535/mo+$535 savings

    Comfortable single-adult lifestyle in Vermont.

What changes if you earn more?

Going from $80K to $90K in Vermont:

Take-home / month
+$535
Est. monthly savings
+$535
Rent burden
−2.8pp

Compare $80,000 across countries

Explore other salary ranges in Vermont

Compare with neighboring states
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Common questions

These estimates are approximate and may vary by city, taxes, rent, family size, and personal spending. Use them as a starting point, not a substitute for personalised financial or tax advice.

Last updated: 2026. Estimates use simplified federal + state tax models and median rent figures.