Here's how much you need to earn to live comfortably in 15 major US cities while still saving money

City life is expensive, but just how expensive?

Using the Economic Policy Institute's family budget calculator, which accounts for two parents and two kids, research engine FindTheHome created a cost of living index to compare over 600 US metros.

They then analyzed the data in 15 major cities to determine a suggested take-home household income to live comfortably in each area using the "50-30-20 rule" of personal finance, meaning 50% of after-tax, take-home pay goes to necessities (such as housing, food, childcare, healthcare, and transportation), 30% towards discretionary spending, and 20% towards saving.

Note that these numbers are suggestions based on the available data. They are meant for a four-person family and suggest a generous amount of annual savings, which may not be preferred or possible for some families.

Scroll down to see the suggested take-home income for 15 major US metro areas, plus the estimated annual cost of necessities, discretionary spending, and optimum savings.