They say "money doesn't buy you happiness," but we did the math. Here's the annual salary you need to earn to be content in Michigan.

Let's put aside, for a moment, the debate about whether money can buy you happiness or not. What if it really could? Precisely how much would it take?  GoBankingRates shared research data collected in a 2018 Purdue study to get a better understanding of how happiness relates to money. They found "the ideal income for life satisfaction in North America is $105,000," with residents of Southern and Midwestern states having a better shot at happiness, "as they are spending less on annual expenditures than other parts of the country."

How did we rate? Michigan came in at 10th on the list, overall, ranked least to most expensive and ranked lowest in our region, with people needing to earn $94,290 a year to be "happy," and between $53,880-$67,350 for "emotional well being."

Annual Salary Needed To Be Happy

Author Louise Penny gets the final say:

The only thing money really buys?...Space. A bigger house, a bigger car, a larger hotel room. First-class plane tickets. But it doesn't even buy comfort. No one complains more than the rich and entitled. Comfort, security, ease. None of them come with money.

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