It depends heavily on location. There are some non-metro areas where $50k is probably still sufficient.

A thoughtful person can find ways to reduce their costs significantly.

What counts as a decent living from your perspective? $50k? $100k per annum? 

cryotosensei

The reality is that it's still not particularly hard to make a decent living in large swaths of the country, but you have to use your own judgement to find the way.