[joshuanomed]

I don't think 10k a month is a reasonable cost of living. It's just what we pay.

Prior to buying a co–op we were paying $8900/month in rent for a 900 square foot two bedroom. Manhattan is certainly an expensive choice to live, but we both walk to work and have 2+ hours a day extra by avoiding commuting.

As for what I do: I solve catastrophically expensive technical problems for companies for a percentage of the savings. My partner works for a large I/T conglomerate. Between us we make enough that $120k/year in housing costs are manageable.