[morgante]

I went from a net worth of <$50k at age 20 to >$150k at 22, while never being particularly frugal at all. Heck, I didn't even have roommates. My monthly spending averaged $4k/m.

NYC, not SF, but the difference isn't huge.

Most people are atrocious with their money by either overspending or under-optimizing.

[mr_pink]

OK, it all depends on what the cash flow looks like :) You're leaving out that one very important piece of the puzzle...

Also, the average apartment in Manhattan (if you do rent without roommates) is pretty close to your cited figure for total monthly expenses. Which means you either lucked out, or seriously compromised on your living arrangements.

[morgante]

> OK, it all depends on what the cash flow looks like

I was making $150k/yr, which is pretty standard for a developer in NYC.

> Also, the average apartment in Manhattan (if you do rent without roommates) is pretty close to your cited figure for total monthly expenses.

I take it you don't live in NYC. The average is a useless metric because it's distorted by millionaires and billionaires. Just go on Craiglist and you'll find plenty of suitable apartments in the $2-3k range.

Nobody I know pays more than $3k/m for their apartment. Heck, my friend just rented a beautiful luxury single-bedroom for $2.8k.

In my case, I chose to go for a non-luxury apartment for $1.8k/m. This was definitely a deal, but even though it wasn't luxury there was plenty of space and I even had a back yard.

[mr_pink]

> I take it you don't live in NYC.

I do.

> Nobody I know pays more than $3k/m for their apartment.

Few people I know pay under. We live in parallel dimensions I guess.

> In my case, I chose to go for a non-luxury apartment for $1.8k/m.

I don't know what NYC you live in, but this is non-existent AFAIK. I know someone who went all the way to Rego Park (this is really far from Manhattan) to rent a 1BR for $2.5k.