How either of us defines major metro areas doesn't matter anyway, because the median household income in NYC is in line with the rest of the country, in the low 50s[1]. San Francisco's is around 65k[2]. If you're earning $120k, you're not "barely middle class", you're "doing well".
[1]https://project.wnyc.org/median-income-nabes/
[2]http://citylab.news21.com/data/types/19/