[prottog]

Even in a state with high state income taxes, you're taking home north of $12k a month with a $250k/year salary. There's maybe one city in the country where a young adult (someone with no dependents) is paying half of that, $6k/month, in rent.

No single person making that much money is living paycheck-to-paycheck unless they're doing something really wrong in terms of personal finances.