[ska]

I don't think they are missing the point, really - the average income in NYC is still "only" about 100k.

Choosing to live in more expensive parts of the city and for 2.5 times that may open up lots of opportunities, and that's all good. You just are just butting up against the realm where calling yourself middle class becomes silly. People have a weird psychological affinity to self-identifying this way, but "I know a bunch of people who make 10x what I make", isn't really a good argument for it. Having a few million in assets definitely puts you out of the running, which is where you are likely to end up if you have this sort of salary for a while and aren't stupid with it.