[john_strinlai]

>I know people living pretty well on that in New York City.

median asking rent in 2026 for NYC is $3616/mo ($43,392/yr) meaning rent alone would be 60% of that income, assuming that the $72.5k figure is after taxes (which it probably isnt).

if you take taxes off, you're probably at like 55-60k. that means rent alone is 70%-77% of income!

"living pretty well"?

[rafram]

Yes, because you really don't have to pay that much. Those expensive apartments go to people who aren't very price sensitive (either because they actually have the money, or because they want to live it up in their 20s/30s and are spending beyond their means) or who are willing to live with enough roommates to make it affordable. If all you can find is a $3.5k unit, you'll need to get a roommate. But you can find better if you put in the work and look beyond StreetEasy.

The median household income in New York City is only $81,000 per year! People make it work!