As someone raising a family in NYC making slightly under $100,000 I am rolling my eyes HARD at anyone who says you can't live on $250,000. And no I don't have to "put up with indignities", whatever that means.
I think I could easily live on $250k in the boroughs. I don't think it's true for Manhattan. People generally think of Manhattan when they think of NYC.
I know plenty of people who earn under $100k in NYC and have great lives. But none live in Manhattan.
And all my friends who do live in Manhattan have combined incomes of around $250k and they seem to be doing fine, they aren't complaining they are poor at all.
I know several families living in Manhattan around $100,000. Like anything, it's a trade off. hey have very small apartments, can't eat out every night, have to cut down on extras and luxuries, but for some people living in Manhattan is worth giving up other expenses. When I lived in Manhattan my income was between $40,000 and $60,000. I was single and didn't have to support anyone, but I was able to live in decent neighborhoods in Manhattan. I obviously couldn't afford a lot of additional luxuries, but for me living in Manhattan was the luxury. I was always able to pay rent, buy food, pay my bills, etc.
I think inconveniences might be a better word choice than indignities.
I don't even think inconveniences is the right word. People have different preferences.
I don't want to drive, so public transport isn't an inconvenience to me. I get way more annoyed sitting in my car in traffic than I do sitting on the bus or subway.
I don't want to have to take care of a yard, so having no land isn't an inconvenience to me.
I don't want to upkeep a house, so having shared walls isn't an inconvenience to me.
I'm lazy and if I use the dishwasher I hate unloading, so I prefer hand washing 1-2 dishes and putting it away right then, so having no dishwasher isn't an inconvenience to me.
I just find it funny that some people think that city living is so inconvenient and have to "put up with it" instead of thinking that people actually prefer how some things are with city living.
That is a very good point.
I live in a large city, Chicago, and have no plans to move out of an urban area. I do have to drive a lot for my job. I will say that the lack of easy parking is an inconvenience for me. I am trying to see if there is way to spin that into a different preference, but I can't come up with one.