>> "Plenty of single people love life here on salaries of $45-60k, and are even able to save money."
Here's some anecdata: I lived like a king on my $30,000 grad student stipend for years in Manhattan. And maxed out my IRA every year at the same time. The trick is just to get an apartment somewhere uncool, then you're rich.
Yup, Hamilton Heights in fact. Price per square foot as a function of latitude is a pretty flat curve for a long distance north of 125th, so there's no reason to go into the extra deep boonies to save money. I was on 139th on the West side.
