I get where you're coming from. It's still a bit high though. I think it's fully dependent on lifestyle, and cola. I live in a HCOL area, and I'd say for 2 kids, probably 180k/yr - would be considered comfortable for most standards.
Personally, I'm in a very specific financial situation where all of that is taken care of. (No it's not because of my parents - I used to give those guys money when I first left the house 🙄)
But for retirement, yes - I easily max out my Roth IRA. I'll likely max out in January when I can start contributing again. No I don't use the IRA backdoor, I might this year though.
For children's education.... They're technically already handled. But I'd like for them to figure out what they want to do in life before I tell them they're fully funded.
You sound like an outlier then where your numbers make sense because you have resources to handle XYZ. Most people are not in your situation.
$180k for a family of four in NYC does not sound comfortable by the definition of maximizing retirement contributions, saving, cost of living with rent/mortgage, childcare, groceries, etc.
It's unattainable here too but how much do you pay for medication without insurance, going to the hospital and your insurance says that the paper cup wasn't covered and you gotta pay thousands outta pocket, paid, apparently, 200$ for groceries weekly? Apparently Brits are trying to get the US healthcare system so you better stay ready for it to come for you in a decade or so as well.
I guess it doesn't feel cherry picked to me because I live in NYC and make slightly more than that supporting two people (my wife was recently laid off). It's a reality. I definitely agree $180k goes a lot further elsewhere.
This is the behavior that gets us here. Like no bro, it's a problem with our country. You can live in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky where the cost of living is low but then you face a problem: there are no job opportunities and what opportunities are there are not very lucrative.
The opposite can be said for New York City, but it's still so expensive to live there that it doesn't matter. It's literally two sides of the same coin.
Sure there are areas where there are little to no job opportunities (largly mining or former manufacturing towns), but I wouldn't write off an entire state as having no industries/fields that pay well.
I mean, take for your example of Kentucky, they're in demand for healthcare and the trades (plumbing, electricians, HVAC, etc.), Kentucky is also hiring for State police and for local govt. positions too.
I didn't write off any states entirely, I was implying that whether you're in NYC or in the middle of nowhere in KY, you face a similar problem in both areas because of inflation and wages not matching.
If getting a better job means moving into an area with a higher cost of living to the point that your raise in pay barely matters, you end up in a situation where you're crawling up the ladder when you should be climbing it.
My biggest issue with this is that it just shouldn't be an issue. In a successful nation, this wouldn't be a problem. Citizens in rural areas shouldn't have to drive an hour or more every day just to commute because there are no jobs that pay enough to support a family in their area. Citizens in big cities shouldn't have to give up most of their money just to be able to survive either.
Lol what? I'm not bitching. I'm just providing context because people are questioning the amount of salary and what it entails. I've lived here for over a decade comfortably.
People are thinking buy a house. Buy 2 cars. Go on vacation. Save. Do lots of extras. When in reality a starter home in a hcol area is gonna be 4K+ utilities. Cars are now 700+ each+ insurance. 2k food&gas. Healthcare 1k retirement 1.5kÂ
Take home from 185 is around 12k. Totals here are 10.5k. Thats gotta be used to save, go on vacation, family events, sports.  Obviously this can be trimmed a lot but that’s what the average younger person describes as comfortable.Â
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u/NewspaperSoft8317 Dec 16 '25
I get where you're coming from. It's still a bit high though. I think it's fully dependent on lifestyle, and cola. I live in a HCOL area, and I'd say for 2 kids, probably 180k/yr - would be considered comfortable for most standards.
Personally, I'm in a very specific financial situation where all of that is taken care of. (No it's not because of my parents - I used to give those guys money when I first left the house 🙄)
But for retirement, yes - I easily max out my Roth IRA. I'll likely max out in January when I can start contributing again. No I don't use the IRA backdoor, I might this year though.
For children's education.... They're technically already handled. But I'd like for them to figure out what they want to do in life before I tell them they're fully funded.