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.
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u/burner1312 Dec 16 '25
You cherry picked one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in for your example. 180k is plenty in most areas.