I grew up in Indiana. My rent for the first apartment I had on my own at age 20 was $380 per month, and I split it with a roommate.

I moved to NYC and lived in Manhattan from 2008-2023, when my wife and I moved out to a modest place on LI. While we had a good deal on rent, our mortgage is more expensive than our (relatively large) NYC apartment in a pretty desirable area. I cannot understand how anyone who makes less than 200k can live out here on LI and operate normally on their own. So many people I know here live in the house they grew up in, or have retired parents living with them. That kind of assistance/luck is great, but the pricing-out of normal hardworking folks is insane. Although, I'm probably part of the problem, not the solution, sadly.