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Comment by chrsw | Hacker News Reader

I was wondering why in my neck of the woods a small 2 bedroom has a mortgage of about $4500/mo.

The number of luxury condos in big cities has always confused me. I guess the market is dual-income couples with high salaries? Even coming from the software world, I wonder what these people do. Finance?

> the market is dual-income couples with high salaries

This is some kind of memic impossibility. It's impossible to move into a city for a high paying job AND have a partner AND the partner earning a lot too. The closest I've ever been was when my job and the relationship disintegrated at the moment the partner got such job after over 5 years of searching, and I really don't feel like trying again ever.

One partner does remote work, and the other moves for a job? That seems trivial and not particularly unusual.

Haven't encountered anything like this.

Most of these couples are people who grew up in and/or have strong networks in those cities to begin with.

Such couples have something inherited or presented by parents.

Or they are immigrants. I am an immigrant myself and in my circles, >90% are married by the time they are 35.

As much as it pains me to say, people with good salaries can sometimes meet other people with good salaries in their city and fall in love.

This is scenario in realm of possibilities of a Disney fantasy. Well off woman will not look for sharing in half high living costs. If you haven't learned this yet, you will.

My dude, all it takes is for a 27yo Product Manager to fall in love with a 28yo Software Engineer. Or two lawyers. Etc. At least half the couples at my daughter’s school are dual income.

Male to female ratios at most of my workplaces so far had been maybe 10 to 1 or worse and the ladies weren't looking at all, at least not at the workplace. Companies could hire more PMs, POs, Scrum Masters, and "workplace animators", but it's not their job to associate couples. Lawyers... whoa... you better be from an appropriate family then it just works, otherwise it just doesn't.

Who said anything about finding a partner at your workplace? Your work shouldn’t be your dating pool for many reasons. Generally you meet someone outside of work. And … if you aren’t finding a professional that makes good money, I’d perhaps look inward. Really not that hard to find, despite your insistence it’s some sort of fantasy.

What bubble do you live in? I live in SV and can easily count 30-40 couples with a well-off woman and a well-off man in my social and professional circles, mostly where they both work in tech. That number will go up if I think harder.

European Union. Few capitals, and various major cities with around 500k inhabitants.

Often they’re not luxury, they’re “luxury,” which means 1970s shitbox with asbestos popcorn ceilings and a fresh coat of paint. Aka, it’s the price that’s luxury, not the condo.

I guess it's all relative, but when I say "luxury condo" I'm thinking of $800k–$1M new construction with fancy appliances. Honestly not my particular taste. But when I see 30-somethings coming out of these buildings walking their dogs and pushing a stroller, I just can't figure out how the math works out.

I was describing one for $750k. What you mention are two million in our neighborhood. Math sure doesn’t work for me even with a good job.

At that level I think the only possible answer is generational wealth (must be nice)

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