reno9111

You are much closer to your deliveryman than to fat cats making multi-million dollar salaries on Wall Street. That's the comparison the Author was making.

So you just ignore the list of things that generally people don't get in Manhattan? -A dishwasher

-A in-unit washer and dryer. For many NYC-dwellers, having one's own washer and dryer gives the feeling of having "made it". -A spare bedroom for hosting out-of-town visitors

-Central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

-Enough space to have people over or host dinner parties

-A kitchen area that can fit more than one person

-A comfortable and separate area to work at home

Things that people in almost every "second tier" city get standard for much less than $2000 a month?

Affordable is relative. You can find a good place downtown for ~ $1500 and the quality you get for the price would be mindblowing to NYC or SF residents while still being pricey for Texans. For most people in tech 1500/mo is very very affordable.

This is so silly. Denver, Austin, San Diego, Atlanta etc. are fine cities with vibrant urban cores full of culture and entertainment yet none of them require you to pay 3000$/mo for a decent apartment or pay millions to buy a low tier home. There is a mass delusion that SF/SV and NYC residents seem to have that it is impossible to match their lifestyles without paying astronomical numbers for housing and its just absurd.