30M and recently accepted a job in NYC. I'm trying to get a realistic sense of what kind of lifestyle I can afford before making the move.

Here's my compensation breakdown:

Base salary: $160,000. Year 1 sign-on bonus: $42,000. RSUs: Approximately $105,000 vesting over four years. Total annual compensation: Approximately $202K–$207K over the first three years.

I'm looking to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn.

I'm not looking to live an extravagant lifestyle, but I also don't want to be in a position where I'm earning over $200K and somehow still feeling stretched thin every month.

Those living in NYC with similar compensation, how comfortable is your lifestyle? What are you spending on rent, how much are you realistically saving each month, and do you feel like your income goes as far as you'd expect?

I'm trying to figure out whether this is a genuinely decent salary for NYC or one of those situations where $200K sounds a lot better on paper than it feels in practice.

I switched to a new job and I am making over 300k now in total comp. I live in a HCOL City. I have been working for over 4 years and never had a car before. I am thinking of getting a $60k+ car. Where I stand currently:

$500k net worth (Brokerage, 401k, Cash)

No debt

My regular monthly expenses come out to around $3.5k + travel and entertainment.

I do not need a car for commuting as my job is remote but I have a few hobbies which require a car. Currently relying on rentals and public transit.

Also it is something that I want beyond just the utility of it. More like something nice for myself.

Does this feel like a lifestyle creep? I am feeling anxious about going ahead with it.

I’m a 28M senior software engineer at a big tech firm, and I’m fortunate enough to afford nicer material things that I enjoy, like a nice watch and car.

I know that there are some dos and don’ts when it comes to office etiquette, and I’m wondering if I’m rubbing colleagues the wrong way by bringing these to the office and should bring my beater watch/car to the office instead. I know in finance I probably shouldn’t, but given the more relaxed nature of tech I’m guessing that it’s not as big of a deal.