Oddly specific I know lol, but hear me out. I know how much you need to make to feel "comfortable" in this city is very subjective but I want to hear a few different opinions.

I currently make $120k a year as a UX designer at a small startup (<4 years of experience). I know I could be making more in NYC, but I absolutely love my company and coworkers, and I also enjoy the flexibility of being fully remote. I currently live with 2 roommates in Williamsburg and pay $1350 for my room, but I'm thinking of looking for my own place around October or November.

I would say I feel very comfortable with my current life given my current lifestyle. Working for years as a teacher with a lot of student loans before changing careers made me VERY frugal. I am militant about meal prep and eating out only once a week. I go to a cheap gym and don't buy clothes often. A lot of my socializing involves hanging out on my rooftop or in McCarren Park, or TV/board games with friends. I do go out for drinks 1-2 times a week, travel a couple of times a year, and go to parties like Wrecked every other month or so, but even with that I'm able to save quite a bit of money each month (student loans are paid off thank goodness!).

I'd love to get a cute studio in Bushwick, Ridgewood, or Bed Stuy. Given my current salary and what I've written about my spending habits, does this seem reasonable? For people earning similarly and living alone, how comfortable do you feel? Are you able to save quite a bit? My two roommates both make 6 figures and claim they can't afford to live alone, but in my opinion their spending habits are questionable at best...