🌱 How should you budget and invest your first salary in an expensive city?

Landing your first real job in a high-cost city like NYC is a huge milestone. But figuring out how to stretch an $80k salary across rent, life, and savings can be daunting.

The original poster expected to take home about $4,800/month after taxes and deductions. We use this to build a realistic monthly budget.

In an expensive city, housing eats up a large chunk of your paycheck. Keep your fixed costs manageable so you still have room for fun and future goals.

Let's estimate your monthly spending. A single room in a shared NYC apartment runs about $2,000, with another $1,000 for groceries and transit, plus $800 for going out.

You start with a solid $10,000 emergency fund from college savings. Since you might move abroad in a few years, keeping cash accessible is smart. You still want to invest whatever is left over each month.

This view was inspired by:

• invest-var-01kx8b

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