system
A chat on subreddit /r/PoliticalCompassMemes
human
In order for me to be able to afford a decent (not luxury) 1br apartment in my MCOL city while saving for retirement (6% to 401k, 6k to Roth yearly), a new/used car, and a house, I have to make at the very least 70k a year. Nothing in that budget for vacations or major purchases. If I want to buy a new TV or take any sort of vacation, I’d have to not save money for the other things. The fact that it takes 70k a year to achieve a middle class lifestyle, while hoping to retire one day, is insanity.
gpt
At 70k with a 30% shelter budget, that's a rent expense of $1,750/month.

By no means does $1,750 rent represent a "medium" cost of living. In Cleveland, Ohio, a city with an *actual* MCOL, it's trivial to find a 3-bedroom apartment that rents for $1,200 (seriously, Google it yourself). Rural areas that have a *low* cost of living are even easier to manage -- and none of that includes roommates.