Graphic by me, this is the cost to live ALONE in Manhattan, New York according to MIT's living wage calculator. A few important notes…
In the real world, many people around/under this salary in Manhattan live with roommates (to save, spend more on "fun", and/or to handle other debts)
I find the grocery estimate ($560/mo) and transport estimate ($330/mo) to be high, especially considering Manhattan's excellent public transit. A transit card (subway+bus) is $132/mo. and would give back $200 towards savings, fun, or debt.
MIT's calculator did not accurately account for enough taxes (missing state/city?), so I used the smart asset tax calculator + MITs estimated expenses to create a solo "living wage". This is why the actual wage shown is higher than MIT's calculator.
Posted by TA-MajestyPalm