Manhattan is Expensive (duh)

One of the persistent challenges in New York City is money. Not just having enough of it, but dealing with the guilt of how expensive it is to survive here, the reality that the same money could go a lot farther just about anywhere else.

Tim Keller, head pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC, told me and the other church planting fellows that when he first came to New York to plant a church, many in his denomination were angry, calling his large salary a waste of resources. Even so, he and his wife ran out of money early on and had to live very lean (they couldn't afford to do laundry!) before the church had grown enough to warrant asking for more.

All of which is why it was very comforting to see a recent report, cited widely, from the Center for an Urban Future, which states that, in order to be considered middle class (not upper middle class) in Manhattan, an individual must make $123,322 a year, compared to $50,000 a year in Houston  or $72,772 in Boston. This report clearly states what I already knew and makes it a little easier to live with the resources we need to get our church off the ground.

PS There's an interesting income calculator at cnn.com where you can compare cost of living for a bunch of different urban areas. Check it out!

PPS Here's a funny (kind of) article about how President Obama's proposed $500,000 limit on executive pay actually isn't a lot in NYC.