I live with one other person. Combined rent is less than $2k / month for a good sized 2 bedroom apartment a block and a half from a big subway hub. We have a

I live with one other person. Combined rent is less than $2k / month for a good sized 2 bedroom apartment a block and a half from a big subway hub. We have a full size grand piano in the living room and it's still spacious. The kitchen is also a pretty good size (at least by Manhattan standards). I suppose some might call this modest. But I wouldn't consider it "very modest". I also have friends who live in the city fairly comfortably on as little as ~30k / year.