Why can't it be both? Yes, housing regulations are pretty much the root cause of all of the Bay Area's problems (IMO). But at the same time, people making $100

Why can't it be both? Yes, housing regulations are pretty much the root cause of all of the Bay Area's problems (IMO). But at the same time, people making $100k+ aren't helpless, they have all the agency and means to live within their means. This includes making the decision to live with roommates, or perhaps even leaving the Bay Area for saner pasteurs like other commenters in this thread. Earlier, you said the following: "Is that so crazy if you're making 1.5x the national median income?", and I'd like to dig into that a little more. It's not really accurate to compare Bay Area's income with the national median without also considering how the cost of living compares with the national median also. Bay Area new grads are certainly high earners relative to people in Iowa, but they're decidedly middle class relative to their peers in the Bay Area. If you want a proper apples-to-apples comparison of how "HENRYs" ought to live their lives, you need to compare them with people in other parts of America that are also middle class relative to their local peers. Either that, or you have to compare their income to the median income in the Bay Area, which I believe is around $96k. So if you're earning $100k, you're not earning 1.5x the median, you're at the median, and should therefore spend like you're in the median.