Yeah. I mean, even on the low-end of it, my $45k salary is low but manageable in DC (it's starter salary), meager in NY/SF, but basically enough to raise a family in the other 95% of the country.
Not all metros are NYC/DC/SF level cost though. Even among the 1m+ people metros, my $45k would buy a middle-class life in Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Dallas. Not a fabulous one, but I'd certainly have no issues living there as a bachelor. Probably harder to make ends meet as a family man, but most Dads don't have entry level positions. Maybe my wife would have to work part-time, but it wouldn't be unmanageable. And that's assuming I don't get another raise[1] in my life.
My point is that in most of the country, anyone in the top 4 buckets (which is to say $50k+) is in pretty solid shape.
[1] - By which I mean a performance or experience related raise, promotion, or new job. Obviously that would require small raises to keep up with inflation.
And yet, of the cities you named, Philly is the only one I would even consider living in. Maybe Phoenix if I were desperate, but never anything in Texas.
I live in Memphis, Tennessee. $45k is way above our average household income and yet it's still not a lot of money. Maybe enough to scrape by for a family of four. You're talking about around $3,000/mo after taxes & health insurance deductions. Housing is very cheap here, but it's still going to run $1000/mo+ including taxes and insurance.
I'm pretty sure he means land, once you move away from large cities, prices drop like rocks. The house my grandma lived in Missouri sold for on par with three years worth of rent here in California.
