Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us what their jobs and salaries are, and how far said salaries get them where they live. Ya know, because we're nosy and want to make some ✨comparisons✨.
Here's what they revealed to us:
1. "I am the Managing Director of a pharmaceutical company in Indiana. I make $175,000/year. The majority of it goes into savings, but I live quite comfortably."
—Anonymous
2. "My job title is SST/504 Plan Coordinator at a school. My current salary is $85,600/year, but this year, I get a temporary cost of living stipend getting me to $91,000 (just for this year). I live in Northern California and pay $1,670 in monthly rent for a one bed, one bath studio apartment. I take dance and music lessons and travel at least once a year. I also regularly attend concerts. Still, I don’t like shopping, so I save most of my money for unexpected situations."
—Anonymous
3. "I work as a Medical Writer in Baltimore and earn $124,000/year. It goes decently far — we own our own small townhouse and live frugally."
—Anonymous
4. "I work as a Host Home Program Coordinator, $47,000/year. My partner is an Apprenticeship Carpenter with a high-end construction company making $45,000/year. We basically live paycheck to paycheck, but our bills are paid with a small rainy day fund. Our family of four lives in a house I inherited — otherwise, we could not live in this area of New Hampshire."
—Anonymous
5. "I'm a therapist and I make $80,000/year working for three different agencies. I live in Arizona so it really doesn't go THAT far. My full-time job nets me roughly $55,000/year which is nowhere near enough, so I work part-time for two different agencies to hit that $80,000 mark."
—Anonymous
6. "I worked as a part-time bookkeeper in California making $26/hour, but I was recently laid off. My job paid for utilities and some of the food, but I'm trying to find a new job that will help me keep my house. Food and utilities? Who knows."
—Anonymous
7. "I'm a Speech-Language Pathologist and bring in $122,400/year. It doesn't get me too far as I live in Northern California."
—Anonymous
8. "I work as a Process Engineer and make $86,500/year having 10 years of experience. This salary goes very far where I live in Southeast US Inflation has hit our area, similar to the rest of the country, but the cost of living here was absurdly low to start with. My wife and I don't frivolously spend — we net around $130,000/year — and we are able to comfortably afford all of our bills and our mortgage. We are able to consistently put money back into savings and toward retirement. We have two young kids who will both be going to private school."
—Anonymous
9. "I'm a Biomedical Engineer in Ohio making $90,000/year. With how much I put in and the healthcare I get, I don’t make enough. I can pay my bills and only have a little fun. Yes, I know how to budget, but budgets don’t dictate health issues."
—Anonymous
10. "I'm a Communications Manager at an insurance brokerage company, and I make $100,000/year. It's not enough money to pay for daycare in Chicago."
—Anonymous
11. "I'm a high school counselor in Iowa. I'm in my fifth year at this job and make $51,000/year. My husband and I are able to pay for a small house. He works part-time and receives disability benefits for being a veteran that help us afford it. We are getting by just fine for now, but given that we want to have kids soon, I'm afraid our budget will be maxed out. I may try to switch jobs to a better-paying school district."
—Anonymous
12. "I work at a university and make $90,000/year. I live in a moderate cost of living area, and it still isn’t enough."
—Anonymous
13. "I live in San Francisco and work as a Staff Attorney for a federal court making $150,000/year. It’s just above the median salary in my city, so I’m still living in a neighborhood that can be dangerous and is largely affected by the opioid epidemic."
—Anonymous
14. "I’m a high school English teacher at a charter school in rural Michigan. I have two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s and I make $40,000/year. I cannot afford rent with my student loans and live in my parents basement at age 28. I also have to pay for everything in my classroom, having no books or other supplies provided."
15. "I'm a sixth-grade teacher in eastern Montana on a Native American reservation. I’ve been at this school for 10 years and I’m currently making around $52,000, which is a salary that works in small-town Montana when you're single. I was able to buy a new car my first year teaching, and I bought my own house about six years ago."
16. "I manage an independent natural soap store and gift shop in Kentucky and make $34,000/year. I have a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and Biology. I’ve made way more money at other jobs, but this one has great benefits, a family-first attitude, and it’s fun. I’ve learned that I can live on less money and that I don’t want to spend one more second working a job that steals my joy."
17. "I am a Regional HR Business Partner for an international manufacturing company and I make $120,000/year with a 10% annual bonus. I have a master's degree and am 10 years into my professional career. I LOVE my job and company. It’s extremely fast-paced, there’s a lot of travel, and the hours can be long, but I’m constantly exposed to new challenges that present opportunities to grow, and I love working with my colleagues."
18. "I'm a librarian making $55,000/year pre-tax. I live in a townhouse in a small northwest suburb of Chicago, and have enough for my essentials and sometimes a small splurge."
—Anonymous
And lastly:
19. "I'm a Business Management Consultant. I make $300,000/year and it's not enough to buy a nice home in the Bay Area."
—Anonymous
Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.