Lower/middle/upper-class isn't just based on the relative distribution of income 10 miles radius of where you live. Some areas have different proportions of lower, middle, and upper class.
People in high-cost areas are quick to scale everything against the cost of living, but forget that cost-of-living is a economic signal of very high value for living there.
It's not that middle class is $170k. It's that the Bay area has a larger proportion of middle and upper class than other areas.
Lower/middle/upper-class isn't just based on the relative distribution of income 10 miles radius of where you live. Some areas have different proportions of lower, middle, and upper class.
People in high-cost areas are quick to scale everything against the cost of living, but forget that cost-of-living is a economic signal of very high value for living there.
It's not that middle class is $170k. It's that the Bay area has a larger proportion of middle and upper class than other areas.