There are cost of living calculators that give very basic averages of areas. I can tell when I lived in NC I paid about 30$ for car insurance. But when I lived in Detroit MI I payed about 300$. Monthly. That was about 7-8 years ago. Apartments in my small little town in PA are going for about 1500-1800$ for a 1 bedroom apartment. For healthcare I pay about 200$ a week. That’s for a family of 3.

That’s a large portion of it yes. Don’t forget that 150k salary is before taxes. The cost of food has sky rocketed lately. Don’t forget transportation. If you live in a big city you might take a bus or Metro, but for most Americans there isn’t a good network so add gas, car insurance, and possibly a car payment if you don’t own. And if you have kids get ready for child care expenses, unless you have a stay at home parent… But then you only have one income. Rent, utilities, little glasses for Timmy, cell phone bills and those TV subscriptions you’re slowly sailing the high seas on as they nickel and dime you. It all adds up.

I just want to mention that PRK absolutely cuts something off… It actually cuts the most. LASIK cuts a little, requires very little healing, and leaves flaps from cutting into the eye. PRK cuts off the entire layer and doesn’t leave flaps… It requires way more healing but it’s recommended if you live a very mobile lifestyle like a profession skydive or swimmer etc since the flap could cause issues and mess you up. My husband got PRK in the military because of the “active” lifestyle and the military didn’t (or didn’t at the time) offer LASIK. I’ve been looking to get LASIK and my optometrist actually recommended me ICL. It’s a bit more complicated and expensive however I have very thin cornea layers and the Dr said I was really on the cusp of possibly have permanent dry eyes if I were to get LASIK. Considering it’s my eyeballs that I use to see I’m planning to get ICL because even if it’s more expensive… Eyeballs are important … You know? One other nice thing is in ICL the Dr cuts into the eye and then inserts a permanent lense under a layer of your cornea. So if your eyesight gets worse… They can re-cut… Take out the old lense… And insert one of a stronger prescription without having to cut more and more layers off. Either way my Dr said to wait because I was looking to have kids and the Dr said that having kids can actually permanently change your eyesight. I have an adorable 1yr old now and plan to have just one more… Then I will look to get it done. (Damn adorable kids) Just thought I’d mention that PRK does cut and a little more info for anyone wondering 👍