To be able to live somewhat comfortably in NYC a single person needs to be making an annual salary of $40,000.00 after income taxes.
If you're a couple you need to have around $80,000.00 per year salary and if you have kids you likely need around $100,000.00 to $200,000.00 to live comfortably and provide for yourself and children.
Rent alone in NYC can be as much as $2,000.00 per month or more depending on the apartment you rent and how many bedrooms.
A 3 bedroom apartment can cost upwards of $4,000.00 per month just for rent alone.
It's very expensive to live in New York City but other parts of New York may be cheaper to live and then commute to the city for a job.