Yeah I always think it’s a bit over exaggerated to state you can’t “live” here on less than $100k. Sure life looks very different, but there are ways to do it if you’re determined.

I lived here in my early 20’s on $40k by similarly finding a shitty cheap room to rent for $700, taking the subway everywhere (no cabs), eating on the cheap by cooking / buying in bulk, and I still has a blast! It wasn’t luxury but I still managed to go out a lot (early ticket admission, cheap happy hour deals, pregaming instead of purchasing drinks etc)