Sorry :(
In the US, especially in NY, 120k or so is starting salary at a startup. Maybe 110k at some. Normal pay for a Sr engineer is 170k -> 220k.
Now if we go into FAANG numbers, double or tripple that as total comp.
But to be fair, there's a lot that your society gives you that we don't get. I currently pay 2k a month for health insurance for myself and my daughter, 3k for me, daughter, and fiance. Companies do better with insurance as they get better. And even with insurance we often pay for many services out of pocket. I pay 2.6k for an apartment and it _IS CHEAP_ because I live an hour away from manhattan, most people pay 4-5k a month for a 1 bedroom, or room with many people.
Also where I live a car is not mandatory but incredibly convenient. Which means another 166/mo for insurance + whatever you pay for the car which can easily end up in the $1000 a month for the car (because parking is not great)
The pay is high, but the cost is high too, it just makes certain things cheap by comparison.
