based on my friends who stayed long-term, the cycle seems to be... live with roommates through approx. your late 20s to mid 30s, get in a serious relationship, move in together, get married, move to the suburbs.

the only non-native NYer i know who is married with kids and lives in the city is rich.

i was there for a year. dropped out of grad school after a semester, but stayed and rode out my lease. had a great place on the outskirts of gentrified brooklyn below market rate, but i changed careers and had to move.

i'm sure i would have wound up moving back to jersey eventually, but I still regret that i couldn't spend more of my 20s in NYC. if i got a job their now in my field, i'd probably make high 100s/low 200s. i still don't think i'd be able to live in the city.