Real talk on the cost of this lifestyle in NYC - anyone keeping it manageable?

Real talk on the cost of this lifestyle in NYC. Gym, food, gear, bloodwork, ancillaries. Looking at close to $800-1000 a month conservatively. Food alone is $500 when you are eating 4000 plus calories of quality protein. The gear is actually the cheapest part relative to everything else. Anyone in a high cost of living city finding ways to keep the overall spend manageable?

Boston is similar. The food bill is what gets you. High quality protein sources at the quantities we eat add up fast. Costco membership saves maybe $100-150 a month if you buy in bulk. Gear itself is cheap relative to everything else, you are right about that.

UK here but same story. I track spending and protein food alone is around 300 GBP a month. Gym is another 60, bloodwork maybe 150 every couple months. It is genuinely a significant lifestyle cost that doesn't get talked about enough when people consider getting into this sport seriously.

Florida is a bit cheaper for food but not by much when you are eating 4500 calories of quality stuff. I cook big batches on Sunday - rice, chicken thighs, ground turkey - for the whole week. Saves money and time. The grocery spend is still high but at least I am not wasting food.