Arxiv is run by Cornell, which is in Ithaca NY. Upstate NY a $500k a year salary would literally buy you a mansion. Ithaca right by the college is pretty expensive by upstate standards because of houses being converted to multi-family units to rent. But Ithaca for $500k is buying you a big house walking distance to downtown, if you go out of the city $500k is buying you a big house with a large amount of land.
But the government will steal $250K of it right off the bat. And then probably another $50K because at least in CA you get double-taxed both when earning and when spending.
10.25 percent (highest sales tax rate in CA - 1) of 250k is closer to 31.25k. State and fed taxes income taxes are around 45% but I'll grant you there's other hidden fees (social security and others)... luckily hidden fees are now illegal in CA.
You can easily get a mortgage for 3x income and 4x isn't that hard. So $500k can buy a $1.5m house with no problem. $500k income is easy to buy a house forth $500k cash after a couple years.
