chastising Zohran mamdani over his monthly rent is silly - here’s why

In a previous post, I mentioned how mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani was “called out” for living in a $2,300 rent-stabilized apartment while earning $140,000 a year as a state assemblyman.

What struck me most wasn’t the story itself—it was how quickly people attempted to treat this like a scandal. It made me realize how far removed many are from the actual cost of living as a renter, or how little understanding there is of what “affordable” really means anymore.

Let’s look at it plainly.

Say someone earns $100,000 a year and rents an apartment for $2,000 a month, paying for their own electricity and internet. After a standard 25% tax withholding, that’s about $75,000 in take-home pay—or $6,250 a month. Subtract $24,000 for annual rent, and you’re left with $51,000. Utilities? Around $3,600 a year ($2,400 for electricity, $1,200 for internet), leaving $47,400.

Add work transportation—about $2,200 annually for public transit or closer to $7,600 if you own a car and factor in gas, insurance, and maintenance. Then groceries, pet care, healthcare, recreation, debt payments, and unexpected expenses. Even using conservative numbers, there’s not much left over. And that’s for a single person, without childcare or dependents.

Understanding that Mamdani is married and likely living in a dual-income household, it’s clear he’s living within his means—as he should, and as everyone should have the opportunity to. Let’s also remember that rent-stabilized units make up nearly half of New York City’s rental inventory, don’t require restricted incomes, and we don’t know what he was earning when he first moved in.

If Mamdani’s rent was $2,300 but not rent-stabilized, would this even be a conversation? Probably not. It’s a case of using a buzzword without understanding what it actually means. And honestly, the people who tried to make this an issue ended up revealing just how far removed they are from current rental realities.

And that’s the real disconnect in these conversations. Historically, the people in positions of power have limited knowledge themselves of the intricacies and realities of the broad rental landscape and instead, focus on pointing fingers and making headlines. Until we pause to consider how broken a system must be when stability itself becomes a privilege, housing will remain a talking point instead of a right.