Can a Air Traffic Controller afford to live in New York?

Excellent48% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Air Traffic Controller · New York
$154,877
Income tax (~38% effective)
United States
– $59,147
Take-home pay
$7,978/mo
$95,730
Living costs (1 person)
$4,120/mo · curated
– $49,440
Savings potential
$3,858/mo · 48% of take-home
$46,290

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Monthly cost breakdown · New York

Rent (1-bed)$2,600
Groceries$480
Dining out$380
Transport$130
Utilities$140
Entertainment$250

High rent but better transport than SF. Monthly expenses ~$4,100 for single professional.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in New York? →Compare New York with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Air Traffic Controller, adjusted for New York.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~38%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: hand-curated local budget for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.