A study conducted by Chicks Gold determined whether or not the characters in Sex and the City would be able to afford their lifestyles in 2025
The hit HBO series Sex and the City turns 27 this June, just one week after Season 3 of the spinoff series And Just Like That premieres May 29 on HBO Max.
The series stars Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, and Kristin Davis as Charlotte York.
The iconic romantic comedy-drama series, based on the 1996 book of columns by Candace Bushnell, follows four women in their 30s as they navigate love and friendship while living in New York City. A study conducted by Chicks Gold tried to answer fans’ number one question: Would the women be able to afford their glamorous lifestyles today?
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The research team at Chicks Gold used data from Glassdoor, Numbeo, and Expatistan to determine how much each character’s lifestyle would cost today compared to when the show premiered in 1998, and whether or not they would be able to afford their lavish lifestyles in 2025.
Of the four main characters, Carrie’s lifestyle is the most unrealistic. Adjusted for inflation, her lifestyle of dining out, top-shelf cocktails, luxury fashion, and smoking cigarettes would cost $81,798 a year today.
As a weekly newspaper columnist, she would make around $84,000 annually in the 2020s, which only leaves $2,202 for living expenses, including $50,988 for her rent-controlled studio apartment on the Upper East Side.
In season 4, Carrie reveals she only has around $900 in her checking account and $40,000 worth of shoes, making it clear that she couldn’t afford her lifestyle even in the early 2000s.
Miranda and Samantha both work high-paying jobs, which makes their lifestyles a bit more realistic in the show and in real life. Miranda is a partner in a law firm, and Samantha runs her own public relations firm, which would earn them well over six figures in 2025.
Charlotte, who is a self-proclaimed WASP and presumably comes from money, works at an art gallery for most of the series and lives rent-free in the Park Avenue apartment she inherited during her divorce from Trey, making her more likely to be able to afford her cushy lifestyle.
The study also estimated the yearly costs for expenses other than basic necessities like rent, utilities, and groceries.
For example, dining out roughly three times a week would now cost the women around $14,430 a year, going out for cocktails around three times a week would ultimately cost $6,864 a year today, and buying a bottle of wine at least twice a week would add up to about $2,080 a year.
Additionally, getting coffee with friends five times a week would cost $1,820 a year, and going out for brunch at least twice a week would set them back $1,976 a year.
Hailing a cab at least once a day would cost $1,768 annually, and their gym memberships would cost around $1,959.72. Throughout the series, the women also spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury clothing, shoes, and accessories.
Due to inflation and rising cost-of-living expenses, their lifestyles would cost them around $80,000 a year today each, compared to around $38,000 in 1998.
According to Chicks Gold CEO Al Alof, “Due to the characters’ expensive taste in fashion and their active social lives, it would be a stretch for them to be able to afford their lifestyles today.”
“However, even in 1998, it was unrealistic for the characters to be able to afford to live so extravagantly,” he added, “Because of this, the show is virtually an escape from reality, which is likely why Sex and the City is still so popular today.”
Season 3 of And Just Like That premieres on May 29 on HBO Max.
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