It's not tongue-in-cheek. This is a real issue in NYC, less so the further out you go in the boroughs. To break it down further:

* Dishwasher is much more common these days.

* In-unit laundry: Sometimes you'll find an in-unit washer, but no dryer. If there is an in-unit dryer, you have to ask whether it's a 110V electric or a true 220V vented. If it's the former, lower end models can take up to 4 hours to dry a small load. We had an in-unit washer, but just hung our clothes to dry and saved money instead of buying an in-unit dryer. Often times, you'll have no washer or dryer and simply take your laundry to a neighborhood coin-operated laundromat. If you're lucky, you might have coin-operated laundry facilities in the building.

* Central air is still a rarity. Most of the older housing (i.e. apartment) stock use radiator heating and window AC units.

The original article complained about not having these amenities in NYC. Much of the housing stock in the 5 boroughs is too old.

Why would it be?

Because that's a terrible price for what you get anywhere in the US except for a few metro areas.

"There are $100k used cars, many with functioning windows, heaters, and airbags!"

This entire thread is specifically about the NYC metro area. My reply was about Jersey City and Hoboken, which are directly across the river from Manhattan. The apartments I'm describing are literally only 1 to 3 miles from Manhattan, hence the short commutes I also mentioned. I really don't see why my reply would be interpreted as tongue-in-cheek.

> Because that's a terrible price for what you get anywhere in the US except for a few metro areas.

Yeah, but those metro areas are where the good income opportunities are disproportionately located.

Cars can be moved around (that’s pretty much the whole point of them) so their prices tend to be pretty similar in different areas. Housing can’t move so the price can vary enormously from place to place. This shouldn’t be a surprise at all.

People with teenager-level jobs outside of NYC can afford the kinds of basic appliances that you need a fancy job to get in NYC. New Yorkers are just really numb to it.