I wasn't talking about car salesman that work in SF proper. Yes, 1 hour from there is basically still pretty expensive. But if you can work anywhere 30 minutes outside SF, and then live another 45 further, you own a home. And yes any decent car salesperson is making $100k. I made on average $250k but I was a bit better than top 1%, and I know a few that made more. I suppose you could say I only socialize with high performers. Sure every car dealer also has a few people that struggle to pay their apartment rent. The industry is setup for an good salesperson to support a family. If you can outperform average by 2x, which is possible if you're really on it, you can make 2x+ that amount. Same applies to mechanics that are good at their craft.