$2k/month is $24,000/year, at which income the IRS does not take nearly as much. According to the IRS calculator, he would be paying $1,628 in income tax. Add in payroll tax and that's $3308 total. So his after-tax income is not far off from $2k at $1724/month.

Assuming he has roommates, his rent and other fixed costs will be less than $1k, so he will be ok, if rather Bohemian.

I mean spending $2k/month on everything, not living on a $2k gross salary. Plenty of people in less-well-compensated industries do that, though— it just means more compromises in terms of living arrangement or commute or neighborhood safety or ...

You can even own a modest apartment on that salary: http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/789809-coop-3131-grand-concou...

My Manhattan living expenses at the moment are about $1000/month (rent, utilities, monthly metro card, and phone plan). It's not really all that hard.