A Brooklyn Software Engineer Earns $159,000. Lifestyle Creep Still Left Him $30,000 in Debt.

Devonte Duncan, 27, is a Brooklyn-based software engineer with an annual base salary of $159,000, according to Business Insider. His story underscores a practical reality for high earners in expensive cities: income can rise while financial pressure still grows. Duncan says his monthly take-home pay is $7,752 after tax and other contributions, while his Brooklyn apartment is $3,450 a month.

The reader takeaway is clear: a strong salary does not automatically create financial security if fixed costs and social spending rise at the same time.

Duncan studied physics at City College for three years before dropping out after his college experience became unsustainable and he lost a merit scholarship. He then attended the Marcy Lab School, described in the article as a year-long software engineering fellowship. His first job after the fellowship paid almost six figures, and he now says he has no plans to return to college.

The career lesson is not that every dropout path works, but that skills-based training and a clear employment goal can matter heavily in tech careers.

Duncan shares a two-bedroom, two-bathroom Brooklyn apartment with his fiancée; she contributes a flat $1,000 toward rent, while he covers the rest plus about $500 a month in utilities. His transportation costs include a $450 car payment, $208 in insurance, about $90 for gas, and around $50 for MTA trips into the city. Food typically runs about $600 a month, split between groceries and eating out.

He also spends on hobbies and experiences, including up to $300 a month on OpenBorough.NYC, a civic dashboard project, and a $3,000 two-week trip to Japan earlier in the year.

Duncan says lifestyle creep showed up in habits like picking up dinner tabs, going on trips, and buying items such as an electric skateboard. He took out a debt consolidation loan of about $30,000, with a monthly payment of about $947. The loan carries about 17% interest, compared with nearly 25% on the credit cards he had been paying.

His main rule now is to create friction: he sets aside 10% from every paycheck into savings, keeps bills in another account, and moves his food budget into a separate account. He also says he contributes 10% to his 401(k), receives a 4% employer match, and saves about $15,900 annually.