TV magic: Data shows some ‘Sex and the City’ characters would have trouble affording NYC IRL

With Sex and the City episodes now on Netflix, new fans are enjoying seeing what Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte were up to in New York City back in the day. 

However, their glam life as seen on TV would have run into some harsh financial realities in real life, according to data crunched by online casino company Nieuwe-Casinos.

Using various sources like the job site Glassdoor, the company put the salary of Sarah Jessica Parker‘s columnist Carrie Bradshaw at around $49,300 per year back when the show premiered 1998.

However, her “lifestyle costs” — which include everything from those Cosmos with the gals to smoking and of course her outfits — were more than $38,500 per year. 

At one point, the company points out Carrie says she spent 40 grand on shoes alone, meaning for all the glamour of the show, her character in reality could never afford it.

As an attorney, Cynthia Nixon‘s Miranda Hobbes’ salary in 1998 would be nearly $90,000, so while her lifestyle expenses would be steep at more than $38,000, she’d have her head above water. 

Kim Cattrall‘s sassy Samantha Jones would be pulling in around $55,000 as a publicist in 1998, though all those drinks, hair appointments and we assume birth control would run her more than $38,400. This doesn’t account for her extensive clothing collection. 

Finally, Kristin Davis‘ Charlotte York was an art gallery owner in 1998, pulling in around $53.5 a year, but minus brunches, taxis and drinks, she’d be left with just nearly $16,000. 

Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.