“People don’t turn down money! It’s what separates us from the animals.” – Jerry

Seinfeld is one of my all-time-favourite TV shows. Most people were into F.R.I.E.N.D.S (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but I much preferred the self-deprecating jokes of Jerry, George (especially George), Elaine, Kramer, and even Newman (hello, Newman). If you’re unaware of the plot of the show, it’s a show about nothing- four friends living in New York, navigating their tragic love and work lives. But what I never understood is how Jerry, an a comedian working the club circuit, and Kramer, who is perpetually unemployed, could afford to live in Manhattan. Like my Sex & The City and Homer Simpson article, let’s explore that here.

“Who goes on vacation without a job? What do you need a break from getting up at eleven?” – Jerry

Let’s start by talking about Jerry. Whist Seinfeld in real life is a mega multi-millionaire, that’s not the case in the show. In the show, Jerry is a lesser known comedian- and in the 90s comedians couldn’t supplement their income as much as they do now with social media posts and advertising. The New York Times did a study and found that the income range for comedians varied from about $30,000 per year, up to $200,000 a year. Jerry would have been on the lower end of this spectrum, earning about $35,000 per year, Market Watch estimates. This is fairly low, considering that Jerry’s apartment, 129 West 81^st Street, is very close to Central Park, and is thus a prime location. Right now, a one-bedroom apartment in that area costs $3,000 a month. If we work backwards inflation-wise, back in the 90s that would have been about $1,200 a month. This would mean that, after tax, deductions and rent, Jerry would have $14,271 surplus income annually.

“Jerry, just remember, it’s not a lie if you believe it.” – George

If you watch the show, Jerry’s lifestyle is not that frivolous, unlike Carrie Bradshaw. And we know that Jerry has the ability to save as in one episode he buys his dad a Cadillac, which back then would have been more than $30,000. Speaking of cars, Jerry also had his own car, which, considering he lived in central New York, is a big expense. He could have just used public transport like the Subway, as parking in NY is expensive. Jerry drove a BMW, which would have cost about $40,000 back then. So how did he manage to pay for two cars amounting to about $75,000 in total with only a $1,189.25 monthly budget?!

“I’m disturbed, I’m depressed, I’m inadequate. I’ve got it all!” – George

So, Jerry’s lifestyle is not too difficult to comprehend; most of his money goes on rent and his car and he doesn’t do too much else. He mostly eats at home or at that very cheap café and is generally a good saver. But what does baffle me is Kramer- Cosmo is either unemployed, is in the process of suing someone, or is running one of his various get-rich-quick schemes. He is Jerry’s neighbour, so how could he afford it?!

 “Do you have any idea how much time I waste in this apartment?” – Kramer

Kramer has almost had as many random jobs as Homer Simpson; Santa at a department store (which he got fired from for being a communist), a coffee table book author, a guy in police line-ups, the list goes on! All of these seem to not pay that much in terms of salary, and he turns down a lot of pay-outs from his lawsuits in exchange for things like free coffee or a billboard in Times Square. Why would Kramer pass up on so much cash if he has no stable income? This leads me to think…does he come from generational wealth?

“I’m speechless. I’m without speech.” – Elaine

I think the only valid conclusion I can come to is that Kramer’s father or his side of the family has left Kramer a lot of money. His mom works in a restaurant, so it’s probably not coming from her, but we don’t really hear anything about Kramer’s dad. Therefore, the only suitable answer I have is that Kramer’s dad is so rich that Kramer doesn’t care about money and can afford a decent apartment in central Manhattan and doesn’t need a job.

“You got a question? You ask the 8-ball.”- David Puddy

I will continue to review these shows that defy the laws of finance and budgeting, like Seinfeld, Sex and the City, and The Simpsons, but let’s not forget that the writers are very clever in smoothing out these questions by writing in things such as a rental cap, random relative’s inheritance or someone lending them money. But I do think it is funny how most of these shows are in the 90s and in New York, it almost makes me think, “Was it cheap to live in New York back then? Was the 90s just a wealthy time?” I guess until I invent a time machine, I will never know…