See how these 24-year-olds spend their 6-figure incomes in New York, California and Bali

Plenty of people would be happy to earn a six-figure salary. 

Though $100,000 may not go as far as it used to, it's still a relatively high income for Americans. The median personal income for 2023 was just $50,310, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. 

Still, personal preferences and local costs of living for necessities like rent, food and transportation make everyone's monthly budget unique — even if they're in a similar income bracket.

Here's how three different individuals, who were all 24 years old when CNBC Make It profiled them, earn and spend their six-figure incomes around the world. 

'Definitely much happier' in low-cost Bali

Steven Guo is an e-commerce entrepreneur living in Bali, Indonesia, who founded several businesses on track to bring in nearly $2 million this year. He'll take home $254,000 himself in 2024.

Still, he chose to move to Bali, Indonesia, to enjoy a high quality of life at a "fraction of the cost" of what it would be in California, where he moved from. 

"I'm definitely much happier in Bali because of how great the lifestyle is," Guo told CNBC Make It earlier this year. Since his living costs are relatively low, he's able to put a large chunk of his income toward his investment accounts. He aims to save $60,000 a year. 

"I typically don't like to spend too much money on myself," Guo said. "Most of my expenses go towards food, but if I do spend money, it's typically towards gifts for family or my girlfriend."

Here's how he spent his money in September 2024.

• Savings and investments: $5,583 toward a Robinhood brokerage account and a Roth IRA
• Discretionary: $1,942 for shopping, gifts, travel and health expenses
• Housing and utilities: $1,691 for his share of a monthly Airbnb rental, Wi-Fi and utilities
• Food: $539 on takeout and restaurants
• Subscriptions and memberships: $430 toward his annual Amex fees, Amazon Prime, YouTube Premium, a personal assistant and a storage unit
• Insurance: $223 on health and travel insurance coverage
• Transportation: $97 on a scooter rental and taxis
• Phone: $30

Buying a house outside of New York

The struggle millennials and Gen Zers have had to buy homes has been well reported. But Sharon Kim, her brother and his wife found a creative solution by pooling their funds to buy a house together.

"I did not ever imagine that I would be living with my brother, with his wife, purchasing a home post-college," Kim previously told CNBC Make It. "I didn't really think it was possible with all the student loans I had and still figuring out my career."

Kim secured a $94,000 salary as a UX designer at a tech company in 2023. She also creates lifestyle content for her YouTube channel, which brought in $51,000 that year. 

She first moved into a 1-bedroom apartment in New York City with her brother and his wife after graduating from college in 2023. But the space was cramped, so they started looking into homes they could afford to buy with their combined funds. 

After a lengthy search and several rejections, the group purchased a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house in the suburbs of New York City for $750,000 in early 2024. 

Her portion of the mortgage is Kim's biggest monthly expense. And at $2,500 a month, she acknowledges she could probably rent an apartment with roommates for the same amount in the city, but owning a stake in the house "feels more worth it," she said.

Here's how she spent her money in July 2024.

• Housing and utilities: $2,876 for her portion of the mortgage, water, oil, electricity and Wi-Fi
• Discretionary: $636 for new bedding, bedroom fixtures and tithe to her church
• Home upgrades: $533 for paint, baseboards and a new showerhead
• Food: $404 on groceries and dining out
• Student loan repayment: $285
• Retirement savings: $216
• Subscriptions: $116 on her gym membership, Spotify, Amazon Prime and Apple Cloud storage
• Phone: $64
• Insurance: $41 for medical, dental and vision

Living frugally as a travel nurse in California

Kevin Levu earned his licensed vocational nurse credentials after joining the army in 2017. He wanted a role that would also give him skills he could apply once he finished his military service. Upon getting out of the army, he started taking classes to become a registered nurse and get a broader scope of responsibility with patients. 

But after seeing the lucrative opportunities for travel nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic, Levu put his studies aside in 2023 to take a contract as a travel nurse at a county jail in Placerville, California. A year later, working on another contract at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California, Levu expects to earn $112,000 by the end of 2024.

"This is the first time I've ever made over six figures compared to my other jobs, and it's just different," Levu told CNBC Make It. 

Though he considers himself a "frugal person," his income has given him more "breathing space" in his monthly budget, which has been a relief, he said. 

When he's not working, "I just stay home, play video games, or I hang around on the beach. I try to keep costs low."

Here's how Levu spent his money in June 2024.

• Savings and investments: $9,063 toward savings, a Roth IRA and a health savings account
• Housing and utilities: $1,450 for a one-bedroom rental
• Food: $836 for groceries and the occasional takeout order
• Discretionary: $534 for household goods and clothes
• Insurance: $379 for health, dental, concealed weapon, auto and life insurance
• Gas: $174
• Phone: $162
• Subscriptions and memberships: $79 for his gym, Netflix, Spotify and Patreon

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