>>thfura+(OP)
DC takes 8.5% of anything over 60k. That's just one city. You could live in Yonkers and pay through the nose for city and state income taxes. If you have a family and pay for health benefits, that comes out of your paycheck, too. All that is before federal income tax. Some states tax your health benefits as income, too so your state-reported income is higher than your federal.