The median household income in NYC is $70,663. We're talking about Manhattan mainly for this job, so let's double that. That's still less than the 150k salary, and this is a single person, not a household.
I promise you, you're not going to be homeless at 150k.
Your mileage may vary, but as a professional of that standing, having invested substantial time and intellectual energy to master my profession, my social requirements, for my spouse, my children, my friends, where we go, what we do, are not going to be satisfactorily met by such an income level in New York City. This doesn't even have anything to do with personal preferences in such matters, but ultimately how one lives and provides for loved ones and the natural company one keeps.
Developers are not children. We are professionals and our profession is in fact one of the more highly demanding cognitive professions.
I don't think many people will claim 150k is market price for a staff engineering position in NYC. But it is more than enough to live in Manhattan. Full stop.
If MoMA or another non-profit offers you a salary than fails to support your lavish lifestyle: don't accept it. Hope that helps.
> a prospective employer first makes you "consent" to a legal agreement before even getting to employment application
What kind of legal agreement are they asking you to sign off before the job application?
Sounds like CloudKitchens. Cloud Kitchens engineering managers cold emailed and then told you to sign an invention assignment agreement just to do the first call with the engineering manager.
No, it's not.