The only problem is that when the median income is $150K and the median home price is $500K in a community, everything is more expensive in that community. If we had our income and our home in some areas of the country, we would be living well.

The real problem arises with college financial aid and FAFSA. They don't take into account where you live and a reasonable approximation of your expenses. Some schools ask for the CSS Profile and other info and do take your location into account - location makes a lot of difference to whether one is affluent or not.

In any case, while there is a lot of excess in this area, there are also plenty of folks who aren't the flaunting, nouveau riche types.