Barba's salary and monthly average:
I've seen people talk about whether or not Barba could afford the life he seems to live. While there is some grace to be given because of the suspension of disbelief with media, especially in L&O where Liv and Amanda can both afford to be single mothers paying for nice apartments and nannies (not counting all the legal S.O.D.), I am a curious person and a research gremlin, and figured I'd share the information.
We first meet Barba in about 2012, shortly after he's transferred to Manhattan from Brooklyn. It seems like he was still an ADA and working sex crimes. Going based on the fact he tells Liv around the time he leaves that he's been an ADA for 21 years, and they acknowledge that they've known each other for 6 years, he was a 15 year ADA vet in Brooklyn. I'll go over his Brooklyn numbers first.
Note: all calculations are done with the time frame in mind. I'm not giving him the 2026 salary or bills.
Brooklyn (2012)
SeeThroughNY shows in the 2012 Kings County payroll, Brooklyn ADAs and Bureau Chiefs to be earning between $140,000-$155,000. Going at the lower end, let's say he was making approximately $145k, or about $12,082/mo. After taxes, FICA, and health care, his take home would be roughly around $8,350. I say "roughly" because after 10 years, he wouldn't be required to contribute to his pension, but he likely would be voluntarily contributing to his 457(b), we just don't know how much.. The $8,350 puts him voluntarily putting away $1,541 to properly supplement his income after retirement.
Looking at the cost of living in Brooklyn around this time, for a nice 1-bedroom, after utilities, is about $3,250. We know Barba doesn't drive, we know he takes Uber for longer trips (Liv teases him about this, but this is also when he's in Manhattan). Unfortunately, we have no idea where he lives, whether he's someone who takes the Subway or a cab to and from work, etc. We do know he eats out a decent amount while at work. He also wears expensive suits, which need to be drycleaned. His lifestyle would be approximately $1,364/mo, if we're looking at him eating out twice a day during work days, and home for breakfast and weekends, a mix of metro cards and cabs, and his suit maintenance.
If all these calculations are roughly correct, he has an additional $3,736/mo. This gives him plenty of wiggle room for food, transportation, and hobbies, such as knowing he likes to attend the theatre. It would not be out of the question to say he at least has $2k left over, and partially put into savings.
Manhattan (2012-2018)
As I said, he was an ADA for approximately 15 years prior to the transfer, and he's at 21 years when he leaves in around 2018. I already went through my process of calculations and whatnot in the section above. If you jumped to this section, just know these are approximates, as there are many variables we don't know, such as how much he puts away for his 457(b) and where he lives.
In 2012, his annual gross salary was still roughly about $145k (Could have potentially gotten a slight raise of $5k-$10k for the switch to Manhattan, but figured it was easiest to keep it as-is. It wouldn't affect the total too terribly much.) After various taxes and voluntary 457(b), his take-home would be $6,111. His monthly expenses are extremely difficult to calculate, especially as the area of Manhattan changes a lot. Approximately, his lifestyle and CoL would be about $4,614, leaving him with $1,497.
In 2018, he's making more money, at around $171k/year, after the initial stuff being taken out, he'd have around $7,500/mo. Inflation, possibly living in a nicer apartment, and his other cost of living could be approximately $5,800, leaving him with $1,700.
Neither of these includes any calculations of hobbies such as the theater. Again, this can be wildly different depending on where he's living, how he travels, and various other factors we don't know. We don't know if he has any secondary income, or additional bills for things like charity, his mom/grandma (RIP Catalina Diaz), or what have you.
Realism of his lifestyle
His suits are expensive, yes. He's called out by a character in American Disgrace (16x02) for his suit being approximately $2k. But it's important to note that he has a lot of staple pieces, and having quality bases means they will last for years. The thing he has the most variety in is ties. While ties aren't cheap, they aren't a terrible additional expense, especially with his leftover amount each month. The most expensive Hermès ties might go up to $300. But he's also been a lawyer for over a decade. He's had plenty of time to collect pieces. He also likely has savings that he can use on new suits or to tailor pieces if he needs to.
Note that he's also not afraid to spend a lot on staple pieces. I recently posted that his watch is most likely $1.5k-$2k (if not more), but I've only seen him wear this one watch.
So could he afford his lifestyle? Generally speaking, yes. With staples, savings, and selective pieces at a time, he could. Add on some suspension of disbelief through TV magic, he absolutely could.
I'd like to reiterate: there are many variables that I can't accurately calculate. How much he spends on rent, groceries, travel, etc. is impossible to calculate accurately. There's also wiggle room with how much he makes. I leaned toward the lower end of his salary, so he may have more take-home, but it's also possible he spends more.
If there's anything I've gotten incorrect or forgot, feel free to let me know. I want this to be an accurate analysis.
