Seinfeld: How Kramer Could Afford His Manhattan Apartment

screenrant.com:

One of the major questions throughout Seinfeld's many seasons was how Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) could afford to live in his Manhattan apartment. The famous NBC show was created in 1989 by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David (who also appears in some episodes), and it ran for nine seasons, throughout which Kramer enthuses about several get-rich-quick schemes. However, he never seems to earn enough to afford his lifestyle, and even Jerry comments on it within the show.

When Kramer is first introduced to Seinfeld viewers, he is Jerry's eccentric neighbor who often barges into Jerry's apartment and takes food from his fridge. But while these scenes picture him as a relatively poor man, other scenes show him making hefty sums, albeit through haphazard situations. In «The Subway,» Kramer overhears a conversation about a horse bet and uses it to make a good $18,000. However, most times, Seinfeld's Cosmo Kramer doesn't benefit from his schemes — when he sues Java World with Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris) for burning himself with their coffee, he eagerly says «I'll take it» to free coffee for life before the company can complete their offer of $50,000.

Related: Seinfeld: The Big Problem With Elaine & Puddy's Relationship

Kramer's erratic lifestyle and lack of a steady job beg the question of how he could afford his Manhattan flat. In the early 1990s, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $1,500. By 1998, when Seinfeld ended, the average rent had increased by $1,000. In «The Strike,» Jerry and his friends learn that Kramer had been on strike at H&H bagels for 12 years — he would have been receiving some money this way. Together with the odd earnings from his Calvin Klein commercial or his coffee table book (published by