To answer your question yes there are many many people in your situation. What do they do and how do they buy houses? I do not know. Some have parents with money others make enough. Maybe a yerushah and others find other “means”. Some people purchased their houses before it became unaffordable.
The really long term solution is to move out of NYC. Lakewood has areas where the housing is affordable. Cleveland, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Indiana, Miami, Houston and Dallas are nice affordable other out of town communities.