I have to say I see both sides of this question. On one hand it is absurd to ask can I retire on amount that lets you safely withdrawal greater than $100K, when 80% of households make under $100K. Especially so because most statistic focus on gross income, retirement income generally is taxed lowered and there are lower expense (except for healthcare). I'd say as reasonable estimate $120K in wage income is equal to $100K in retirement income.
On the other hand ever since I read Tom Wolfe wonderful book (lousy movie) Bonfire of the Vanities, I am somewhat sympathetic for how is it it to get sucked into high spending. There is a great scene in the book,when the prognostic is doing a household budget in his head. In some ways lots of things he is budgeting for are no different than everybody has to worry about, housing, utilities, car payment, schooling for the kids, gifts, clothes, and vacation and entertainment and retirement saving. There are things that he pays for nanny, housekeeper, personal fitness trainers, masseuse chauffeur, butler, private tutor for the kids that most of us don't have, but everybody in NYC society does. And of course the things he is buying are a bit on the pricy side, Rolls Royce, apartment overlooking Central, Hamptons beach house etc.
Wolfe is such a good writer that by the end of the budget you can understand how it is really difficult to make ends meet if you only make several million a year, and really you need more than $10 million/year (the books was written in the 80s so prices are higher now)