I live in southern California, just off of a military base. Originally I was living in in off base housing but after becoming a contractor, I moved into a warehouse to work on my prototypes. I only live here because that is where the military contractor I work for stationed me, I could have ended up anywhere else in the world (and god do I wish I had ended up in Japan, the cost of electronics there alone would make it worth it). My warehouse is honestly pretty bare bones. The living space itself is an office on the second floor converted into a small apartment, with the main warehouse floor taken up by my equipment and various tests and prototypes. Most of my money goes right back into improving the warehouse so I can get closer to achieving my goal.
I earn my money through my military contractor job. I got hired by a military contractor fresh out of engineering school because of my expertise in robotics and mechanical engineering. While it doesn't pay the crazy amount I wish it did, I still make more than enough to live comfortably while funding my experiments and prototyping. I've spent almost every additional penny on machinery, tools, and equipment. I do however spend some extra cash for model kits, the one thing I do in my free time, not only for the fun of the hobby, but they are the inspiration for what I want to eventually make a reality in this world. The model kits I buy specifically are gundam model kits (usually MG kits because they are the best mix of detail and size for the price)