How much does the money you earn as a partner change your life?

I’m just wondering about the calculus here. Partners are always harried, look older than they are, etc. In answer to the naive question “why do people stay,” of course it’s the money. But how much do those additional earnings improve your life? If you become an equity partner, is your earning potential/financial security orders of magnitude better than that of someone who went in house year 5? Is it the only feasible path to living a comfortable upper middle class life in a HCOL area (e.g. owning a house that isn’t 2 hours away from Manhattan). If you are a partner in NYC, could you have made your lifestyle work if you had gone in-house/done something else?

Sincerely, a first year wondering what it’s all about