Young New Yorker looking to escape somewere cheap? (Chicago, Manhattan: fit in, apartments)

[LarryPotter]

I've lived in New York way too long. I'm turning 22 in a month, I have two jobs right now trying to save as much as possible, and I can barely even afford rent in this city like alot of other people. Although the people saying they can't afford their rent are talking about $2000+ apartments. I've been heavily considering leaving and have thought of places like seattle, portland, or chicago. I don't have a college degree yet although I have a nice resume having worked for start ups, the ferry, and a few other places. I'm a photographer as well so I will soon have a second smaller income.

What i'm asking is from your experiences.. What would be the most affordable place (Cost of living, Rent, Groceries) that isn't extremely suburban? I'd be moving with no job or apartment in mind but It's not hard for me to get hired and I can rough it if I need to.

-I don't mind crime, as I've lived near the projects many times and while it isn't normal it isnt out of the ordinary.
-I'd prefer a city that isn't too small but comfortable for a dark skinned person to fit in. Music scene, art scene, and nightlife doesn't have to be amazing but i'd rather it not be non-existant
-Id love somewhere you could go maybe just half an hour out and find miles of woods or rivers or mountains. Something scenic.
-Just as long as it isn't constantly snowing or EXTREMELY cold, I'll be happy. I don't mind rain or gloomy skies or heat.

I'm desperate for any ideas you guys have. I have half a mind to just save up whatever, get a car, and just travel from place to place. (Romantic idea, prob expensive though)

[NealIRC]

Regarding your The Bronx location,

Is the Bronx largely Puerto Rican? Chicago's Puerto Rican area is Humboldt Park. The Latin Kings from New York branched off from the Latin Kings here, and Humboldt Park is their headquarters.

[mjtinmemphis]

Have you considered Baltimore, Cleveland, Philly or St Louis?

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by LarryPotter

I've lived in New York way too long. I'm turning 22 in a month, I have two jobs right now trying to save as much as possible, and I can barely even afford rent in this city like alot of other people. Although the people saying they can't afford their rent are talking about $2000+ apartments. I've been heavily considering leaving and have thought of places like seattle, portland, or chicago. I don't have a college degree yet although I have a nice resume having worked for start ups, the ferry, and a few other places. I'm a photographer as well so I will soon have a second smaller income.

What i'm asking is from your experiences.. What would be the most affordable place (Cost of living, Rent, Groceries) that isn't extremely suburban? I'd be moving with no job or apartment in mind but It's not hard for me to get hired and I can rough it if I need to.

-I don't mind crime, as I've lived near the projects many times and while it isn't normal it isnt out of the ordinary.
-I'd prefer a city that isn't too small but comfortable for a dark skinned person to fit in. Music scene, art scene, and nightlife doesn't have to be amazing but i'd rather it not be non-existant
-Id love somewhere you could go maybe just half an hour out and find miles of woods or rivers or mountains. Something scenic.
-Just as long as it isn't constantly snowing or EXTREMELY cold, I'll be happy. I don't mind rain or gloomy skies or heat.

I'm desperate for any ideas you guys have. I have half a mind to just save up whatever, get a car, and just travel from place to place. (Romantic idea, prob expensive though)

How much money would you have saved up? I guess it depends on what type of place you want to live in though. Neighborhood wise for what you want, I'd say some place like Avondale which has a fairly nice sized Hispanic community and also a olong the Blue Line which runs 24/7 and to some other interesting areas. I don't think rent there is very high - you could probably share a place for not that much. There is also Pilsen which is mostly Mexican, but also pretty artist/hipster-ish. The rent there isn't too high, yet. Other areas might be Edgewater, East Humboldt Park, Irving Park, etc. Guess it depends on how much you want to spend per month. I bet you could find a 3 bedroom place there for like $500-$700 per person. You could probably find some 2 bedrooms for like $700/person. Sometimes of course less if you have enough time to look.

Chicago and NYC are fairly different. NYC is a lot denser on average (there are definitely dense parts of Chicago though, but not nearly on the level of NYC). There are streets in Chicago with a ton of retail/commercial/restaurant/etc but it's not quite like what you have in NYC. Chicago also has alleyways, so you won't see scenes like in some parts of Manhattan where there's trash on the streets. I'd say in Chicago, on average, there's more space - from the size of your apartments to the size of the places you eat at on average. It's still pretty dense for US standards and offers a ton. If you are wanting to move to a city and spend under $1000/month and still be able to live in a decent area, then it is one choice.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by LarryPotter

I've lived in New York way too long. I'm turning 22 in a month, I have two jobs right now trying to save as much as possible, and I can barely even afford rent in this city like alot of other people. Although the people saying they can't afford their rent are talking about $2000+ apartments. I've been heavily considering leaving and have thought of places like seattle, portland, or chicago. I don't have a college degree yet although I have a nice resume having worked for start ups, the ferry, and a few other places. I'm a photographer as well so I will soon have a second smaller income.

What i'm asking is from your experiences.. What would be the most affordable place (Cost of living, Rent, Groceries) that isn't extremely suburban? I'd be moving with no job or apartment in mind but It's not hard for me to get hired and I can rough it if I need to.

-I don't mind crime, as I've lived near the projects many times and while it isn't normal it isnt out of the ordinary.
-I'd prefer a city that isn't too small but comfortable for a dark skinned person to fit in. Music scene, art scene, and nightlife doesn't have to be amazing but i'd rather it not be non-existant
-Id love somewhere you could go maybe just half an hour out and find miles of woods or rivers or mountains. Something scenic.
-Just as long as it isn't constantly snowing or EXTREMELY cold, I'll be happy. I don't mind rain or gloomy skies or heat.

I'm desperate for any ideas you guys have. I have half a mind to just save up whatever, get a car, and just travel from place to place. (Romantic idea, prob expensive though)

Honestly, Portland is probably the cheapest of the 3 and both Portland and Seattle are more scenic than Chicago. There both also tend to be milder in the winter time. I have no personal experience w/ these cities, other than also considering moving to them (I'm black and the smaller minority communities in these cities don't bother me b/c both seen to be more inclusive than other locales).

The photography scene in Chicago, from what I've gathered from my photographer friends, is pretty cutthroat and overcrowded. It may take a while before you can build up a good income from this.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by eevee

Honestly, Portland is probably the cheapest of the 3 and both Portland and Seattle are more scenic than Chicago. There both also tend to be milder in the winter time. I have no personal experience w/ these cities, other than also considering moving to them (I'm black and the smaller minority communities in these cities don't bother me b/c both seen to be more inclusive than other locales).

The photography scene in Chicago, from what I've gathered from my photographer friends, is pretty cutthroat and overcrowded. It may take a while before you can build up a good income from this.

Commercial and editorial photography in Chicago is very tough, which means it is likely to be virtually nonexistent in places like Portland.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

Commercial and editorial photography in Chicago is very tough, which means it is likely to be virtually nonexistent in places like Portland.

Also, Portland is more expensive.

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Seattle is worse.

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[southwestW]

Personally I do not advise you to move to Seattle. Cost of living there is very high. I think Portland is the cheapest of all cities but they do have state income tax. Still I think it is low for small income. Portland is just mini Seattle. But still west coast. Weather could be an issue. Places like Seattle and Portland are not really welcoming to newcomers. Since you are leaning to move to Chicago I say it might be easier to get a place there. Rents much cheaper then Seattle, except high end areas. Also I would not leave without 7-8 k saved at the minimum. Not sure how it goes for rents if you have no job but in general it is hard to get a place even if you have money. Bad credit can be fixed by offering larger deposit in some areas. If you are not picky about the place maybe you can get easy going landlord. In Seattle it is easier to live in a car but life of a transient is not easy. Not sure if that is something you are considering.

[jwaiter]

Smaller cities in the south have low COL.

[LarryPotter]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

Smaller cities in the south have low COL.

Any particular areas you have in mind when you say that?