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Reading through this thread I can't help but wonder what people's expectations are. My wife and I are hoping to move to NYC for a couple years just to do it. We expect a small apartment and have found plenty in the $1,000 - $1,400 range which is lower than we were lead to expect. We have no kids,I love to cook, we don't really drink much and aren't used to luxuries.
I was really curious to read through this because everyone talks about how expensive it is to live in Manhattan but it sounds like its only that expensive if you're planning on a big apartment or fancy dining every night. Are my expectations real or am I missing some hidden costs of living in NYC?
Live? 1k to 1400? Unless it's a studio in Upper upper Manhattan that's not even close to realistic. Yes in some sketchy parts of Harlem, Morningside/Inwood/Washington Heights you can get those prices, but they aren't highly desireable locations. You can expect at least 1600 to 2000 for a studio somewhere that's okay in a somewhat desireable area and it still may be a 2-4 floor walkup.
NYC is EXPENSIVE. Manhattan is VERY EXPENSIVE. Food is VERY expensive and of poor quality. Going out. Expensive. Doing anything in this city is expensive. You have to live in a shoebox and pay a lot of money to do so. Now those prices in maybe Astoria or Jackson Heights are pretty reasonable. Trying to find a 1k apartment anywhere in this city that isn't a dinky studio is hard/
And really, what's the point of living in an awful place, eating small meals and staying in because you have no cash to go out and experience the city? Living in Manhattan for the chance to say I live in Manhattan is stupid. You need at least 2k for a 1 bedroom to ensure a decent apartment and even then, the competition is harsh. You have to pay a ton of money and go through a lot to get it as well. My coworker lives in the Financial District and pays 1380 a month for a 2 bedroom, THAT'S a deal. Be prepared to be stunned by how much the City really costs.
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
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Originally Posted by skilldeadly
Live? 1k to 1400? Unless it's a studio in Upper upper Manhattan that's not even close to realistic. Yes in some sketchy parts of Harlem, Morningside/Inwood/Washington Heights you can get those prices, but they aren't highly desireable locations. You can expect at least 1600 to 2000 for a studio somewhere that's okay in a somewhat desireable area and it still may be a 2-4 floor walkup.
NYC is EXPENSIVE. Manhattan is VERY EXPENSIVE. Food is VERY expensive and of poor quality. Going out. Expensive. Doing anything in this city is expensive. You have to live in a shoebox and pay a lot of money to do so. Now those prices in maybe Astoria or Jackson Heights are pretty reasonable. Trying to find a 1k apartment anywhere in this city that isn't a dinky studio is hard/
And really, what's the point of living in an awful place, eating small meals and staying in because you have no cash to go out and experience the city? Living in Manhattan for the chance to say I live in Manhattan is stupid. You need at least 2k for a 1 bedroom to ensure a decent apartment and even then, the competition is harsh. You have to pay a ton of money and go through a lot to get it as well. My coworker lives in the Financial District and pays 1380 a month for a 2 bedroom, THAT'S a deal. Be prepared to be stunned by how much the City really costs.
You aint lying....what building do they live in?????
I was the one that said you can MAYBE find a 1BR in Astoria for $1200. Why? Because that is what I was paying in rent when I lived there last year. And according to the ads I saw in the windows of realty places, that was actually cheap. You know how much my old landlord was renting it for to the next set of tenants? $1400.
When we say it's expensive, we mean in comparison to other cities. We're used to things and know what we have to do to survive. It might take 2 jobs, living with roommates, living further from the city, but we don't care about that. Where as someone moving here for the first time might not want to do that and will be shocked that if they want to have spending cash, that's just the way it is.
Your average Joe Schmo coming from Altoona, PA or wherever is used to making $13 an hour and finding a 1BR for $450 a month, which can be done. Here they will be lucky to make $15 an hour but will have to pay at least $950 a month if they want to live alone, and that is a tough call. What we pay in rent is a mortgage in other cities.
So while yes, some people do exaggerate, compared to other places, this city is very expensive to rent and survive in.
I mean, NYC is expensive, but some posters act like you have to be in a high powered job making at least 200K to live in the city.
I'm FROM the city, born and raised in Manhattan. I currently live in Borough Park, Brooklyn. Not the sexiest neighborhood, but it's safe. I could afford to pay more in rent, but I like having spending money.
I wait tables for a living. I've seen people tell people who work in the service industry that they will not be able to afford living in the five boroughs unless they can tolerate living in the ghetto. That just isn't true.
I'm a waitress and I get my nails done about twice a week, go the hair salon every two months (to get a full sew in, about 350 bucks), get my brows done, eat out, and pay my rent and am paying for cosmetic surgery. Life in the city isn't cheap, but I don't see why people need to scare others into thinking they have to have an extremely high powered job to move to the city or prepare to live on the streets.
I don't disagree with what you are saying at all, HOWEVER, I just want to point out that because you were BORN here I'm not sure if you have a frame of reference to how CHEAP it is to live in most other areas of the country. In a lot of places, for instance just a few hours upstate, you can buy a 2000 sf home on a $50k household income. That kind of lifestyle is really impossible in the five boroughs, and people who have never lived here just don't get it. So, while you don't have to have millions and it is totally possible to have a nice life on the cheap, it won't be the same as what they might have had in Podunk Arkansas. And people who are moving here from out of state need to understand that. It's not "scaring", it's helping people to have realistic expectations.
skilldeadly, you're exaggerating wildly, unless you're only talking about Manhattan below 96th St. Also the food here is better than anywhere else I've spent significant time, and I mean all the food, not just fancy restaurants. Even a bad slice of pizza by NY standards is better than what they call pizza in other places.
Reading through this thread I can't help but wonder what people's expectations are. My wife and I are hoping to move to NYC for a couple years just to do it. We expect a small apartment and have found plenty in the $1,000 - $1,400 range which is lower than we were lead to expect. We have no kids,I love to cook, we don't really drink much and aren't used to luxuries.
I was really curious to read through this because everyone talks about how expensive it is to live in Manhattan but it sounds like its only that expensive if you're planning on a big apartment or fancy dining every night. Are my expectations real or am I missing some hidden costs of living in NYC?
A common mistake among people looking to move to NYC is the presumption that it is only RENTS that are higher. Not so, it's everything. And I mean everything. Big or small, no budget will be immune to that no matter how frugal the person.
The farther out from Manhattan you go the cheaper things tend to be (particularly in terms of rent), but still above national averages. Make sure you are financially prepared for that.
Utilities, food, retail and entertainment are significantly pricier here than in most places across the country. Also be prepared for city and state taxes that will take a bite out of your paycheck- you can look online for the city & state tax tables to find how much you'd be paying.
Everything from your cup of coffee on the go to a roll of toilet paper will likely cost more here. Do not expect prices to be the same as your place of origin, unless your place of origin has a comparable cost of living like San Francisco.
That would've been a GREAT deal, even tough the FD is dead boring after 7pm.
BTW, the food in NYC can be pretty good and not so expensive if you know where to buy....
I know, people would have beat each other to death to get 1380. But still, 1380 for Manhattan in a good area isn't too bad. People pay 1400 for Queens 1 bedroom. As long as you didn't mind the person you are living with, it wouldn't be half bad.
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