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Old 05-14-2013, 12:11 AM
 
912 posts, read 2,093,573 times
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Don't do it
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Old 05-14-2013, 06:08 AM
 
Location: Between the Bays
10,786 posts, read 11,270,455 times
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Woodhaven and the northern part of Ozone Park. You have both the J/Z and the A trains at walking distance.

Or get a bike and move to Maspeth.
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Old 05-14-2013, 12:45 PM
 
19 posts, read 25,443 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Astorian31 View Post
Remember, I only suggested 20k as the BARE minimum. The more you have saved up the better.

40k-50k income is cutting it close because you aren't taking into account taxes and health insurance that comes out of your pay check. That 40K-50K is really closer to 30K in net income.
Duly noted.
I'll take this into consideration.


Quote:
Originally Posted by tpk-nyc View Post
Even if you can get it, $40,000 is not a lot of money in the city if you’re raising a child. If rent is 40 times income, that’s only $1,000. I don’t know where you can find a one-bedroom (much less two) for that price that’s not super sketchy. New Yorkers in creative industries tend to have children late because it takes years to get established.

Having a creative job in New York is a dream life for many people, myself included. It’s especially attractive to the children of affluent families who go to expensive schools and have money to intern, etc. It’s not just about talent; it’s also contacts and networking.

If you really want to work in the industry, particularly video games, you might be better off in a place like Austin or California.
You mean if rent is income divided by 40?
I've heard that landlords will often require this in order to rent from them, but I wonder if it's really necessary to have 40 times the rent to actually afford living. Needing $48000 a month to afford a $1200/month apartment seems insane to me. What kind of life would I have to be living to spend $36k a month on bills, living expenses, and everything extra?

I am aware that creative jobs require networking, that's actually part of why I want to move to a city. Here in WNY, as far as I can tell, there aren't many design jobs of any kind, and networking is that much harder. If I continue here, I fear I won't have the network built up that I'd like to have by the time I'm finished with college and ready for my career.

I have noticed that California is the hub of the video game industry, but I just don't know if I'd want to live there. If necessary I'd do it, but I'd like to avoid it. And Texas is even lower on the list of places I'd want to live. I was considering Seattle, since it has a pretty large collection of video game companies as well, and seems to be more to my liking.
Ideally, I'd like to live and work in NYC but I am keeping other options open, especially given NYC's high cost of living and its lacking video game industry.
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Old 05-14-2013, 12:56 PM
 
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The 40x rule means monthly rent times 40 should not be more than your annual salary. If you want a place for $1200, you should make at least $48,000 salary.
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Old 05-14-2013, 01:02 PM
 
19 posts, read 25,443 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harrenhal View Post
The 40x rule means monthly rent times 40 should not be more than your annual salary. If you want a place for $1200, you should make at least $48,000 salary.
Ah, that makes much more sense than what I was interpreting it as. I had seen this rule around, but it was never explained fully.
My idea of it just seems silly now.
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Old 05-14-2013, 01:22 PM
 
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I've been doing some research and I'm finding apartment listings in Staten Island for cheaper than $1000, some of them even $800 and under. This seems to contradict what everyone says about costs of apartments in NYC, or are these simply not accurate listings?

Last edited by Valentorg; 05-14-2013 at 01:37 PM..
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Old 05-14-2013, 01:45 PM
 
911 posts, read 1,127,357 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Valentorg View Post
I've been doing some research and I'm finding apartment listings in Staten Island for cheaper than $1000, some of them even $800 and under. This seems to contradict what everyone says about costs of apartments in NYC, or are these simply not accurate listings?
Rents in Staten Island are cheaper, but you're also looking at one heck of a commute unless you live by the ferry terminal in Staten Island and work somewhere in near the ferry terminal in Manhattan. The only way into Manhattan from SI is through the SI ferry which takes 25 minutes each way.
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Old 05-14-2013, 02:32 PM
 
19 posts, read 25,443 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Astorian31 View Post
Rents in Staten Island are cheaper, but you're also looking at one heck of a commute unless you live by the ferry terminal in Staten Island and work somewhere in near the ferry terminal in Manhattan. The only way into Manhattan from SI is through the SI ferry which takes 25 minutes each way.
I can picture that being an issue, but for these prices, as long as the commute is bearable it's probably worth it, at least for starting out. That said, as I understand it Staten Island is a big place, so the commute may not be bearable at many of the locations.
Nonetheless, $800 and under is pretty cheap, we could almost afford that now.
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Old 05-14-2013, 02:42 PM
 
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One thing that you have to consider if looking for a career in the creative industries is that most likely your first paying jobs will not be as a salaried employee at a large company, but as a freelancer working odd jobs to pay the bills. These jobs often require long, odd hours, and they can be few and far between. This is not the kind of lifestyle that is very stable if you have young children, and you will not have employee sponsored health insurance or other benefits. I am not sure what your girlfriend is in school for, but hopefully it is a more stable field than graphic design or 3d animation. This is not to say that you can't be successful in the industry, but it is difficult starting out and getting your foot in the door, and a lot of people are very broke for a long time trying to get established.

As for planning to move to and then raise your child in the city, are you aware that many young professionals with much more established careers than you choose to move out of the city when they have a child because they find it prohibitively expensive? This is generally not the place to move when you are young, broke and have a baby. As someone who moved to the city from western new york, the cost of living differences are staggering.
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Old 05-14-2013, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Chittenden County, VT
510 posts, read 2,241,138 times
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OP -- I moved here from Buffalo 10 years ago or so and went to school for digital media (amongst other things) so I can relate. Others have covered some of your questions but I'll give my input as well.

First off, take programming courses. Web design, animation, etc. are nice but what gets you the leg up is having programming skills. As someone else pointed out, you're competing with the most talented artists/designers in the world here. Many with serious pedigree when it comes to their college and internship history. Learn to code and you will do fine. You'll breeze right past that $40k mark. If you tough it out strictly doing the creative side of things you'll be competing in the cutthroat creative industry with rich kids whose parents will underwrite their New York dreams and take all the unpaid internships and entry level jobs for peanuts. Unfortunately its a race to the bottom (pay wise) in creative fields when you're starting out.

Second, you're going to have a helluva time surviving on 40k for a family of three. Not trying to be harsh but I can't even fathom it. I moved here close to a decade ago for a job making 50 and that was enough for a small studio in nice area of Brooklyn for $1250/mo, some money to go out, and a little to put in savings. It was easy for me because I was single, young, and loving NYC. I imagine it would be much different for a family with a young child. Just understand that everything costs a lot more in NYC than WNY. It's easy to walk out the door and spend $60 and not know where it went. I never remeber feeling like that in Buffalo.

Others have already suggested areas to look in Queens which would also be my recommendation. It's not glamorous but you *might* be able to find a no frills one bedroom for $1200.

My opinion on NYC in general is that its a place for the young and unattached with little to lose to take a shot at. Many fall flat on their face and are gone within two years but enriched by the experience. Many more stay for the long haul and build great lives and careers here. If you're not in that camp then I think NYC is best reserved for those with some experience who can walk right into a good job and afford to live here and enjoy the city. Once you're in the middle of those two or the situation is complicated by youngsters then all bets are off.

Whatever you decide, best of luck!
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