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I recommended this once before to someone else - you might enjoy reading "the hunt" articles in the NY Times. Take it with a grain of salt because the articles may be overly dramatic, but it's interesting to follow real people who have gone thru apartment searches. Make sure only to read ones that were published in the past year so you can get accurate prices. You will have to ignore the ones where people are buying; I'm not sure any way to search just for the people looking to rent. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classi...es&match=exact
I am a 23 yr old and will be moving to NYC in about 6 months. I currently make about $55K a year. I would really appreciate any input as to the best place to live for the money. I am looking to spend less than $1300 a month in rent and would like to live in Manhattan. Any ideas on locations? It seems the upper east side might be ideal.
Also, I am trying to put together an accurate budget. I have listed the numbers I project now per month. If you have any suggestions for changes please let me know. Just as a side note - I don't drink so I don't need to plan for alcohol in the budget.
on $1300 a month, the only place in manhattan that costs that is Washington Heights, and Inwood which at the Northern Tip of Manhattan for a 1 bedroom. These areas are not exactly desirable, and they are predominantly consisting of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Your best bet is Astoria, Queens which is only half hour from the city. Another good place if you're artsy is Williamsburg Brooklyn which is also half hour from the city. Cable is usually about $120 per month and it's not included. Most places gas & electric are not included unless it's in a private home. But if it's in a private home, most likely you'll be living in an illegal basement apartment with little head room, looking out the window at feet and shoes all day. Also susceptible to flooding.
... Does anyone here live in manhattan under this type of financial budget? ...
As I have noted on other threads, my husband and I lived on that type of budget for a year. It was tight, but we were able to do it.
You can definitely find a studio for less than 2k in Manhattan. My husband and I live in huge one-bedroom in Washington Heights and pay less than $1400. The A train is literally on my corner. It takes me 17 minutes to meet my partner at Columbus Circle to go running in Central Park. Although, a single friend of mine hated being so far from nightlife when he lived up here. I would not recommend it if you plan on spending a lot of time at the bars of the Lower East Side or Williamsburg. You can not get there from here.
In order to make it on your budget, I would recommend cutting out cable. (All the good shows come out of DVD anyway.) You can also save a ton by taking your lunch to work every day. (I agree that $500 is a lot for food for one person - even counting cleaning supplies and other items, it still seems like a lot.)
For someone new to the city, I would recommend moving into a share until you get your bearings. Once you get a routine and start socializing, you can figure out where you would like to live. Also, the more people you meet, the better chance you'll have of landing one of those legendary NYC cheap apts.
I've lived in Manhattan for 20+ years and I can honestly tell you that although it's possible to live there with a 55K salary you will have to make compromises because everything is more expensive. Assuming you can find a place in a decent area of Manhattan for the desired $1300 rent, you're spending nearly half your paycheck on rent alone. You won't be able to save much and you'll have to budget yourself cautiously.
If you're hearing stories about young folks who can afford to live on the kind of salary you mentioned, it's most likely because of several reasons. One of which my sister is taking advantage of:
1. live with your parents or relatives
2. share an apt. with roommates
3. live in a not-so-desirable small apt. far from a station
4. live in a rent-controlled apt.
5. inherited money or apt.
My advise is not to get fixated on living in Manhattan and look in other boroughs so you can take advantage of all the amenities that NYC has to offer w/o the ridiculous price tag.
Sorry. I was hoping it would make finding info easier since everyday there are so many posters asking the same question.
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