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Frankly, I've yet to see where Manhattan is "so" expensive. We were up there in November to check out the UWS and thought every single meal and grocery visit was almost identical to what we pay for food here inside-the-loop in Houston. I think most of the "outrageous expense" of Manhattan is grossly overblown unless you're moving from the middle of nowhere. Maybe NYC used to be significantly more expensive than other cities, but we honestly never once got sticker shock from a single purchase while we were there last month. I was fully expecting 20% increases over what we were used to....never saw it.
If you go there and try to rent an apartment, you will find out where the expense is very fast. I watched some other people who were moving there and you really need to have serious cash, with all the fees and payments a modest apt in manhattan is like a down payment on a house anywhere else.
If you go there and try to rent an apartment, you will find out where the expense is very fast. I watched some other people who were moving there and you really need to have serious cash, with all the fees and payments a modest apt in manhattan is like a down payment on a house anywhere else.
Yeah, I'll completely agree with that. So far, the biggest different in expenses is the 15% agency fee to rent a place. It's like an insane cover charge.
But a one month deposit and first month's rent is pretty standard no matter where you are.
Other than that, what fees and payments did you have when you moved into your Manhattan apt? This is exactly what we're trying to add up here, so this is very helpful.
If you move into a really nice doorman building in Manhattan, you must factor in a substantial amount for the year-end tipping of staff. a large building can have a large staff - mulitple doormen, supers, porters etc. I'm no expert on all these things but I know that a relative who lives in such a bldg is constantly greasing palms so that she can get what she needs and at year-end she outlays a rather large sum of cash.
Also, if you don't have a car and are going to have lots of things delivered, there are delivery fees and tips required on a regular basis. It might sound inconsequential but I think it can really add up.
Well, yes, but the only part of that equation that is NYC specific is the city and state tax. You'd be paying the rest no matter where you were (as a US tax payer).
The way we viewed the trade off (we're also coming from Texas) was that living in Manhattan means we can get rid of our cars. Once we netted out the tax situation and car payments, car insurance, gasoline, car maint., we were looking at difference of about +2.5% over what it costs here.
Frankly, I've yet to see where Manhattan is "so" expensive. We were up there in November to check out the UWS and thought every single meal and grocery visit was almost identical to what we pay for food here inside-the-loop in Houston. I think most of the "outrageous expense" of Manhattan is grossly overblown unless you're moving from the middle of nowhere. Maybe NYC used to be significantly more expensive than other cities, but we honestly never once got sticker shock from a single purchase while we were there last month. I was fully expecting 20% increases over what we were used to....never saw it.
I agree. Its the same with food prices in any big cities. Unless your trying to live the "Sex in the City" fabracated lifestyle out there. But that's a joke in itself..LOL.
If you move into a really nice doorman building in Manhattan, you must factor in a substantial amount for the year-end tipping of staff. a large building can have a large staff - mulitple doormen, supers, porters etc. I'm no expert on all these things but I know that a relative who lives in such a bldg is constantly greasing palms so that she can get what she needs and at year-end she outlays a rather large sum of cash.
Also, if you don't have a car and are going to have lots of things delivered, there are delivery fees and tips required on a regular basis. It might sound inconsequential but I think it can really add up.
In our building there is a 'gratuity fee' built into the maintenance, so that we do not feel the need to tip every time a small service is performed. Plus, being friendly with the staff goes a LONG way toward not needing to reach into one's pocket every time the doorman carrries a parcel. The end of the year gratuities ARE substantial, however. But for things like dry cleaning and packages, those are left downstairs with the doorman, so there's no tipping for those deliveries.
And, if you have a car and use it regularly, the garage staff expect something every time you go in and out. AND at the holidays, as well.. Nothing in life is without its downside.
what happens on weekends when you want to get away from the city? What about holidays? You will find that although a car may not be necessary on a daily base, you still want one.
Anyway, good luck with your move!
I was thinking the same thing. The city gets hectic and you want to get out of it sometimes on weekends. I would miss having my car, especially in the summer when I go to the beach a lot. But we park on the street, a pain the butt that H deals with, and my insurance for full coverage and the highest limits is only $1200 per year, so its not that costly. Your car will get very scratched up though, hence why a lot of people have the bumperbadger and similar protection for their bumpers.
As far as needing a 2200 sq ft house I agree with you that its not necessary, probably because I'm from here and used to small spaces, but you will miss the closet space and spare rooms and large eat-in kitchen, though I'm fine in my 1100 sf space I would love to have some more room (another reason to move out of the city).
I guess the best time to live in Manhattan is when your 22 and you don't mind roommates, eating pizza every night and buying your "groceries" in Rite Aid. It might not seem so expensive when this is your lifestyle. But if you're looking to do more than a brief stint in NYC you need your OWN place, and enough money for retirement contributions, actual food and the occassional vacation.
Eating pizza all the time is a NYC as it gets and so are having roomates. Where is there to buy groceries other than the drugstores like Rite Aid? Gristedes - rediculously expensive, a joke really. Whole Foods - sure if you live in the neighberhood, don't care about prices and don't mind wasting time in lines.
If you want to live in NYC, just do it. If you try to plan everything, it will never happen.
After several visits where I stayed in manhattan for a week or two I decided that I wanted to move there and at least try it out for a few months. I had a job that let me work from anywhere so that end was already taken care of and I boarded a plane to LaGaurdia and got on the M60 into manhattan. I stayed at my usual place near Columbia until I found a more permanent living situation with roomates. Manhattan is expensive but I have always laughed at how people on the internet in my opinion exaggerate it. In manhattan you can spend anywhere from $1500/month for rent/transport/food if you have roomates and keep the cost low to $100,000, it all depends. I lived on the Upper East Side by 1st Avenue and it wasn't that bad cost wise. I took the subway/bus everywhere and ate at a pizza place right around the block that only cost $2.25. Rite Aid is the cheapest place to buy groceries in Manhattan. As different as Manhattan was from Texas, after a few days you feel like you've always lived there. In the end however it was the high taxes that made me convinced I shoulden't live there permanently. 15.4% (employee+employer SS+Medicare) 35% federal highest bracket, 3.648% City, 6.85% state. If you cost your employer $100,000/year you will ultimately only get $46,082 in take home pay. I realized even though alot of people in NYC make alot of money, they arent wealthy. I think the best time to live in manhattan would be late 1800s early 1900s when the city was on the rise and there was get this - no fed income taxes and probably no state ones either. I think the final straw came when I tried to order some books on Buy.com and they charged me sales tax even though Buy.com is based in CA.
Grocery shopping at a Rite Aid? lol People say it ain't so? And was guy living on pizza? Is that what he was saying?
Opps.... I just seen that you already answered my question. I firgured you were long gone and didn't bother to even look at the most recent comments before I responded.
If you want to live in NYC, just do it. If you try to plan everything, it will never happen.
Excellent advice! There's also the option of living in a borough other than Manhattan. I know, I know--that's a radical suggestion. But your friendly local Brooklynite stubbornly continues to insist that Manhattan is not the entire universe contained on one small, rocky island.
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