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With the rents coming down so much, I've seen nice 1 BRs on the UES for $1400 - $1600, which is within my budget, but I wonder if it's better to live in a bigger place in Astoria for example and pay a couple hundred less in rent?
Anyone here move from the outer boroughs to the city and regret their choice? Does anyone think it's worth it to sacrifice the space just to be in the middle of it all?
Depends what you want. I like living in the Bronx because I can have a car, the train is a block or two away, and everything is so much cheaper. Things like food, gas, the city is 10x the price than anywhere else. I'd rather be a half hour away and not see my savings account balance reach zero. But if its within your budget, you want to be close to work, and don't mind not having a car then go for it.
Depends what you want. I like living in the Bronx because I can have a car, the train is a block or two away, and everything is so much cheaper. Things like food, gas, the city is 10x the price than anywhere else. I'd rather be a half hour away and not see my savings account balance reach zero. But if its within your budget, you want to be close to work, and don't mind not having a car then go for it.
I agree with BaReSe.It is not just the rents that are less but everything...and considerably so.When I moved to The Bronx I couldn't believe how much cheaper almost everything is in the supermarket and everywhere else than when I lived in Manhattan and then in Williamsburg.
Another thing to consider is the amount of space you can get.I know you say you are seeing 1 br apts for $1,500 but what kind of 1 br in what kind of building ? How big are these 1 br's actually ? 600 or 700 sq ft?In some neighborhoods of The Bronx and Brooklyn you can find 1,000 sq ft 1 br's in prewar buildings that are more like West End Avenue and Riverside Drive apartments for 1,100 or 1,200 a month.Not all 1 br apartments are equal.
Also,I happen to live less than 2 very short blocks from the subway in The Bronx and it doesn't take much longer for me to get to midtown than it would living on the far Eastern UES with a 15 or 20 min walk just to get to the subway.
So there are a lot of things to consider.
The only thing lacking is the "excitement" of living in Manhattan,whatever that is, which I did already and don't need anymore because I am over 40 now.Way over.
I think something happens as you get older and your actual living space(size,layout,amenities) becomes paramount.I would have to spend my entire meager teachers salary to live as comfortably in Manhattan as I do in The Bronx. And I like to travel too much to do that.
I have been living in NY for many years since I came to go to college and lived for 20 years in Manhattan before moving to Brooklyn and now The Bronx.I don't miss or regret anything.
The only real I advantage I see is that the rent is somewhat cheaper in Brooklyn. Consider this though, your commute in/out of Park Slope can range from 30 mins to an hour. After work, if you want to run home and shower/change, you really can't. Often times there is a feeling of missing out, particularly to spontaneous invitations that might come your way for hanging out with friends in Manhattan, it simply isn't convenient. If you can get a place 1-2 stops out of Manhattan, perhaps it isn't quite so bad, as long as the trains are functioning normally, which in Brooklyn can be hit-n-miss, particularly late nights and weekends. Yes, there are things to do around here, but it is limited and city life for the most part revolves around Manhattan, perhaps Williamsburg too, but living anywhere else can be trying.
Manhattan real estate is for suckers. I personally cannot find the joy of spending thousands of dollars more for an apartment in the middle of Manhattan for half the space of similar spaces all around the city. Plus when your talking about in the long term, you can't really raise a family in Manhattan, not for cheap if you want to do it comfortably.
The only real I advantage I see is that the rent is somewhat cheaper in Brooklyn. Consider this though, your commute in/out of Park Slope is 30-40 mins. After work, if you want to run home and shower/change, you really can't. Often times there is a feeling of missing out, particularly to spontaneous invitations that might come your way for hanging out with friends in Manhattan, it simply isn't convenient. If you can get a place 1-2 stops out of Manhattan, perhaps it isn't quite so bad, as long as the trains are functioning normally, which in Brooklyn can be hit-n-miss, particularly late nights and weekends. Yes, there are things to do around here, but it is limited and city life for the most part revolves around Manhattan, perhaps Williamsburg too, but living anywhere else can be trying.
Agree... Park Slope is a joke.The price differential from Manhattan isn't nearly enough.Manhattan might even be cheaper in a lot of places.
If you are going to live in the outer boroughs it should be some place where you get twice as much space for half as much rent or close to that.Not some place like Park Slope where all you get is the same space for $200 less or something like that.It's not worth it then.
I think where a person is at a paticular stage in life will effect where they would prefer to live. Some one in there early 20's to early 30's may feel the need to live in Manhattan, and be around the action of NYC, where as some one in there mid 30's- 40's will take bills, family, invesment opps, living space into account when deciding the best place to live, weather that be Manhattan or the outer boroughs...
Excellent points, I'm thinking the exact same thing. I have a pretty big 1 BR, about 900 square feet in Astoria, and to live on the UES I would have to pay $200 more for a 1 BR that is half that size. I try to weigh the benefits and convenience of living in the city with the relaxation factor of having a big apartment, and I've come to realize that when I'm in my apartment, I want to have space to move around, and I'm not really missing out on anything because I'm inside just doing inside activities just as if I lived in the city - only if I lived in a tiny apartment in the city, it would be far less comfortable. I can't justify paying more money for half the space just to avoid a 10 - 15 minute commute. I think if you can get a nice big comfortable apartment within a 10 minute commute of the city it's worth it, but longer than that, the convenience factor becomes more significant. Plus it's nice to escape the rat race, especially after 10 years of living here.
I like living in my part of Queens because it's quiet. Anytime I want to go into the city, I can take the express bus and more times than not since I'm a regular, I usually know the driver. Sometimes traffic makes me wish I lived closer but other than that I like Queens and I go to the Bronx a lot for work.
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