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I've been reading the forums and you guys are very helpful and so now I ask for some help as well.
Right now I'm looking at 60-70k a year. I used a paycheck calculator and I would take home about $3,500 a month after everything. What kind of apartment can I afford in terms of price and in what neighborhood? Preferably a studio in Manhattan.
Most people will say that you are supposed to spend 1/3 of your income on rent, so that's about $1150 for you (and you won't find anything for that price in the city without a roommate) but in reality everyone who makes less than six figures, got a great deal or perhaps those who have roommates spend more like half, so if you're ok with that, you can spend $1750 on rent, and that's the max because you need to prove you make 40 times your monthly rent to any landlord. You can get a studio (maybe even a one bed) in Manhattan for $1750, especially the Upper East Side, but living in Brooklyn, I don't know the going prices in Manhattan anymore or what neighborhoods are going for what, but you definitely will need to look Midtown and above. If you're interested in moving to Brooklyn, you can get a one, even two bed for $1750 with a 40ish minute commute to Manhattan.
Most people will say that you are supposed to spend 1/3 of your income on rent, so that's about $1150 for you (and you won't find anything for that price in the city without a roommate) but in reality everyone who makes less than six figures, got a great deal or perhaps those who have roommates spend more like half, so if you're ok with that, you can spend $1750 on rent, and that's the max because you need to prove you make 40 times your monthly rent to any landlord. You can get a studio (maybe even a one bed) in Manhattan for $1750, especially the Upper East Side, but living in Brooklyn, I don't know the going prices in Manhattan anymore or what neighborhoods are going for what, but you definitely will need to look Midtown and above. If you're interested in moving to Brooklyn, you can get a one, even two bed for $1750 with a 40ish minute commute to Manhattan.
The only places you'll get a respectable doorman studio for $1750 in Manhattan nowadays are Harlem (I don't know about West Harlem), Washington Heights, and Inwood. You don't want to live in any of those. Harlem is dangerous, Washington Heights can be dangerous, and Inwood is too far from the business districts. There are a few others in which you may be able to find a respectable non-doorman studio.
Note that while a studio is alright for one person, if you have more than one person, each will require a separate room.
Do you know where you will be working? That's an important consideration, especially if you're considering the UES, because for $1750 and under, it's going to be very far east (as in far from the subway, which is on Lexington Avenue). And, you're not going to find true 1BRs that are not on the top floors of walk-ups, even in that neighborhood, more likely small 1BRs that were converted from alcove studios when the space was renovated.
If you're working in Lower Manhattan, for example, living on the far east UES, just to have a Manhattan address does not make as much sense as living in Brooklyn Heights, for example, and being a stop or two from your destination. You could be at work from such an area in less time than it could take to walk to the subway for the trek downtown from the far east UES in the 80s-90s.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
If you're working in Lower Manhattan, for example, living on the far east UES, just to have a Manhattan address does not make as much sense as living in Brooklyn Heights, for example, and being a stop or two from your destination. You could be at work from such an area in less time than it could take to walk to the subway for the trek downtown from the far east UES in the 80s-90s.
Neighborhoods in Brooklyn in close proximity to Manhattan: Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, Fulton Ferry, Downtown Brooklyn, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene. There are others, depending on your interpretation of 'close proximity.' Long Island City and Astoria are the two closest neighborhoods in Queens. Don't exclude Hudson County, New Jersey.
I'm still in school, but I've been interning with a company for a few years. Speculation so far, at this point on a job offer.
I would think that if I get a roommate, it wouldn't be a person I know, as I don't anyone in NYC. Would you get a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom? So, what are prices for a 1Br or 2Br? (Manhattan or other boroughs)
It depends upon the area for a 2BR, but a decent one in Manhattan East would be $3k and up, higher for a doorman building and less for a higher floor in a walk-up. In decent Brooklyn areas, such as Brooklyn Heights, a 2BR would start a little over $2k, but some areas have 3BRs that would be under $3k. And, if you were to go to someplace further out with a longer commute, it's possible to find a 2BR under $2k in a decent area of Queens. Even close-in NNJ, might not be a bad consideration.
The key, however, is the commute, since it's easier to get to certain parts of the city from other areas, hence why I would focus on that. If you work in Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Heights or parts of NNJ are a breeze, compared to parts of the UES or UWS. If you work in Midtown, Midtown East can be relatively simple, but a trek from Bay Ridge or Bayside would be a much longer commute.
There are many great areas to explore in the city and surrounding areas, so when you get a handle as to where you will be working, it's much easier to narrow down the selections from your preliminary research. Be sure to check the sticky "Need info on moving to NY" at the top of this forum for other general pointers as it might help to give rise to follow-up questions that you can ask in the forum.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I think in Greenwood Heights (or "Park Slope South"), which would be below 15th Street in Brooklyn, you can get 2BR for less than $2,000, but I'm not positive. I think I've seen em.
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