manhattan (New York, York, Florida: low income, apartments, to rent)

[golden0721]

Hello! Can someone tell me if it is cheaper to rent or buy in the city? About how much would a 600 sq foot apartment cost within 10 minutes to the subway? I love the city and I am looking at moving out of South Florida just don't know what to do. I am in banking as loan coordinator can you make a living there? Thanks for your help? So, confused....

[dullnboring]

Definitely rent. You can't buy in Manhattan unless you have a six figure income. It's incredibly overpriced. Rents are sky high as well. The absolute cheapest one bedroom apartments in Washington Heights, a far-flung neighborhood at the northern tip of Manhattan, and not a particularly desirable area, go for $1100/month (that's the cheapest, not the average even within the neighborhood), and those are hard to find and are sought after. Tiny studios, particularly in the more desirable neighborhoods are themselves generally over $1000/month. Many apartment buildings in Manhattan also require you to provide certification of making a certain salary per year in order to live in their building. There are a handful of finds in Manhattan in terms of rent. I mean, of course you're not going to find a beautiful roomy apartment in the West Village like the guys on Friends, in the middle of all the action, and by able to afford it on not much of a salary. I'm not sure how much someone in your field of work would earn in New York, but I'm sure you could make it work as long as you're willing to make some sacrifices. People generally find themselves compromising other comfort aspects while living in New York to get by feeling that the benefits of living in the city are worth the costs. I know of a few people who share studio apartments, which basically makes their apartment like a college dorm room, with a tiny kitchen and bathroom. New York is incredibly expensive, but there are waiters and struggling actors and cab drivers and pizza deliverymen who manage to eke out an existence so it is in fact doable, but the cost of living will inevitably be a hard pill to swallow.

One good thing is that within Manhattan, you will always be within 10 minutes from a subway station so you needn't worry about that although stations are more concentrated Midtown and points south.

[golden0721]

Thanks for your help. How about another burrow. Would that be better of a choice or is that just as expensive? How far is the other burrows from Manhattan? Thanks again.

[willbo1]

It's Borough. Although it may seem like a jungle, they are not animals!

Brooklyn is probably the easiest borough to commute from but all are connected by subways (or ferry). Depending on where in Manahattan you are going, how many changes you make, etc. it can be as short as 5 minutes and as long as 45.

Another option would be Jersey City or Hoboken. The Path Train gets you into the city very easily and there are also buses.

Rents are high everywhere though. Best bet is to find a rooomate or two.

[la jolla xo]

subsidized housing in the heart of greenwich village is very cheap so if you can get that it is a huge advantage. otherwise u better have $$$!

[la jolla xo]

are places like gun hill cheap, or does the nasty area make it not worth living there?

[Hustla718]

First of all no one wants to live in subsidized housing. The buildings are usually in bad condition and located in unfriendly areas. That is housing funded by the gov't similar to the projects. For low income people.

Second, Bushwick and Gun Hill are areas to avoid.

[Viralmd]

Subsidized housing? As in welfare? NO! First, there's a waiting list, second you actually have to go through some administrative hoops to even be considered, so being a resident would be a help. And, as stated above, these are usually not desirable. Try the outer boroughs.

BTW, I lived in Washington Heights in medical school - in 15 minutes on the A train you can be at Columbus Circle, so it's not THAT far from the action.

[Need_affordable_home]

If you cant get a 6 figure job in NYC, I wouldnt consider it worth the cost of living. My mom knows a teacher whos daughter makes $75k a year and more than half her income goes to rent. She doesnt have much money for other things.