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We did for 60k. Lived in a pretty decent rr style 2 bedroom in Clinton Hill (next to ft greene) for $1500 month. A brownstone on Classon ave right across the street from Pratt Institute. It was very cool, a mix of locals and students. There was a police station on the opposite corner of us on Dekalb.
There's some Actual culture there, not just bars packed with hipsters and drunk 20 yr olds like some other neighborhoods up north.
We didn't really dig the G with the bums and crappy stations (that may have changed in the year since we left), but it's close anyway.
Also Ft Green Park (and lots of little parks) all within an easy walk with a stroller.
I honestly think you would be VERY hard pressed to live in a nice area of Brooklyn for that amount. Honestly, it is not a breeze to live on 60k/year in a nice area of Brooklyn even as a single person. You presumably have other considerations to take into account such as school as well. There are only a handful of "good" public school districts in Brooklyn and they are in areas that would be well out of your price range. Private school would run you about $20k+ per year and assuming you want a 2 bedroom in a good area you're probably looking at close to $1800-2000 at minimum depending on what you consider a good area.
The above poster recommended the area around Classon. It would not be my first choice of neighborhoods even as a single person although it isn't exactly bad. I have friends who live within 2 blocks of the intersection the poster is talking about and I frequented the area when I went to Pratt about 10 years ago. It has improved a lot in that time but it is still technically the dividing line between Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy.
If that was my budget I would reconsider even looking in NY and if I was to persevere I would consider areas like Bayside Queens or other further flung areas.
In short: Prime brooklyn is not doable for a family making $60k in my opinion.
There was another thread along these lines. Though the poster was single, the responses included people saying that they did or didn't make it with a family. Some people do it in places like Canarsie or Sheepshead Bay but they have to budget carefully.
Depending on the age of the kids, a family would have to consider schools and that is a big issue. You didn't say where in Brooklyn and it's not clear how well you know Brooklyn. It's a very big place and the neighborhoods vary widely. Bottom line, I agree that in prime Brooklyn (close to Manhattan, safe and attractive) it would be very, very hard. In non-prime, but non-dangerous Brooklyn it's possible but still hard, and there wouldn't be much money for extras. The people on Classon did it for a while, but the question is if it's worth the sacrifices.
There's some Actual culture there, not just bars packed with hipsters and drunk 20 yr olds like some other neighborhoods up north.
We didn't really dig the G with the bums and crappy stations (that may have changed in the year since we left), but it's close anyway.
I can't imagine any neighborhoods in the nothern part of Brooklyn being full of drunk hipsters. Or drunks and hipsters. Surely such things don't happen.
The G still has crappy stations and still does not go to Manhattan.
the answer is yes. You dont need one of the near city areas to be nice. Some of the areas in the southern part are a longer commute for the city, but quite nice and very affordable (Me and my wife live here for 40K). Bay Ridge might work
yeah fyi brooklyn is way more affordable than any other borough in this city. i think it has the biggest middle class, unlike bronx and queens where you're either too rich, or a drug dealer...most of the time
The Bronx is probably cheaper than Brooklyn, but Brooklyn definitely has larger swaths of nice areas than the Bronx.
However LARGE parts of Brooklyn are pretty ghetto, so its not all nice and middle class.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saadrajabali
yeah fyi brooklyn is way more affordable than any other borough in this city. i think it has the biggest middle class, unlike bronx and queens where you're either too rich, or a drug dealer...most of the time
Do you need to commute into Manhattan for work? Are you concerned about commuting time? Areas like Sheepshead Bay, Midwood and Kensington might work for you. Areas closer to the city, like Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope and Cobble Hill are likely too expensive for 3 people on that salary.
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