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I am a male in my low 20's. I am totally new to NYC so excuse my naivety. I am moving to NYC in the summer for a job offer that is located on the Upper East Side. However, I don't think my budget will allow me to live on the UES without a roommate. I'm looking to stay under $2000 a month rent (preferably closer to $1600).
Can anyone recommend me some areas in Queens, Brooklyn or Manhattan where I could possibly afford a studio or one bedroom? My biggest concerns are that it is a safe area, near shopping/restaurants and has some parks nearby. I know New York is expensive and I expect everything to be super small in my price range, which is fine. Safe area and reasonable commute to UES/Manhattan are my top priorities.
What you can afford is sometimes dictated by 40x, 48x, even 52x rules used. FYI. Are you looking for any nightlife, singles scene? At a broad brush, $1600-2k for std/1bdrm with a decent commute to UES and your other requirements is begging somewhere in Queens. Also, what is a "reasonable commute" to you?
Astoria in Queens is within your budget for a studio/1br and full of people in their 20s. Reasonable commute to the UES.
FYI, most people in their early 20s live with roommates in NYC. Even those with good-paying jobs. Allows them to live in more desirable neighborhoods (better commute, more amenities) and/or save money.
Maybe parts of Mott Haven in the Bronx. Short commute and definitely in your budget, but not as safe as Astoria though cheaper.
OP didn't mention the Bronx and I guess it's because they don't think it's safe, but for $1600, why recommend some place in the South Bronx? With that price, they could likely get a place of their own (even a one bedroom) in several nice parts of the Bronx. Granted, they won't be hip areas, but they will be safe.
OP didn't mention the Bronx and I guess it's because they don't think it's safe, but for $1600, why recommend some place in the South Bronx? With that price, they could likely get a place of their own (even a one bedroom) in several nice parts of the Bronx. Granted, they won't be hip areas, but they will be safe.
I too was perplexed by the suggestion of the south Bronx when the OP didn't ask about the BX. The OPs price point is enough that he/she can find something in Queens. Also, although quickly changing, the South BX area is still higher in crime than other areas that the OP can afford and wouldn't be the first place one should recommend when someone specifically asks for a "safe neighborhood" near shopping and restaurants.
Pretty simple--it's trading some safety for a short commute.
I probably should have explained the reasoning from the beginning. For the budget given and commute location of the Upper East Side, the OP has parts of the Bronx and Queens as the only reasonable options. The two primary factors being traded are safety and commute times. There are much safer communities in the Bronx than Mott Haven, but those commute times are on par with the choices available in Queens so it's going to be more reasonable to choose the Queens neighborhoods usually unless the OP wanted to really save money which was not one of the two primary factors listed. Mott Haven, though, will always have a commuting time advantage to the Upper East Side over any Queens neighborhood. For that, the trade-off is some safety. However, Mott Haven isn't monolithic and there are parts of it that are safer--it's up to the OP to decide what his threshold on that is, but there are definitely nicer parts of Mott Haven. So if the OP thinks of it as safe enough to his judgment, then Mott Haven has the shortest commute time within his budget.
Sorry for the edits: yes, there's a trade-off here, so if the safety threshold for the OP doesn't get to Mott Haven, then it's not a good option. What's regarded as "safe" is actually specific to people.
The best advice is to try to find a decent bargain in the Upper East Side near 2K.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 02-24-2017 at 11:05 AM..
There are definitely places in the UES for under $2k, I don't know about just the summer though. Get towards York and the prices drop pretty dramatically. Saw a 1bd for $1795. Probably in a tenement, but I don't see the issue having lived in tenements myself for the last 3 years.
Pretty simple--it's trading some safety for a short commute and lower rent/bigger space.
Notice I said parts of Mott Haven.
Ok but the top priorities listed were safe area and reasonable commute to the UES. Most people would agree that is NOT the south Bronx- not even "parts of it". Also you don't "trade some safety" when safety is a top priority!
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