Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I really want to move to NY and will probably do so in the next 6 months. I want to know if anybody has any regrets about moving to NY and what are they?
Some info about me.
31 yrs/male
aiming to get an 80-85k salary as a programmer.
Night owl
Love culture/food/music/art
Moving from the suburbs of DC
I really want to move to NY and will probably do so in the next 6 months. I want to know if anybody has any regrets about moving to NY and what are they?
Some info about me.
31 yrs/male
aiming to get an 80-85k salary as a programmer.
Night owl
Love culture/food/music/art
Moving from the suburbs of DC
Well, I can't speak about regrets, but I can tell you that there's plenty to do around the city at night. There's also tons of different kinds of food, music, and art available to you. You might not live in an area that's as suburban as where you're coming from, but if you can handle that, you should be just fine. 80k+ is more than enough to make a decent living in this city.
I really want to move to NY and will probably do so in the next 6 months. I want to know if anybody has any regrets about moving to NY and what are they?
Some info about me.
31 yrs/male
aiming to get an 80-85k salary as a programmer.
Night owl
Love culture/food/music/art
Moving from the suburbs of DC
It depends on how you make the adjustment to a crowded and cramped urban environment in which your budget will be stretched more. Some people love it, but I've known others who felt like they'd gone from relative comfort to living like paupers (they were only making $30-35K here), and decided to get out, which for the most part has made them much happier. Given your description you will probably like it, but you'll have to look at housing inexpensive enough to give you money left over to enjoy some of the other things in the city like culture and food. $85K is about $4500 a month, which would be pretty good if you don't have much in the way of debt, but if you spend more than half on rent and then go to expensive clubs a lot it will go fast.
I really want to move to NY and will probably do so in the next 6 months. I want to know if anybody has any regrets about moving to NY and what are they?
Some info about me.
31 yrs/male
aiming to get an 80-85k salary as a programmer.
Night owl
Love culture/food/music/art
Moving from the suburbs of DC
A buddy who's a NYC native, in a similar industry to yours, with a simlar income, moved into a studio on the Upper West Side. Every chick he picked up freaked out when they got back to his place because of the size of his studio. He promptly moved to another major city and is much happier.
Another acquaintance has a penthouse. He doesn't date at all, just brings women back to his place. It's a done deal when they see the view from his pad.
Then again, you're a programmer and dating and women might not be important to you.
The DC suburbs are a pretty expensive place to live too, so the cost of living won't be too much of a shock.
I think the main thing to get used to is that compared to a suburban lifestyle, in basic housing amenities, you get a lot less for your money than you may be used to. You'll be living in significantly less space, and stuff like central air, washers and dryers, even dishwashers are not all that common except in new luxury buildings which charge $3000+ for a 1BR in Manhattan.
It really comes down to whether you truly enjoy urban living in the extreme, which has pluses - culture/food/music/art (to use your words), and minuses - small apartments, crowds, parking/traffic problems, garbage, graffiti, etc.
PS: As a programmer, you could do better than $80-$85K, depending on your experience and specialized skills. You guys are in demand!
A buddy who's a NYC native, in a similar industry to yours, with a simlar income, moved into a studio on the Upper West Side. Every chick he picked up freaked out when they got back to his place because of the size of his studio. He promptly moved to another major city and is much happier.
Another acquaintance has a penthouse. He doesn't date at all, just brings women back to his place. It's a done deal when they see the view from his pad.
Then again, you're a programmer and dating and women might not be important to you.
So is this how dumb people think? Really,..this all amuses me in a disturbing way..
He moves and makes life decisions to please random girls? OK,..
OP, you're single and young so that salary will be pretty decent. I don't regret my move at all, I love it here.
The only thing I regret is not moving sooner . . .I spent about 9 years in Boston thinking about NY and took baby steps to get here. I've been here for 7 years; now I own a coop apt in Queens and my life is really about what I've built in NY and the people I meet. It's been incredibly easy for me to meet people in NY - in my field I have found many people who are open and accommodating and interested in meeting new people and developing friendships. That was NOT happening for me in Boston.
But it's true that when I go back to Boston I note how easy it is to accomplish daily tasks like grocery shopping (imagine parking easily and for free outside a store, finding the store well-stocked, the employees helpful, even finding an available shopping cart to place the items I intend to purchase while I am inside the store!!) This kind of thing doesn't happen so much in NY. There are some negative things you have to put up with if you want to enjoy all the good stuff.
I heard there were a lot of opportunities down south and out west
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
