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 have a job offer in hand for a job in downtown Brooklyn, with a salary of about $120K/yr.
However, I am a little concerned about the cost-of-living in NYC, especially the cost and availability of housing.
Thoughts? Advice? I'd be renting (at least for a few years), and I'd like to live in a neighborhood that has good transit connections, conveniently-located neighborhood-serving retail (think: grocers, delis, dry cleaners, etc.), and that is relatively free of random street crime. I'd need around 800 s.f. of living space. And I'd prefer to live alone. How much would that set me back monthly (just the rent, not the utilities)?
I don't have children, so schools-related issues wouldn't be a concern of mine.
Downtown Brooklyn itself seems like a nice place to live, and there are a lot of things to do there. Park Slope is another good option, there are plenty of bars, restaurants and such around there.
Park Slope, Cobble Hill, downtown Brooklyn... Would anyone vote for Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo or Williamsburg? Plus, isn't some sort of arena about to be built in/near downtown Brooklyn? I wonder if the construction mess/noise would take the shine off of that nabe...
Park Slope is full of families, which might not be an ideal choice for a single person. I would look to DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and Cobble Hill. I am not a fan of the current iteration of Williamsburg, and the experiment in hipsterdom has been crashing for the last few months, so the neighborhood is one that is in flux. You can look to Lower Manhattan, but the rent will be more than for a comparable apartment in Brooklyn, save for some buildings in DUMBO that are at Manhattan premiums. Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO give you easy access to Manhattan for fun and shopping, yet are also close to work, so it's a great location in your situation.
__________________
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)
$120k is great! You can have a very nice life in NYC (Brooklyn or Manhattan) on that. You'll probably net close to $7k per month:
$2,500 - rent + electric/ cable
$2,000 - savings (IRA, invest, & liquid cash)
$2,000 - spend (food, entertainment, daily incidentals like dry cleaning & renter's insurance & haircuts). This is enough money to date and really take advantage of the city (theatre, concerts, the occasional Yankees game, etc).
$500 - $6k per year for travel, gifts, clothes, cash giving, home furnishings, etc.
This is all assuming you won't bring a car- you certainly won't need one. If you do bring one, budget about $8-10k per year for parking (can be $500/mo + in Manhattan), insurance (yikes!), more expensive gas, tolls (yikes again!), and the occasional parking ticket.
You may have different financial priorities than I listed above, but I think my budget shows you can do pretty much anything as a single guy making $120k.
Do Brooklyn Heights. You'll be on the right side of downtown to go to Manhattan when you want. DUMBO is hip in the warehouse sense but not neighborhoody. Williamsburg is fine but you can do better.
Someone earlier said downtown Brooklyn itself - I walked through once around Jay St. transferring subways and it seemed pretty darn depressing to me. Live there if you like fried chicken.
Why would you go to Manhattan...it's more expensive and the commute is longer
Well, yes... but its Manhattan!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmwguydc
I am not a fan of the current iteration of Williamsburg, and the experiment in hipsterdom has been crashing for the last few months, so the neighborhood is one that is in flux.
I think I know what you mean here, but I want to be sure... care to expand on this thought?
Quote:
Originally Posted by crescent22
DUMBO is hip in the warehouse sense but not neighborhoody.
What is it, specifically, that makes DUMBO "not neighborhoody"? Is it a lack of people, and architectural style, a lack of (a certain kind) of households, a dearth of certain types of retail outlets? Something else? More info, please.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crescent22
Live there if you like fried chicken.
I don't know... I rather like my momma's fried chicken.
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.
