Cost of Living in New York

I highly recommend the Riverdale section of the Bronx. It is very safe, feels more suburban, has tons of parks! I left DC because I found the people too conformist, and the cost of living had skyrocketed from when I moved there from Manhattan in 1995. I paid almost 2K for my Siver Spring, Maryland apartment which had a pool and a parking garage, bought a 1 bedroom in Riverdale for $158K in Sept 2012. I had enough of being a renter!! When I want some city I hop on the Express Bus and go to Manhattan or take the 1 train from the 231 st station. I'm 67 and don't want to be in the middle of the craziness anymore! Riverdale is not as affordable as it was in 2012, but it is still a huge bargain compared to Manhattan. Also I kept my car, and leave it safely parked on the street, for free!

@Makesh Free acommodation can be ok, but it can also be crap. But even with paying for accomodation, 10000 bucks a month should be more than enough for a comfortable living as a single person.

Erm.i wonder if could stay there,where can i find a job as a kitchen staff.plus i am asian and really wanted to stay in nyc for start a new life,hope you guys know what i mean it and help me.

I lived in NY my whole life but 3 years ago I loved bc it was soo fucking expensive. I'm trying to move back. It's the greatest place on earth and I got all my family there.

$10 an hour is enough, but you have to rent a room with shared bathroom in some of the further parts of bronx, brooklyn. you would have to also cook all your meals. no eating out. renting in the outer boros dont usually require credit checks, although they will take a copy of your passport. manhatan apts will run credit checks on you. well if you are indian, dont go to nyc, go to edison nj. it's a suburb of nyc and thats where all the indians go.

Hi
For those of you commenting you want to come to New York please visit but don't stay. It is definitely not what you think New York has beautiful points but living here the stress will give you a heart attack. I have been in New York 11 years and I am thinking of moving away since it's so expensive. The thing about New York is their are tricks to the trade of living here because living here is work in itself. It is not a game their is someone aways waiting to take your apartment if you don't want it, majority of the time it's like this. The landlords are always pressuring you to leave in sneaky ways unless you have a connection through someone else who knows them and can vouch that your a great person. Or you know the housing courts system. The man who wrote this article god bless him because many of you think this is article is bull shit and sadly its not this is seriously how we live unless you make above 90,000 a year you are not in comfort. You need to come here speaking many languages and get a coding experience and technology experience. I'm currently learning coding now due to the fact I need to truly compete to make a living every hour of my life here. Those of you who think your going to come here making less than 90,000.00. Please Please make your lives easier and go move to another state if you want to live in America do years of research because each state has its drawbacks. So far I've picked Kansas as a state I would love to move to. My income is currently less than 20,000.00 income would provide a lot more to me in Kansas than it would here in New York City. I'm stuck here because I cannot leave and I am so accustomed to my lifestyle and the proximity of everything that is really close to me. One true thing is the gentrification happens every 5-7 years so before you can even complete a ten year census you already have lost your apartment due to some of the sketchy business that goes on with the sneaky landlords. My close relative a sister of mine had a landlord that did not want to confront her about trying to evict her from her apartment. So he took an eviction notice and placed it in her apartment while she was away under her fridge on the floor hoping she wouldn't see it. My relative has a compulsive disorder and has a very cleanly home This was how we were raised as children. She found it less than a day later and went to the courts to over turn the unwarranted eviction. If you don't check your mail daily it can hurt you, keeping a clean place helps, because living in New York is like running a business you must do daily inspection everyday to make sure your business is safe from those who want to destroy it hourly. If not you are doomed. Then usually if you really did truly have to go into the shelter due to loss of a home or apartment, while in the shelter system you will get relocated to another part of the city for a year or more further than what your commonly used to. This year is going to be the toughest year of your life. The worst thing about New York is making money once you have some they place another bill on your shoulders, so the higher your wages you earn the higher your bills. If you have children make the trip New York cares for families but if your single stay away. I truly don't make that much and when I pay taxes and or get a paycheck 200-400 is removed automatically without a blink or a flinch yet I worked all those hours only to get 60 percent of what I earn. Not even 75 percent of what I make U earn please please reconsider coming here. Do not come here with drug habits because these are expensive and will ruin you in this city the same with an alcohol habit. If you are not at the top of your game and you have drama don't come here the city has enough drama and it will suffocate you. We are at the highest rate of homelessness and highest rate of children starving without food please do better for your families. These two reasons why are why I won't have a child here in the city. Bad enough the person I am with may not even be able to do for himself to survive but how can both of us take care of a child when we can't even truly relax to be apart of this child's life because we work so hard to make sure it eats.

Why is New York so damn expensive??? It's because of gentrification and the influx of financial money people who have made hundreds of millions and in many cases billions out of the banking and financial markets..

The super rich have distorted the real estate market and caused residential and commercial property prices and rents to sour.

If you are only making basic money then the best way to save and get ahead is to co-dwell in an apartment.. accept you'll have little privacy and just use your home for sleeping and showering.

Learn computer coding and study business or the share commodities markets and get your skills right up so that you may have a chance of pulling yourself up out of the financial underclass and into the comfort zone of money and independence.

Develop hit selling Apps for the iPhone/iPad

Write and produce hit songs on your MackBook Pro and give Max Martin a run for his money..

Become a skilled day trader ... just don't lose the shirt off your back...

(I haven't done it but I think that's a worthwhile approach to take..)

Wow. I kindly recommand you to come and live in Bucharest ( Romania, Europe ) :). New York seems to be an American Dream, but it's so expensive . In Bucharest you can live extremly well with just 10-12k/ year. The rent is 2-300$ for an apartment in the center of town and the costs of living are very small :D.
I was tempted to come in New York, but after the comments and the prices i've seen, maby it's wiser to stay here :))

I live in NYC and made $81K. I'm single with no kids, and I barely make ends meet. I live in South Brooklyn with $1350/month for rent (2 bd apt). Electric bill varies according to the time of year. In the summer it's around $200. In the winter it's around $70. My internet is $60/month. No cable. Gas is around $15/month. Landlord pays heat and hot water (most do). Unlimited metro card is $116/month. After all these expenses, plus health insurance and minimal 401K contributions, and groceries, I have maybe $200 disposable income. I don't know how people survive here with a $45K-$50K salary.

this told me a lot and will really help me when I finally get to move to ny and with my avid homework

i have a few things to say a lot of people here says its cheap correct? unfrontanuly there a lot a people that cant afford rent that high as well and there no affordable housing for the pepole that has been born here. people that do come into nyc take up all the resources we have as well.the only reason yall saying its cheap because yall could afford it and others cant. everyone situation is diffrent. i think new york is trying to make it were only rich pepole live here and its clearly unfair for other pepole that was born here and have to leave there families and friends as well. i lived here for 32 years nyc is horrible now back in my day it wasnt like this the pepole here are rude no manners think about themselves. everyone is messed up here you cant trust no one all dat stuff its horrible.the mayor sucks too as well bill or whatever his name is is not helping. im not only speaking for me im also speaking for the people who struggle with this stae with unrealistic prices.

Been here for years. The city is expensive but you don't have the cost to commute. Anyone looking to move to NYC would be better served by selecting a suburb or another part of the country. You'll need to make 3 times as much money to live a modest life here vs anywhere else.

WARNING!!! Darren Blake is scam! Be careful. 3,000sqft 2/2...maximum security? He requires a fee before you physically see the unit. That is never a requirement. Do not pay him!!

Good luck trying to have a ten minute non-interrupted conversation in a bar or club in Toronto if her friends are nearby. If they don’t physically pull her away from you then what happens is that a rotating gaggle of women will come to “check up” on her, as if you’re on the verge of beating or raping her in full view of everyone. I’ve never seen such baby-like behavior in the Western world. I even experienced a case where the fat friend of a girl I was talking to said that I could “proceed” with the conversation. F**k that.

In DC you have a bunch of lame people who think they are important because of their government job. In Toronto you have a bunch of lame people who think they are cool because… I don’t know why. This is even worse because instead of trying to impress you with the work they’re doing, they try to impress you with slang, name-dropping, or commenting on how “busy” they are. I remember when a girl tried to insult me by calling me a “fucktard” and another white bread girl said to “get at” her. Just because you know the words to a Drake song and go to hip restaurants doesn’t make you cool.

I know some girls are reading right now and thinking, “They don’t give you eye contact because you are ugly!” This very well may be the case, but in Montreal I got daily eye contact from women who were much better looking than the Toronto specimens I had to deal with. Not only that, but Montreal women would smile at me. Yes, you read that right: attractive women would look at me and smile. In Toronto I might as well have been invisible.

I never saw an average-looking guy with a hot girl, but I saw many attractive guys with average girls. Toronto is a penis paradise where a woman can date a man much more attractive than she is pretty. If you’re not a good looking guy, you either have to own a nightclub or approach 1000 girls a week.

hi dears me and my wife coming from india and bolivia my wife she is a bolivian girl and me iam from india we like to live and works in newyork i dont know anything about newyork can i get a help dears. i dont know the the prospects for living in newyork for a indian guy and a bolivian girl please help me .aneeshpallippuram01@gmail.com this is my uae number +971554548979 now iam working in uae

I am planning to move to NY after marriage. We have an option of moving to either Saskatoon (Canada), Connecticut or NY (USA). Please suggest what should we prefer. Our annual income will be around 60k. Please suggest which city would provide decent standard of living.

Hi friends, I am coming to NYC soon as I want a new life and to experience the american dream. I have been offered in a job at a family friend's restaurant doing kitchen work... $4 per hour plus they said I can sleep at the restaurant in the back room as part of the deal.
I expect they will have me working around 60-70 hours a week so I should be making pretty good money.

Once I have saved up some money, would it be possible for me to find an apartment to rent that is not too expensive and do I need to provide much paperwork.

@sandeep No $10 per hour WILL NOT get you through to live in this city it doesn't matter where you will go, at minimum you would need $20 per hour to try to live paycheck by paycheck.

how much money does it cost to live in new york city

what is a duplex? a 2 bd room goes for $688k. umesh, it's difficult to say if it is worth it. hard to say if i do not know your lifestyle in india. sometimes people live posh lives in india at a low cost. they get used to the good life and are not accustomed to the ghettos of ny. ive noticed alot of immigrants live quite well in their home countries. if you are living in the slums of india, then i would take the $4000 job, but if you are living like a brahmin, then i would say forget ny. for $4k, you would be on the lower end. that and you will have to deal with the racism and crime in ny. you may not believe it, but theres alot of racism in ny, despite being multicultural. you actually have italians hating indians... jews hating koreans, and so on. so you should be ready for it. theres alot of americans who really hate indians. i have heard of americans being very angry just because an indian picked up the call at a call center.

I want to move to NYC, since I wanna join in NY film academy, I really wanna go there, I'm from India,I'm planing on earning for a year since I'm graduating next year and after earning for about a year I wanna go and live in NYC and take up acting classes, but I've heard alot about LA too, so please suggest me which place will be better for me to persue my career and also to live for a year and study in a film school. All these comments are getting me really worried, but I really wanna join a nice film school in US, will any part time job help me survive out there?

I want to move to NY, what's better NY or Austin, Texas?

I have never lived in a big city but i really want to go to New York. I want to move out with 3 of my best friends. We would be fine with sharing a Studio or a 1bedroom. How big are the Studios? Also is it easy to find a job?
Please Help me
thank you!

Hi everyone, I am a teacher I currently live in Texas. I am looking to move to New York Fall 2015 to pursue a job as a school counselor. I would like to live in a nice area, and I am willing to have a roommate....anyone moving to NYC?

Yes, you can certainly afford to live in Manhattan if you continue to make $300,000 to $400,000 per year. You'll save money by living in Brooklyn instead but that borough is not as safe as Manhattan aka NYC proper or as easy to navigate. To be taken seriously in professional comedy in the USA, you'll need to either attend a top-notch improv school for several years REGARDLESS of how experienced or naturally funny you are AND/OR you must pound the pavement performing stand-up at least 3 nights a week for at least a year at major comedy clubs even if you have to do it for free on their open mic nights. Have a great time! Good fortune to you! (p.s. To work in comedy, be sure not to tie yourself down with a corporate job. Stay humble & flexible driving a cab, tutoring students, tending bar or generating passive income. As a performer, owning your own time will be far more valuable than having tons of money. Stay away from people who over-value glitz & fame. Stick with people who value truth, humor, intelligence & compassion.)

OMG! it sounds really bad, i come from Kampala, Uganda and i have always dreamed of staying in NYC, but with what i have read about NYC so far, am fuckin freaked.....

do police detectives had enough salary to pay the cost of living in nyc?

nyc. where every other person is a criminal. yes, there are apartments for 700-800. they are usually in basements of residential houses. the only thing that is really expensive in ny is the rent. a 99cent store is a 99 cent store, no matter in ny, or alabama. but ny's quality of living is lower. no gardens, flowers, trees, scenary,or any of that. however, you will be likely to get beat up for no reason.

one word, two syllables.. CRAIGSLIST!
i stayed in manhattan for 2 years in university housing ($1000 monthly rent), but used craigslist to find an apt for my last summer ($550 monthly rent) in grandconcourse, bronx. 45 minute ride to my internship near penn station. for people who can live wit at least 1 roommate, and know how to save money on everything (groceries, clothes, clubs, dining, summer concerts) NY is quite livable! i'd love to return to NYC for holidays, think i caught de bug :)

This probably sounds really unrealistic but i want to move to NYC to go on Broadway I love theatre and I take ballet I've always wanted to live in NYC but I know it's super expensive living though so I'm worried

Iam Brendens friend, and he only likes chevys and i wrote that for him

I'm 18, I graduate in 2014 of high school. I plan to move to NY right after graduation with my best friend. What do you think is the cost for a apartment in Queens or Brooklyn for just a studio or one bedroom. Does this sound realistic, me moving from LA to Ny at 18? or should I wait? I'm not all the way financially stable but, I can manage. need advice pls thnx x

I haven't been on here in awhile so sorry for my ridiculously late response towards the people asking for my help.

Neighborhoods like Kew Gardens in Queens (which is nice, safe and very quiet so there's a large flight attendant population due to the proximity of the airport) have studios from $750 on up (think the average price is closer to $900). Kew Gardens is NOT close to Manhattan - it takes 30-45 minutes by train (30 if you've been blessed with a speedy train conductor with ZERO delays). My old roommates found their $600 A MONTH studio in Fresh Meadows, in a private home. Fresh Meadows (nice quiet neighborhood) is neither close to Manhattan (in Queens) nor is it train accessible - no train stop just buses (or a car if you drive).

To live close to Manhattan is to pay more unless you luck out and normally the luck is finding an apartment in a private home or someone who owns a small building and normally you find these on Craigslist (you seriously have to check this everyday at least twice a day and KNOW HOW TO SPOT FAKE/SCAM ROOMS AND APARTMENTS). where my old roommates found their $600 studio. Also busy areas in neighborhoods have fliers up with rooms/apartments for rent so that is helpful too. Another option is living in NJ. My boyfriend and I went to Mitsuwa last night (Japanese mall in Edgewater, NJ) and saw fliers for apartments from $1000 (1 bdrm) to $1700 (2 bdrm) in Ft. Lee. And the 2 bdrm was real nice with parking included (I think all the listings had parking included). My boyfriend's apt (which I pretty much live there now haha) is $1300 a month and it's a nice apartment, spacious with an intercom system (useful for keeping out Jehovah Witnesses because they will buzz every apartment several times and wait for 10 minutes before taking a hint) and street parking (he owns a car so street parking is FREE, just a little harder to find spots sometimes). Again, this is Queens (which is more family oriented) so the same apt in Manhattan (I don't know why everyone insists on being in Manhattan but oh well haha) is probably AT LEAST $2500, easily $3,000. The only people I know that have apartments in Manhattan are there because their company pays their rent (2 friends from Japan live in Midtown where apts are at least $2500). Everyone else who wants to be close to the city without paying the high rent and pay less in sales taxes (checked our receipts from Jeresy, 7% - NY? 8.875%. Gas is cheaper too in Jersey)? Jersey!! Or you can try your hand at the Bronx which is cheap but not the greatest (some parts are nice) nor safest.
The complaints about having to pay for parking, rude people everywhere, over crowded that's MANHATTAN! Yes, there are parts in Queens that will drive you crazy too (aha Main St Flushing anyone?? Queens China/Koreatown where traffic is horrible, sidewalks are extremely congested near the train station and people *groups* will cross the street on green, not caring about street lights). But people are nicer and the neighborhoods are quieter with FAR LESS RATS and it's cheaper overall (from apartments to grocery shopping - Gristedes in Upper East was charging $6.69 for an item I can get at Target in Flushing for $4.50). There are cheaper alternatives IN the city like Jack's 99 cent store and discount clothing stores like Century 21. Even places like Old Navy have discounts on TOP of sale items. Hell you can buy lunch in Manhattan for less than 3 bucks - the experience known as the dollar pizza - 2 slices of cheese with a canned drink (like Sprite) $2.75...it's just not healthy haha. But beware - these places are crowded. For healthier options that cost a bit more, but still affordable and in the city? Trader Joe's (crowded too but not so bad in the morning or an hour before they close).

Also to the guy who claims if you drink don't move to NYC??? Hahaha wow..how about this, if you constantly drink in Manhattan, or want to do all your nightlife experiences consider going BROKE sooner than you expect unless you know the really affordable spots to go to, but even still NYC has way more to offer than just bars and if you don't find anything else to do other than getting drunk at a bar I feel bad for ya...I really do. And this is coming from someone who doesn't drink. Some people may not know this but NYC has free events that take place every weekend (sometimes weekdays too) throughout ALL the boroughs (not JUST Manhattan). Events like art shows, concerts, festivals, comedy shows and more.

Oh also to those looking at Brooklyn - downtown Brooklyn is pretty much similar to Manhattan as far as rent goes, especially in Williamsburg.

As far as utilities go, depends on how much you use of course. But $300 dollars for electricity? I guess if you had the a/c or heat going everyday for hours...sheesh. I would invest in a good fan in the summer as well as good insulation for different seasons, and use a space heater (when needed since these can increase your bill too - we have 2, one in the living room and 1 in the bedroom, on top of using an electric blanket so it's not bad) during the winter. And if you have a tablet/computer I would ditch the cable and get Netflix for $7 a month if you can (I'm sure you've been told that before haha).

If you don't drink don't bother coming to New York. It's all about the nightlife (eating out, but mostly DRINKING). People here work their ass off, and after DRINKING is basically the only option. There are at least 5 bars per city block, some neighborhoods it's just one bar after another. There is no social life outside of those establishments. It's pretty impossible to make friends in the city except with your compatriots who are as lonely as you are. Come here and you will be a bar expert, to find one for yourself on your budget. Just don't walk in and order a drink, you might be unpleasantly surprised with 15 bucks per drink.
Don't even think of getting a nice apartment for under $2500. And another nightmare is getting approved for one even if you do have the money. I could write a short novel full of horrors, but you can just do a search on the web on this subject. There are some companies that will be a guarantors for a foreigner, but they will charge you a month fee, plus another month for a broker, plus 2 month security and you already have a price tag of 10k minimum to get an apartment

Andy is there another opening making 125K?! I can't even imagine making half of that even though I am a fully capable young guy just eager at the opportunity to live in the city of my dreams and reunite from my childhood where we had to leave but now I have the choice to move back If work is available.(run on sentance I know) Anyone know of any possible leads please don't hesitate to email me at gmeisme@gmail.com

I moved to NYC 2 years ago and am loving it. It is ridiculously expensive though. The trick to making it here is only renting what you can afford.

There is a rule they use here in the city: your annual salary must be greater than 40x your monthly rent. That means if you want to live in an apartment that costs $2000/mo, you must make $80,000 a year. *No exceptions.* Everyone who moves here that thinks they can be creative with their budget and scrape by with less, within a year, either end up leaving, or going broke. So stick to the rule: 40x your monthly rent, and you'll make it.

If you can't afford any livable apartments using the 40x rule (which is very likely), you can share an apartment with a roommate to cut the costs. Beware though, only go this route if you can handle roommates.

is it really that bad living in nyc???? / do u need a ceratin type pf personality???

Hey! I'm thinking of going to New York next year spend some months learning english at the New York Language Center in Manhattan. Could someone tell me aproximately how much money I need to live in NYC every month? I mean, I pretend to share a place with some person, paying the basic stuff (electricity, water, internet...). Also need a recommendation of a neighborhood to live. Not too far from the center of the city neither too close, some thing in the middle (otherwise I imagine the price will gonna be very expensive) but in a safe place. Thanks!