I'm currently living in LA, but thinking of maybe moving to Manhattan for maybe a year or so after I graduate undergrad. I heard that living expenses there are outrageous. I was wondering, typically how much would I be looking at per month for a 1 bedroom or studio apt? Also, I heard that there is a monthly charge by the city if you own a car, but I'm not planning to take my car there. Are there any other expenses I don't know about that I should know?
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Couple of questions for you Manhattan folks...
- Thread starter JMaster
- Start date
Unless you expect to use your car everyday, which means you'll move it from it's street parking space (if you can find one !) each morning by 8:00AM, or maybe a little later, depending on the street, you'll find that a good number of streets have alternate side parking (means that on some days you can't park on one side of the street). You'll end up in circles looking for a parking space; if you get home too late, you might find a spot many blocks from your Apt. Plus, in many parts of Manhattan you can't park on the street until 7:00PM (may have changed). Of course you can always leave your car in an outrageously priced overnight garage !.
Apt. prices in Manhattan are ridculously high; just go to NY Times website and look at their ads ! Queens is a good choice, depending, as usual on the neighborhood. Some of them have both subway and the Long Island Railroad stations, but beware, you may have to take a bus to either if your're too far away from either one.
Good luck; you'll need it.
😀
Apt. prices in Manhattan are ridculously high; just go to NY Times website and look at their ads ! Queens is a good choice, depending, as usual on the neighborhood. Some of them have both subway and the Long Island Railroad stations, but beware, you may have to take a bus to either if your're too far away from either one.
Good luck; you'll need it.
😀
JMaster, being a New Yorker, I would agree w/ a lot of the members that posted before me, your best bet is to find a place outside of Manhattan that has easy access to the subway and/or PATH train.
MrDingleDangle
Lifer
u can live in brooklyn too...not far...
if u really want to live in manhatten, u need a roommate i would say...my friends play $1,200 or $1,300 (i forget) a month and they have a living room, one back room and a lofted bed over the kitchen (3-4 foot ceiling, no wall looks over the living room) and another lofted (same deal) in the back room...and thats up on 82 street or something.
if u really want to live in manhatten, u need a roommate i would say...my friends play $1,200 or $1,300 (i forget) a month and they have a living room, one back room and a lofted bed over the kitchen (3-4 foot ceiling, no wall looks over the living room) and another lofted (same deal) in the back room...and thats up on 82 street or something.
AnthraX101
Senior member
Hoboken! w00t! Go us!
Armani
Armani
TheeeChosenOne
Banned
I have lived there for the last 5 years so I have a good idea of what you're in for: .......
1.) New York is very expensive. You will pay outlandish rent fees for a whole in the wall (all NYC TV shows like "Friends" gives a false impression about what type of apt. you will have). VERY likely you will need to share a place with obnoxious roomates.
2.) You will pay a CITY TAX of about 8% ON TOP of State & Federal if you live in NYC or the burbs (Brooklyn, Bronx, etc). Yes, you will pay as MUCH tax as people pay in social states in Europe like Germany.
3.) Having a car wil COST you. Car insurance is AS OUTLANDISHLY EXPENSIVE as rent...well over $1500. Parking will COST you. Unless your apt. building is fancy, you will have to pay for a garage($250/mo.?) or put it out on the street. Parking on the street is VERY time consuming as you can imagine.
4.) NYC is a target for terrorists
Having said all this, NYC is the BEST city in the world!! If you have good friends to share your experiences with, it can be loads of fun. Otherwise, you will get lost in work and have no social life unless you're like a gigolo who can do things on his own. That is why 95% of single New Yorkers are ultimately lonely. You'll most likely hang out with the dorks from work.
Work-wise, you will have enormous opportunity to excel more than almost any other city. The opportunity is there, but the higher salaries don't make up for the cost of living (i.e the points I mentioned above). Dining (many cheap eateries), clothes, etc are like any other city....Gap or Macys clothes are the same prices nationwide generally.
==========
If you want to go, here's what I recommend:
1.) Rent a place across the river in New Jersey. They have nice towns on the other side and the trains will get you to work. They are as convenient and speedy as the NYC subway. In this manner, you'll save on the 8% NYC tax and have a larger, cheaper place at your disposal....plus you're only a 10 minute train ride away from NYC.
2.) Ditch the car. Leave it with your parents if you plan to live in NYC for only one year. The subway is so damn good & cabs are so available that a car really is prohibitive in cost and nuisance. If you want to leave the City for a weekend, rent a car--seriously! About 50% of New Yorkers don't even have a Driver's license, if that's any indication that you really DO NOT need a car---and that's advice coming from a Californian who loved his car.
Bottom line: The cost and hassle of moving to New York for one year is NOT worth it. You will be stuck at work (you will work huge hours as most college grads do--despite what the Company OFFICIALLY tells you--which is 90% BS!!), so you will not enjoy the City until the weekends (unless you have one of the various jobs that makes you work weekends).
If you want to advance in your career and make a GO of it, you will have to stay there for at least 5 years....then it becomes rewarding. If you're an independent, social sort, then you will really have no problem fitting in and dating.
If you just want to experience the CITY, stay at the student hostel on the Upper West Side (close to Columbia U.) for 3 weeks and get the CITY out of your system. That's a LOT cheaper alternative than living there. Don't be like the countless multitude of kids that move to the City and have their fantasy balloon popped at the first step they set on the island.
Unless you're in banking, consulting or media, skip New York. There are many other cities that wll be cheaper. Salaries will be a little less, but your money will stretch much, much further. You can then vacation in NYC with your girlfriend if you like it that much.
=============
email me if you have any questions. Good luck with your decision! 🙂
1.) New York is very expensive. You will pay outlandish rent fees for a whole in the wall (all NYC TV shows like "Friends" gives a false impression about what type of apt. you will have). VERY likely you will need to share a place with obnoxious roomates.
2.) You will pay a CITY TAX of about 8% ON TOP of State & Federal if you live in NYC or the burbs (Brooklyn, Bronx, etc). Yes, you will pay as MUCH tax as people pay in social states in Europe like Germany.
3.) Having a car wil COST you. Car insurance is AS OUTLANDISHLY EXPENSIVE as rent...well over $1500. Parking will COST you. Unless your apt. building is fancy, you will have to pay for a garage($250/mo.?) or put it out on the street. Parking on the street is VERY time consuming as you can imagine.
4.) NYC is a target for terrorists
Having said all this, NYC is the BEST city in the world!! If you have good friends to share your experiences with, it can be loads of fun. Otherwise, you will get lost in work and have no social life unless you're like a gigolo who can do things on his own. That is why 95% of single New Yorkers are ultimately lonely. You'll most likely hang out with the dorks from work.
Work-wise, you will have enormous opportunity to excel more than almost any other city. The opportunity is there, but the higher salaries don't make up for the cost of living (i.e the points I mentioned above). Dining (many cheap eateries), clothes, etc are like any other city....Gap or Macys clothes are the same prices nationwide generally.
==========
If you want to go, here's what I recommend:
1.) Rent a place across the river in New Jersey. They have nice towns on the other side and the trains will get you to work. They are as convenient and speedy as the NYC subway. In this manner, you'll save on the 8% NYC tax and have a larger, cheaper place at your disposal....plus you're only a 10 minute train ride away from NYC.
2.) Ditch the car. Leave it with your parents if you plan to live in NYC for only one year. The subway is so damn good & cabs are so available that a car really is prohibitive in cost and nuisance. If you want to leave the City for a weekend, rent a car--seriously! About 50% of New Yorkers don't even have a Driver's license, if that's any indication that you really DO NOT need a car---and that's advice coming from a Californian who loved his car.
Bottom line: The cost and hassle of moving to New York for one year is NOT worth it. You will be stuck at work (you will work huge hours as most college grads do--despite what the Company OFFICIALLY tells you--which is 90% BS!!), so you will not enjoy the City until the weekends (unless you have one of the various jobs that makes you work weekends).
If you want to advance in your career and make a GO of it, you will have to stay there for at least 5 years....then it becomes rewarding. If you're an independent, social sort, then you will really have no problem fitting in and dating.
If you just want to experience the CITY, stay at the student hostel on the Upper West Side (close to Columbia U.) for 3 weeks and get the CITY out of your system. That's a LOT cheaper alternative than living there. Don't be like the countless multitude of kids that move to the City and have their fantasy balloon popped at the first step they set on the island.
Unless you're in banking, consulting or media, skip New York. There are many other cities that wll be cheaper. Salaries will be a little less, but your money will stretch much, much further. You can then vacation in NYC with your girlfriend if you like it that much.
=============
email me if you have any questions. Good luck with your decision! 🙂
Actually I've heard that Manhattan rent has dropped a lot since 9/11. There are definitely deals that can be had out there, and I'm not talkin about crappy $1200/month studios with rats, etc. Get some local papers and take a look, you might find a gem. Remember, you are going to need a large amount of cash on hand to get an apartment. You will usually have to pay the first month's rent up front, then a security deposit of 2 months rent, and most likely a broker's fee which can be more than a months rent. I'd say having about $7000-8000 on hand is advisable.
If you're thinking about living in New Jersey, places that are close to Manhattan, like Hoboken, Jersey City, etc. are not cheap. You might be better off in Brooklyn or Queens, or even Long Island. However, the farther you are from Manhattan, the higher your commuting costs, especially if you take a train. You might want to consider places in Bergen County, New Jersey. Towns like Rutherford, Lyndhurst, etc. You are a quick bus ride in to midtown, and the rent is more reasonable than it would be in the city.
--Ben
If you're thinking about living in New Jersey, places that are close to Manhattan, like Hoboken, Jersey City, etc. are not cheap. You might be better off in Brooklyn or Queens, or even Long Island. However, the farther you are from Manhattan, the higher your commuting costs, especially if you take a train. You might want to consider places in Bergen County, New Jersey. Towns like Rutherford, Lyndhurst, etc. You are a quick bus ride in to midtown, and the rent is more reasonable than it would be in the city.
--Ben
Jersey City is cheap now that the PATH station to the WTC is gone. I heard no one is renewing their leases there. You can probably get a cheap place there. I also heard there is a 30% discount on places near ground zero.
Edit: Hey Ben, don't you live up the block from me in Cliffside Park?
Edit: Hey Ben, don't you live up the block from me in Cliffside Park?
<< Jersey City is cheap now that the PATH station to the WTC is gone. I heard no one is renewing their leases there. You can probably get a cheap place there. I also heard there is a 30% discount on places near ground zero.
>>
Yup 30% discount for the battery park area.
JMaster,
I live on the upper east side, corner of 95th and 3rd. I currently split a 1 bedroom(doorman building) with a roommate. 1/2 the living room is the 2nd bedroom. Rent is 2,525 and my lease expires on July 31st.... My plan is to move up to a 2 bedroom apt in the same building for about 3,000 a month. Also, a car in the city, especially if you live in the city, is a bad idea. Parking will cost you 275-325 a month. Subways are pretty good in NYC, but get very crowded during rush hour.
You can definitely find a decent 2 bedroom walkup, for about 2000-2100. Or can you get a very nice large 1 bedroom in a doorman building and convert it for 2500 (thats what I chose). A studio will run you at least 1400+. Your best bet is to find a roommate to keep your rent costs around 1g. Also, a doorman for me is key. I work 80+ hours a week and they take care of my packages and dry cleaning. I get tons of stuff over the web because I refuse to sell out to the socialists in NYC charging 8+% sales tax.
Last thing: when looking for an apartment, try to do it yourself. Brokers will charge you 15% of the first year's rent which is ridiculous.... my apartment building was a no-fee apartment with its own on-site rental office. I recommend picking up the 2001 copy of Gabriel's apartment guide for a list of all the "no-fee" apartments in manhattan. Good luck.
I think its stabilized, rent controlled apts are even harder to find. Its a railroad apt in a walk up. He would renovate the place and probably make 2 studios out of it. They would each rent for more than what I pay now. The place below me was converted into 2 studios and they're tiny. Actually there are only 2 other apts in this building that aren't divided into studios. I am seriously considering his offer, esp if he ups the ante and/or gives me some in cash.
You know I have pics of that block where you live before those buildings went up. It was a vacant lot for years and the shots were taken from the roof of a tenament accross the street on 95th. I gotta find them though.
You know I have pics of that block where you live before those buildings went up. It was a vacant lot for years and the shots were taken from the roof of a tenament accross the street on 95th. I gotta find them though.
I live in Brooklyn. A neighborhood called Park Slope. Top floor of a Brownstone. I'm 35 minutes from midtown manhattan, and less from downtown. I live around the corner from the subway.
My share of the rent is now $785. I have a huge room by NYC standards (10.5x18), but have 3 other roomates who have smaller rooms. I'm a block and a half away from a huge nice park (Prospect Park). The 'hood is really nice, not dangerous, I don't lock the door when going for groceries for a few minutes.
I make far more money than I would anywhere else, and like others have said, some things cost the same everywhere. I have no car and don't need one.
I used to live in North Eastern Queens. Fresh Meadows. There you need a car. Rent is less. Life is more suburban. No subway close by (you need to take a bus to the subway or an expressbus).
My commuting costs are $67/mo (monthly metrocard).
I am single and lonely 🙂 Stinkin' 95%
I DONT work all the time.
My share of the rent is now $785. I have a huge room by NYC standards (10.5x18), but have 3 other roomates who have smaller rooms. I'm a block and a half away from a huge nice park (Prospect Park). The 'hood is really nice, not dangerous, I don't lock the door when going for groceries for a few minutes.
I make far more money than I would anywhere else, and like others have said, some things cost the same everywhere. I have no car and don't need one.
I used to live in North Eastern Queens. Fresh Meadows. There you need a car. Rent is less. Life is more suburban. No subway close by (you need to take a bus to the subway or an expressbus).
My commuting costs are $67/mo (monthly metrocard).
I am single and lonely 🙂 Stinkin' 95%
I DONT work all the time.
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