Affording NYC??

[treyisthekiller]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 4:59pm

I am moving to NYC this july from Hollywood, CA. I have been looking around online at different prices and ive got one question...

HOW DO YOU PEOPLE AFFORD IT?!

I have found some great deals in the Upper West side for around 1000 a month, and jesus, i thought hollywood was expensive!

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:00pm

well we don't need cars

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:01pm

It's a trade off. You give up a lot of things, like eating out, going to the movies, no car to own/lease and maintain/gas up.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:02pm

mejust, he's referring to the city. Not Queens.

[treyisthekiller]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:02pm

where do you guys live/how much is it?/what do you do to pay the bills?


curiosity kills everything, not just cats.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:03pm

Wannabe,

I'm not sure what map you're looking at...but Queens is actually in New York City.

[treyisthekiller]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:07pm

haha.

true, but no harm done.

id rather get a place in the city, but queens or brooklyn would be ok too, i guess. I just feel like im making sacrifices left and right, so i might as well go big or not go...and try and get a palce in the city. if that makes sense.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:12pm

Well...if you live in Queens and Brooklyn, you'll still be living in 'The City' (we like it capitalized).

If you are referring to Manhattan, well...that's a part of The City, too. However, if you are looking to live in your own place for $1000 a month on the 'Upper West Side', you'll be REALLY upper. Most likely Washington Heights. Which can be just as inconvenient as Queens or Brooklyn.

I 'went big' my first 8 years in the city cause...well...frankly, my folks were paying. Then, when I started paying (and found myself a man), we decided we could stay in Manhattan and not go to shows, movies, bars or any of the other things we like to do. Or we could move to another part of The City (Queens...Long Island City, to be specific) and be able to have a great social life and take great vacations. I was even able to leave my good paying, soul draining day job to return to acting full time. Had we remained in Manhattan, I would not have been able to afford that choice.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:15pm

I live in my own place on the Upper West Side.

[robbiej]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:17pm

For $1000 a month?

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:22pm

I agree completely with robbiej.

To me, what's the point of paying sh**loads of money on rent, just to live in Manhattan, and not being able to afford restaurants, bars, theatre, all of the things that we're living in NYC for to begin with??

I have friends who insist on living in Manhattan, who go to work and go straight home afterwards. They can't afford to do ANYTHING.

I'll be enjoying my lower mortgage payments, along with my savings account, social life, and vacations, while others pay WAY too much for closet-sized studios below 125th Street.

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:23pm

wanna be: I don't understand that comment?

I was suggesting that we don't need cars in NYC; therefore our higher rentals should be bundled into a cost of living rather than an arbitrary category like “rent.”

And scary as it might be to anyone you don’t need a car in Queens either.

NYC is not cheap, but we do save in some ways. The subway is very inexpensive.

Updated On: 4/26/07 at 05:23 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:27pm

Cool, congrats on your move- I made the move from L.A. to NYC almost 18 months ago, and it really was the best thing I ever did, if only for the fact that I pretty much love not having a car and not having to do that daily Valley to Bev Hills trek over Coldwater that would take me like an hour to go 15 miles.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:33pm

I own on the UWS. And I go to the theatre quite often. It all depends on the sacrifices you're willing to make and on your income. I totally understand why some people would rather save the money and live in Queens or Brooklyn. It just depends on the person.

[treyisthekiller]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:33pm

so where did you end up when you made the trek 18 months ago?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:33pm

I live in a studio on the UWS by myself and although rent eats up half my takehome pay, I am still able to go to tons of shows (as you all know) and I have a great social life. It is definitely possible to live in manhattan and still have fun.
Updated On: 4/26/07 at 05:33 PM

[treyisthekiller]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:35pm

so what do you guys do for work?

ive waited tables, ive worked in retail, what do you guys do to pay the bills?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:39pm

I have a day job, but I do a lot of investing on the side.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:39pm

I'm a marketing analyst for a large printing company (magazines, catalogs, books, etc). I've been here for 2.5 years...first job out of college...and I really enjoy it!

[Pippin]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:46pm

WEll, that's why you can afford the studio, Trace, because you live ON it, not IN it.

[jess20882]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:49pm

i know what you mean - it's tough! sometimes i still can't believe i actually live in nyc. i get some help from my parents but only on rare occasions, if i really need it. i work in tv, get a weekly salary, pay for my own health insurance and gym membership, not to mention a monthly metrocard, AND pay my $1175/month share on my $2350 UES 2 bedroom apartment. and that's a steal for my neighborhood! if you want something more affordable, you'll either be living in a tiny share with (sometimes) crazy people - which i've done my fair share of, or you'll be living WAY uptown. i suggest checking in astoria queens, or somewhere in brooklyn. my boyfriend and i will be moving in brooklyn (we both live in manhattan currently) over the summer because he's a chef there, working odd hours, and it's just easier. we are finding that it's much easier to get more for your money if you don't mind moving out of manhattan. i'll miss living right in the heart of the city but hey, from brooklyn heights, where we're thinking of moving, it's only a 10-12 minute subway ride back into midtown!
good luck, you'll love it here

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 5:51pm

haha...sorry pippin. i edited my original post.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 6:01pm

Freud, meet WAT. WAT,meet Freud.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 6:08pm

I live in a fabulous one bedroom in the W. Village. I afford the rent through the pension I get from teaching, a parttime job in the theater, and the occasional residual from tv and film.

If I moved out, the rent would go up to about $3000/month.

[Fabrizio2]

Posted: 4/26/07 at 6:51pm

Brooklyn and Harlem seem to be developing more and more. I think that the right property could be a great place to live. If I decide to move to NY after school and stuff, I would definately start out in Brooklyn.