Living in NYC....the real truth

[jimmy_oh_jimmy]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 1:54am

For those of you that live in NYC and the varying Burroughs surrounding it and commute to manhattan for work-honestly speaking how difficult is it...do you love the lifestyle, recommend avoiding it if at all possible, etc? I definitely want to hear some thoughts about newbies contemplating a movie to the big city

xoxo

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 1:08pm

Here is some excellent advice given in a discussion I saw online a few months ago, from someone who moved there after college. Take it to heart. I went to college in NYC and lived there prior to that, twice, with my family. I also have many friends who stayed there after we graduated from college and their experiences were very similar to the following comments. These are the practical considerations that people should explore before planning such a move.

"My advice would be to make sure you have a financial cushion -- even with the promise of a job where you'll immediately start to make money, I would say you would need to come with a bare minimum of $5,000-10,000 in liquid savings, plus whatever you anticipate your move costs to be. If you will have to come and then look for a job, then obviously you would need much more to cover any period of unemployment. But to rent an apartment, plan on putting down in cash at least 2 months' rent (1st month + a security deposit equivalent to a month's rent), and then if you go through a broker (which is sometimes a necessary evil here) you'd have to pay typically a fee equivalent to 15% of the annual rent for the pleasure of working with them. All that can eat up $5,000-10,000 in the blink of an eye."

" Grocery shopping, and the difficulty/ease of it, can vary. It depends largely on where you live in the city; it can be very easy or very hard. I used to live in the midtown area, and the nearest decent-sized grocery store (not a deli; they're practically on every corner) was 8 blocks away -- that sucked. Where I live right now, it is ridiculously easy, as there is a large (for Manhattan) grocery store right on my corner. Depending on how long you've lived in the suburbs and how used to a big weekly shopping trip, it might take some adjusting, but we basically go to the store every day or every few days, and carry a few bags home. We don't buy in bulk like you might in the suburbs. Kitchens are tiny here anyway, so there's usually not room to store "value size" supplies anyway. The other really great option for most of New York at this point is Fresh Direct, which is an online delivery service. It's pretty inexpensive and delivers the next day (you pick a 2-hour period for them to deliver). I don't use it too much because of the convenience of our local store, but some people use it for the majority of their shopping.

- Safety also depends on where you live, I guess, though the majority of the city is pretty safe these days. Let me tell you, I feel MUCH safer here than in many smaller cities, including my hometown of Hartford! You can safely ride the subway until 1 or 2 in the morning and they will always be well populated, and one of the nice things about going out in the city is that there is no reason to drive after drinking (just stick out your hand and hail a cab!), so that to me is a huge step up from the suburbs in terms of safety.

- Increased cost of living is true -- especially in terms of rent and eating -- though at least you won't be paying for gas anymore and let's be honest, with the way those costs are going, most New Yorkers' $81 unlimited monthly metrocard is much more affordable than many suburban commuting costs."

" I'm pretty sure that many if not most landlords will require that you provide proof of annual income of 40-50x the monthly rent, not 25x. For guarantors, it's more like 80-100x. Often, it's made more difficult for those coming from outside the tri-state area, because sometimes guarantors are required to be from the area. If you have large cash assets that can easily cover 6 months or more of the rent, you may be able to get away without proving such an income.

I've heard a decent rule of thumb in budgeting for rent in NYC is to expect to spend 25% of your gross annual income on rent. When I first moved here, I think I spent a little over 50% of my take-home salary on rent. (My parents had to be a guarantor on my first two apartments.)

It's not easy, especially just starting out."

[jimmy_oh_jimmy]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 6:28pm

wow thank you that helps a ton! I'm thinking of moving to the midtown area too and looking forward to it!

[beyonddizzy31]

Posted: 10/21/08 at 11:13pm

Everything that's in the above post in totally true.

You ask about commuting: I decided to move to Brooklyn rather than Manhattan. For one thing, its hella cheaper (a two bedroom apartment in Midtown West will run you between $2500-$3500/mo, not including utilites, and I pay $1400 for my 2BR in BK) I live in Sunset Park, a primarily Mexican/Chinese neighborhood, and commute every day to Midtown to work. I give myself roughly an hour from the time I walk out of my apartment to the start time of my shift, for wiggle room. I've been fortunate enough to live in two separate apartments within close range of express trains, so my trip in is often pretty short, considering how far down in BK I live.

To be completely honest with you, I have little desire to live in Manhattan, even if I had the cash to afford it. Working in the theatre district has made me super-annoyed by tourists (I have to serve them coffee on a daily basis) and I like living somewhere that not many tourists make the trip to visit. Brooklyn is its own city with its own personality and vastly diverse neighborhoods, and its nice to come home to somewhere that doesn't feel infested by French tourists.

I also know several actors who live in Astoria, Queens (affectionately knows as "Actoria") and are very happy there. short commute to Midtown, same cheap apartment rentals.

In the end, it kinda depends on what you're more willing to sacrifice: your money or your time. I chose the latter, but know several people who choose the former

Updated On: 10/22/08 at 11:13 PM