[speakeasy]

1) In a nutshell, is NYC worth living in if you can't live in Manhattan?

2) Are there deals to be found in Manhattan? Like possible to live for under $2000/mo in rent without having roommates?

3) What's the minimum you would have to make to have a passable lifestyle in NYC? Not baller, but be able to go out a few nights a week, take a trip here and there, eat out at lower/mid-range restaurants, entertainment, etc.

[Onto]

Check out streeteasy.com and search for No Fee apts to avoid payng a fee. There are fewer of those, but they are there.

You may be able to get a studio for under 2k from 86th st downward. Otherwise go upward and you will for sure. Check out Hudson Heights and Washington Heights for an apt close to an express stop on the A train. You will definately find nice apts for less than $2k. A train express from up there to 59th st in about 20 mins.

Another option is Astoria and Bushwick. It will be harder I think to find a place in prime Brooklyn (Williamsburg/Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens) for that price because the inventory there is less than Manhattan, but if you can get a spot in Brooklyn Heights that is close to a lot of trains and is a real nice neighborhood.

Also, check out Grove Square and Hamilton Square in Downtown Jersey City. I just moved from there and that place is really nice now. The Path train will take you into the West Village in about 10 mins! 33rd St in about 20 mins with stops in between and the Path is reliable. You can get a downton JC studio for less than 2K. Use Del Forno Real Estate, they own a lot of buildings in the area there as well. Journal Square is another option for even less rent and just one more stop on the Path, but the neighborhood up there kinda sucks. If you can afford it definately be in downtown JC. By the way the Path train from Grove to WTC is down on the weekends for the rest of 2014.

Keep in mind, NYC is one of the few, if not the only city in America that taxes your income.

[slubu]

(09-09-2014 02:01 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

1) In a nutshell, is NYC worth living in if you can't live in Manhattan?

2) Are there deals to be found in Manhattan? Like possible to live for under $2000/mo in rent without having roommates?

3) What's the minimum you would have to make to have a passable lifestyle in NYC? Not baller, but be able to go out a few nights a week, take a trip here and there, eat out at lower/mid-range restaurants, entertainment, etc.

1) It would be hard for me to answer that since I don't live outside Manhattan, but I presume yes. There are lots of people that don't want to or can't afford to live in Manhattan, much less prime areas of Manhattan (lower). But prime Manhattan truly is a wonderful place. In terms of logistics I believe it becomes harder to pull a girl on a 30 minute subway ride, or cab ride from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn or Queens so you would be likely be going out a lot in your own hood.

2) Yes there are. But if you want to live in Lower Manhattan god they are shitholes. I spent a lot of time looking for places and anything under $2000 was unliveable. My buddy rents a studio for $2050 in Soho and that was a great deal. I imagine outside lower Manhattan you can find under $2k pretty easy. Just keep in mind broker fees which most good places do have.

3) Check out this post I recently made. I spend about 4700/month all in for NYC, which is insane now that I think about it. I would suggest 100k if you want to live in Manhattan proper, but you can do it for cheaper if you go out less (I go out 3x a week) or date less, and especially the rent factor. I pay just under 2300 in rent a month.

[Sonsowey]

I am leaning more and more towards "not worth it" after having lived in NYC with a modest bankroll for a couple years. Take my opinion in conjunction with everyone else's but I'm going to give you a bit more of a "cynical" view I guess.

I believe NYC is basically funded by a combination of huge amounts of debt and large transfers of wealth from outside of NYC.

For instance, I know a teacher, who is making probably somewhere around 50K a year, who just bought a 1 bedroom apartment in Soho that probably costs somewhere around $2,500 a month. This is about her entire paycheck in rent. How does she do this? Mommy and Daddy help her. She is about to turn 30.

Other people who don't have Mommy and Daddy's help just run up crazy credit card debt.

Eventually, these people run out of Mommy and Daddy's money or the credit card debt becomes due. I assume at that point, they leave NYC and go live somewhere where rent isn't at a minumum half your paycheck. Then, someone in their early 20s comes to replace them and repeat the whole cycle over.

But in the meanwhile, you're living amongst these people, and trying to keep up. Everyone's going out to this great brunch spot. It's cheap, only $25 for some eggs. Everyone wants to meet up at this bar. It's not bad, $12 cocktails. If money is at all an issue for you, NYC can kill you easily, it's designed to suck all the money out of you.

Add into that the proportion of legitimately wealthy people here, with whom you are implicitly competing for female attention. Anyone can go out and buy an outlandish meal on a card, but your apartment and area of residence are a pretty flawless way for girls to judge you. If you are competing for manhattan girls who are also mingling with legitimately wealthy people, you are at a huge huge disadvantage.

Now, you could check out from that, buy a place in Brooklyn, and compete for hipster girls who live in the same areas. Or, as I have done a lot, totally check out of that and start sampling the true diversity NYC has to offer and hit up lots of the immigrant populations and start domestically flagging. This of course comes with a lot of stigma attached to it. You are judged on everything in NYC, and if you're dating "the wrong type" of girl, ie one below you in social status, people will think there's something off with you. You should be dating some girl your age with an office job, or at least some young hot club tart, heaven forbid you flirt with the cute checkout girl with the heavy accent from her home country who lives at home in some far-flung neighborhood.

The opportunities for girls are endless of course, and even living in an outer borough you can pull all sorts of chicks. Of course living in Manhattan or the trendiest areas of Brooklyn help. So so so many guys have no game, especially if you get into Brooklyn, it's pretty rare to see other people spitting game. I have had the opportunity to collect a ton of flags just hopping on the train.

But prices are just out of control. You can live frugally but if you want your lifestyle to include eating out and going out every week, it'll be tough if you're not making 70K + plus to start with.

[Sonsowey]

(09-09-2014 02:21 AM)Onto Wrote:  

Check out streeteasy.com and search for No Fee apts to avoid payng a fee. There are fewer of those, but they are there.

Wow somehow I had not seen this site before, they have some deals that seem too good to be true.

A 1 bedroom in Ft. Green for udner $1,000 a month. The northernmost part of Ft. Green pretty far from trains, but still, that's a hell of a deal if the place isn't an absolute wreck.

[Courage Reborn]

Get a sublet shared 1 month lease on Airbnb

Under $2k all day

[jimukr104]

35 min on the B train to midtown from Sheepsheadbay( Q,B stop Kinshighway, Neckrd, Ave U), 1 br 1100 -1300 but there isn't anything to do really.
In the old days , you know Guido mafia days,you had discos and many bars on Flatbush ave that got crowds .

But since the Russians(Ukrainians, Belarussians, etc) came there really is NO NIGHT LIFE. They go out to restaurant/lounges, social circle.

Not even that many old man bars anymore since the religious jews outlawed them.

Quote:

or instance, I know a teacher, who is making probably somewhere around 50K a year, who just bought a 1 bedroom apartment in Soho that probably costs somewhere around $2,500 a month. This is about her entire paycheck in rent. How does she do this? Mommy and Daddy help her. She is about to turn 30.

That is strange that she would do that considering 50k is a new teacher salary and most new teachers are forced to work in ghetto in Bronx or Brooklyn and that means a commute.

I wish i could get passed my fathers studio in midtown(near MSG)...he pays 800 a month , electric included, has free gym access since his building was converted to a hotel.

what sucks is that there are many cheap apts that are rent controlled that enter the market when the tenant dies and landlords legally can only increase the rent 20% but they never advertise them(and many keep them vacant). It is one of the reasons many buildings go co op.

What you can do in theory is go to the website that lists all buildings that are rent controlled and walk around asking or taking contact info. You never know. You can end up with an apt paying 1/3 market price. NOT every landlord attempts to bring the apt to market level(often illegally).

Here is the Manhattan listing

http://www.nycrgb.org/downloads/resource...nBldgs.pdf

That is the funny thing about NYC. You can pay 4k a month rent in a luxury building and your next door neighbor pays 1200 for an exact copy.

[Rang off the Pipe]

Sonsowey pretty much nails it. The divide only gets bigger as people are either forced farther away from Manhattan or just decide to leave the area. We talk about New York quite a bit on this board, and for good reason; but it's still a very American city at its core. Economic opportunity is king.

[jimukr104]

Quote:

This of course comes with a lot of stigma attached to it. You are judged on everything in NYC, and if you're dating "the wrong type" of girl, ie one below you in social status, people will think there's something off with you. You should be dating some girl your age with an office job, or at least some young hot club tart, heaven forbid you flirt with the cute checkout girl with the heavy accent from her home country who lives at home in some far-flung neighborhood.

Never heard that before..lol

Who do you think work in the offices?
The immigrant girls are after a few years, when they get training, the chicks that make up the secretaries, Accountants, Bookeepers, paralegals, and lawyers.

The FSU, Asian, EE type girls actually do very good in school and probably make up a higher % of the professionals.

Forgetting about the health field, where it seems half of the pharmacists, dentists, and even new doctors are either Asian or FSU, the top corporations all full of immigrants.

My brother was in a top position in one of the large accountant firms...he swears over half of them were immigrants.

FACT:
Manhattan majority when you take away old money/wealth are basically immigrants(transplants) from other states in the USA , like SLUBU is lol. Like you said , they come here a few years and then leave. Or move to the suburbs.
Yes they spend A LOT of money on rent but most of them under 35 live with roommates(guys and gals).

Just like South Florida you have many guys spending everything they have to show off but the real wealthy I suspect live in the hamptons and Westchester and don't chase girls in bars.

One of the biggest spenders you will most likely see are tourists or regular office professionals who a corporate spending account. That is the big thing...thousands of guys with spending accounts.

Shows like how I met yot mom and Friends did good because it reflected a truth about the typical Manhattanite(or fake NYER as we call them). It is all about roomates. The majority of folks I knew who rented in manhattan lived with roomates.

You also keep saying BUY. NYC is a renters city. You really don't save by buying like one does in most places because:

1. Most can't afford to buy( i am rich and i can't lol)

2. The majority of apts are co ops. Co ops are terrible. You end up paying almost what you would in rent often as maintenance fees.

3. Co ops ..you get screwed in case of disaster because FEMA doesn't insure them. We had A LOT of problems after the Hurricane because of that.

4. You can't easily reverse mortgage them..so you never see your money you put in them if you are living there forever.

5. Hard to sell..because often need approval.

Quote:

Sonsowey pretty much nails it. The divide only gets bigger as people are either forced farther away from Manhattan or just decide to leave the area. We talk about New York quite a bit on this board, and for good reason; but it's still a very American city at its core. Economic opportunity is king.

Or they find subsidized housing..even in Manhattan there is a few communities that are considered moderately safe.

NYC is what you make of it... in many ways it is VERY affordable. Rent is the thing but you don't need a car and many utilities are included.

You are also forgiven for NOT having a pimped out crib as they say.In the Southwest/ SO Cali people are judged on cars and how cool there flat is. In NYC a guy can have a small cockroach invested cave and chicks will say 'cool' because they themselves have one like that and because they are only renting.
My mom and aunt lived on 57th and Lex( one of the most expensive blocks in NY). They had friggin mice and mold for crissakes but most of the apts were going C o op and many rich people lived there including a few television personalities. Probably no other place in the country would this happen. Location comes before quality it seems.

If one avoids convenience stores (3 dollar waters), supermarket prices and happy hour is probably not far off from other places .Plus so much is free.

Cheap food is the same as anywhere else( tad's steakhouse, papaya king, pinky burgers). Like any big city there will be more upscale.

Most Museums are by donation even and art gallaries and some wine tasting events are free/cheap.

Not sure how the scene is now but 20 years ago I remember being able to go out every night of the week for almost free. Clubs always had promotions or guest lists different nights. And many clubs and bars even had nights where you get free champagne , wine or even beer for a few hours. I remember I use to hang out at the Karaoke bar on the UES where they had 3 hours of free beer( preppy murderer Robert Chambers hanged out there lol). Another promoter had twice a month parties with free entry and 2 hours of wine.

I assume they still have similar deals if one knows how to look under rocks.

[sinnerman]

It absolutely is !

Neighborhoods to consider in Queens: astoria, long island city, forest hills, rego park, sunnyside

Neighborhoods to consider in Brooklyn: williamsburg, greenpoint, brighton beach

Neighborhoods to consider in the Bronx: Riverdale

[Rang off the Pipe]

I'd argue against Rego Park and Forest Hills since those are more distant areas, even if that's a prime subway spot in the county. Of course, they're cheaper than the other three areas; especially Long Island City.

[jimukr104]

(09-09-2014 03:22 PM)sinnerman Wrote:  

It absolutely is !

Neighborhoods to consider in Queens: astoria, long island city, forest hills, rego park, sunnyside

Neighborhoods to consider in Brooklyn: williamsburg, greenpoint, brighton beach

Neighborhoods to consider in the Bronx: Riverdale

I would avoid Brighton beach..too far away and not anything there. And the local places are expensive since it caters to nostalgic Russians. But also a negative is it is an older population.

A saying among the RUSSIANS..the young and cool live in Sheepshead and old babushkas live in Brighton.

Bensonhurst and Bayridge and south part of Mid wood (ave m and ave j on Q train) are also not bad..mostly Jewish and Russian. But Bayridge isn't that cheap and the train is slow. But Bayridge is full of lounges and bars and maybe a few clubs that survived..not sure.

Tbh if one doesn't drink much it is cheaper to just insure a car and drive in to the city in the evening. Used to take 20 minutes and easy to find parking at night. 100 bucks a month (expensive) for insurance beats extra 1500 a month in rent lol.

Quote:

I'd argue against Rego Park and Forest Hills since those are more distant areas, even if that's a prime subway spot in the county. Of course, they're cheaper than the other three areas; especially Long Island City.

Agreed. Mostly residential. Many FSU(Russkies) chicks there but very quiet on weekends due to the Jews. Kind of like Boro park. Many Isrealis live there (also in Gravesend Brooklyn). I used to visit a chick in Boropark. Saturday and Friday night everything is close.

[warder]

It depends what you want. There are tons of hot girls outside of Manhattan in places that aren't that expensive to live in. Many of them have been recommended. Astoria especially is very cheap and you shouldn't have trouble finding places to live there on your own for under $1600/mo.

It's a very acceptable place to live. IE, chicks in Manhattan won't think it's weird. And in 30 min you're in the city on the Subway. Maybe $25 taxi ride from Midtown.

NYC is cheap to live in if you don't drink a ton. It's really the alcohol that kills me. I find most food to be relatively inexpensive. And it also depends on the type of girl you go for. Before I started making bank, I was the king of happy hours in Manhattan. One of my go to's was Key Bar in the East Village. 241 till 10pm every night.

[TheBulldozer]

NYC can be done on a budget with a learning curve and a good network of friends.

Good news: A lot of the advice here is pretty accurate. You're further along than most who blindly move to NYC looking to 'make it'.

I've lived in Manhattan and lived in a very un-trendy part of Queens. I had a great time in both.

What I would do some weekends while living way out in Queens was grab an airbnb for the weekend. In my message I would explain that I was from NYC and had a lot of social events going on that weekend and didn't want to waste time commuting. I usually paid 110-150 each weekend. Get in Friday evening and leave Sunday night. Makes for a very affordable experience to do it right in NYC.

If you want to live way out, take the LIRR or a subway for awhile and pull girls back to their place. Here is the one city that bucks the norm. It is totally normal for a girl to bring a guy home. Roommates won't bat an eye, because they've all done it. I've woken up in as many girls' places as girls have woken up in mine. Logistics are pretty easy if you get creative and not treat it like anywhere else in America.

[Deluge]

(09-09-2014 03:22 PM)sinnerman Wrote:  

It absolutely is !

Neighborhoods to consider in Queens: astoria, long island city, forest hills, rego park, sunnyside

Neighborhoods to consider in Brooklyn: williamsburg, greenpoint, brighton beach

Neighborhoods to consider in the Bronx: Riverdale

I was under the impression that rents in Williamsburg are on par with most of Manhattan these days.

[robreke]

I'm 44. Thinking of a major life change where there are much much more women to day game than where I currently live. ( where I live I will daily run across anywhere from zero to as many as 3 approachable women I find attractive....or really rare days maybe more than 3 who are in approachable situations)

I look good for my age...tall and slim, full head of hair. But, I'm wondering if , at my age it is wise to make such a huge lifechange and start daygaming NYC 20 somethings when I know there's alot of competition from operators younger than me. Would like some feedback on guys who are familiar with the women there and let me know if it'd be shit ton hard for me or a big life improvement.

[Bad Hussar]

Have never lived in New York permanently. Longest was a month or so a few times. My impression of costs is that apart from rents it's not really an expensive city for most people. As others are saying part of the reason is that if you live in Manhattan you don't have a car and it's expenses, unless you are really loaded. Especially if you are into cultural life very big cities like New York are almost the only places that will suit you. The institutions like museums, galleries etc. are overwhelmingly concentrated in these cities. and many of these are available for free or limited costs.

I think that the reason many people say New York is expensive is because they make comparisons but don't compare "Apples to Apples". Someone from Springfield Kansas, or wherever, will compare the price of say the best restaurant in Springfield, with the best restaurant they can think of in New York. Obviously that isn't a reasonable comparison since the best restaurant in New York is going to be a have three Michelin stars and serve the "masters of the universe". But there are plenty of reasonably priced places, even in neighbourhoods like Soho and the West Village that will only be slightly more expensive than an equivalent restaurant in Kansas.