Living in New York?

stones55 · 30-07-2013 2:37pm #1

What is the cost of living like? What are nice area to live in with good transport?

Ponster · 30-07-2013 3:19pm

An almost impossible question to answer without more information.

NYC is one of the most expensive cities in the US. Rent and food will be a lot more expensive than almost anywhere else.

> What are nice area to live in with good transport?

Will you be working or studying over here and if so where?

stones55 · 30-07-2013 6:31pm

Sorry for a vague post. It's currently an idea..I would like to move to NY & work. I'm currently looking into getting a job, if my qualifications are recognised.

athtrasna · 30-07-2013 6:50pm

stones55 wrote: »

Sorry for a vague post. It's currently an idea..I would like to move to NY & work. I'm currently looking into getting a job, if my qualifications are recognised.

You do know that getting a working visa for the US is very very difficult, verging on impossible. Be careful not to put the cart before the horse.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 1:53am

A small fortune. Probably a 90k salary a year if you are single for a comfortable life. Have kids then much much more.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 2:21pm

clairefontaine wrote: »

A small fortune. Probably a 90k salary a year if you are single for a comfortable life. Have kids then much much more.

Honestly, that's a ridiculous response - half the people I know don't earn anything near that and they live VERY well. 90% of people in New York do not make that salary.

If you are single you can live okay on around 50k a year and many get by on less. Rent is difficult if you want to live in Manhattan, you can still get studios and small 1 bedrooms for less than 2k a month though. Most people live in Brooklyn or Queens these days and there is arguably a better lifestyle to be had in places like Williamsbug, Bushwick, park Slope, Caroll Fardens etc than there is in Mangattan when it comes to day to day living. i lived in Manhattan dor 10 years but now live in a beautiful family neighborhood in Queens 20 minutes from the city on the subway. My gf and I share a huge place for $1,600 a month.

Concerts and restaurants are actually cheaper in NY than in Dublin if you compare like with like. Obviously there are plenty of luxury outlets via which you could CHOOSE to spend an endless amount of money in New York however you do not need to do so and can still have an amazing lifestyle.

iusedtoknow · 31-07-2013 3:56pm

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

Honestly, that's a ridiculous response - half the people I know don't earn anything near that and they live VERY well. 90% of people in New York do not make that salary.

If you are single you can live okay on around 50k a year and many get by on less. Rent is difficult if you want to live in Manhattan, you can still get studios and small 1 bedrooms for less than 2k a month though. Most people live in Brooklyn or Queens these days and there is arguably a better lifestyle to be had in places like Williamsbug, Bushwick, park Slope, Caroll Fardens etc than there is in Mangattan when it comes to day to day living. i lived in Manhattan dor 10 years but now live in a beautiful family neighborhood in Queens 20 minutes from the city on the subway. My gf and I share a huge place for $1,600 a month.

Concerts and restaurants are actually cheaper in NY than in Dublin if you compare like with like. Obviously there are plenty of luxury outlets via which you could CHOOSE to spend an endless amount of money in New York however you do not need to do so and can still have an amazing lifestyle.

Hmm...50k Gross? I don't see that as being a very good style of life in NYC. That is of course assuming you get benefits with the job (ie healthcare)
So if you take off 30% for SS and taxes you are down to 35000. Just under 3000 a month.

Possible yes, enjoyable? ...probably not. Not when you take in rent, food, utilities, going out money etc.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 5:54pm

I've lived in New York for 20 years, started my own business in the mid 2000s and had to live on roughly 50k (or less) for the first few years - my lifestyle was fine and I was living in a very nice part of Manhattan at that time. Like I say, the vast majority of people in this city do not earn anything like 90k. These days my rent plus all utilities and bills comes to about $1,100 a month. If I was on a 50k salary that would leave about $600 per week for food clothes, recreation, etc. In New York that can go a long way. I go out anytime I like to restaurants, bars, concerts etc - the idea that you need that kind of money to live here is a total myth.

Ponster · 31-07-2013 6:04pm

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

These days my rent plus all utilities and bills comes to about $1,100 a month.

Are you in a rent-protected flat? I pay $2400 for a 2-bedroom in Park Slope/Windsor Terrace and that was the bottom of the market. $1100 these days probably wouldn't get you any closer to Manhattan than Inwood or Flatbush (based on a quick check on renthop.com).

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 6:17pm

Nope.

If you have to cover dental and health costs you will need that money to live comfortably.

The people I know on 50k in NYC live in small studios and are in credit card debt up their eyeballs.

So yes I would say 90k sans visa and MasterCard.

Another friend of mine on 100k also lives in a small studio, difference is hers has a doorman and is on the upper east side.

iusedtoknow · 31-07-2013 6:18pm

Again, are you talking 50k gross or net ....that makes a huge difference. There is also a difference between long term established in a city vs moving for the first time.

In my building (here in SF), my neighbour lives in an apartment the same size as ours. She pays 1000 a month, we pay 2540. The difference? 15 years or so. Our building is rent protected, so that is most we will pay should we stay for the next few years

Sure, I know someone that commutes from outer queens into their mid-town office. Takes them around 90 minutes each way door to door. They rent pretty cheaply, but the costs of commuting and loss of time make it pretty worthless.

SHOVELLER · 31-07-2013 6:22pm

Ponster wrote: »

An almost impossible question to answer without more information.

NYC is one of the most expensive cities in the US. Rent and food will be a lot more expensive than almost anywhere else.

> What are nice area to live in with good transport?

Will you be working or studying over here and if so where?

Rent in Manhattan will be very expensive unless you luck out.

Food is not expensive unless you are dining out every night.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 6:24pm

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Again, are you talking 50k gross or net ....that makes a huge difference. There is also a difference between long term established in a city vs moving for the first time.

In my building (here in SF), my neighbour lives in an apartment the same size as ours. She pays 1000 a month, we pay 2540. The difference? 15 years or so. Our building is rent protected, so that is most we will pay should we stay for the next few years

Sure, I know someone that commutes from outer queens into their mid-town office. Takes them around 90 minutes each way door to door. They rent pretty cheaply, but the costs of commuting and loss of time make it pretty worthless.

Yep. I wouldn't call a 90 minute each way commute a comfortable life. I'd hate it. Bloomberg just taxed the bejesus out of commutes in from New Jersey too, making NYC even more prohibitive.

The small businesses are closing, all mmy favourite pizza joints are gone. The city is becoming one big shopping mall and losing its character. Why? Because it has become so unaffordable to live and work in.

If you are moving there now you are going to find real estate a phenomenal scam.

If you lived here since 1940, sure you rent is like $5 a month, which is the reason e drying else's is so high, to subsidise it.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 6:47pm

Ponster wrote: »

Are you in a rent-protected flat? I pay $2400 for a 2-bedroom in Park Slope/Windsor Terrace and that was the bottom of the market. $1100 these days probably wouldn't get you any closer to Manhattan than Inwood or Flatbush (based on a quick check on renthop.com).

I live in the top floor of a house in Ridgewood, Queens - a very nice but little known neighborhood which is actually part of a historic district. It's not rent protected - it's over 1,000 square feet with a huge balcony and 20 mins from Union Square on the L train. Park Slope is just about the most expensive neighborhood in Brooklyn at this point - it's your choice to live there but not necessary.

EDIT - just to clarify, as I said in my original post above, I split the rent with my girlfriend, the total rent on the apartment is $1,600 - I pay half.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 6:55pm

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Again, are you talking 50k gross or net ....that makes a huge difference. There is also a difference between long term established in a city vs moving for the first time.

In my building (here in SF), my neighbour lives in an apartment the same size as ours. She pays 1000 a month, we pay 2540. The difference? 15 years or so. Our building is rent protected, so that is most we will pay should we stay for the next few years

Sure, I know someone that commutes from outer queens into their mid-town office. Takes them around 90 minutes each way door to door. They rent pretty cheaply, but the costs of commuting and loss of time make it pretty worthless.

Just a second, I live in Ridgewood Queens, on the quite well known L train. My commute to Unions Square, door to door is 30 minutes. And my apartment is not rent protected, it's the top floor with a seperate entrace of a huge two family home, I have over 1,000 square feet plus a large balcony.

Regarding salary, I'm talking about gross salary. Are you aware that the median pay for a non-professional office worker in this city is around 56k? People who visit the city for short periods get a totally distorted view of it - it's entirely possible to live here on the kind of money I'm talking about.

My girlfriend is a manager at a major fashion brand based in Soho. Starting salaries there are in the 40s. If you are sharing an apartment with your partner or a friend you can have a perfectly fine lifestyle in the 50k range including having a great social/recreational life - no kidding.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 6:57pm

clairefontaine wrote: »

Nope.

If you have to cover dental and health costs you will need that money to live comfortably.

The people I know on 50k in NYC live in small studios and are in credit card debt up their eyeballs.

So yes I would say 90k sans visa and MasterCard.

Another friend of mine on 100k also lives in a small studio, difference is hers has a doorman and is on the upper east side.

The vast majority of semi-professional jobs in New York include decent health and dental plans. Are you assuming that the original poster is going to work for MacDonalds or K-mart or something?

- coming from a 20 year resident who has actually lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens and often on the kind of money we are discussing.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 7:07pm

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

The vast majority of semi-professional jobs in New York include decent health and dental plans. Are you assuming that the original poster is going to work for MacDonalds or K-mart or something?

- coming from a 20 year resident who has actually lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens and often on the kind of money we are discussing.

I have no idea what the OP is planning to do.

Yes they include health plans but its a crap shoot as to what kind of plan and what coverage they are going to offer and what kind of contribution to that plan you have to make yourself. Dental plans are laughable. Dental and medical in NYC out of pocket are a fortune. I'm sure you know that.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 7:28pm

clairefontaine wrote: »

I have no idea what the OP is planning to do.

Yes they include health plans but its a crap shoot as to what kind of plan and what coverage they are going to offer and what kind of contribution to that plan you have to make yourself. Dental plans are laughable. Dental and medical in NYC out of pocket are a fortune. I'm sure you know that.

It's not a crapshoot in that the HR department of any reputable company will be happy to fill you in on the details of your benefit package during the interview process. And in my experience the benefit plans in most companies in New York are quite good - even for those in the starting salary range. The employee side contributions at companies I've worked for usually comes in at $100 - $200 per month, still totally affordable on a 50k salary. Regarding dental plans being laughable, they could definitely be better but they do cover basic cleaning/maintenance and some percentage of larger procedures. I haven't had to spend much on dental care over the past 20 years - perhaps you are approaching this from the point of view of having a family or something? A single 50k salary definitely would not support a full family here - I'd agree about that.

Like I say - presumably the OP isn't moving to New York to work for a fast food restaurant or as a retail clerk so he or she can expect to have a decent benefits package - especially if its the kind of job that would require a H1 visa.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 7:29pm

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

It's not a crapshoot in that the HR department of any reputable company will be happy to fill you in on the details of your benefit package during the interview process. And in my experience the benefit plans in most companies in New York are quite good - even for those in the starting salary range. Like I say - presumably the OP isn't moving to New York to work for a fast food restaurant or as a retail clerk so he or she can expect to have a decent benefits package - especially if its the kind of job that would require a H1 visa.

Yes I'm aware of that. I've always had good benefits packages in NYC, but I also know people, making monthly $400 contributions to theirs, and yes they are professionals.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 7:53pm

clairefontaine wrote: »

Yes I'm aware of that. I've always had good benefits packages in NYC, but I also know people, making monthly $400 contributions to theirs, and yes they are professionals.

I know people paying that kind of money too - but they aren't single people in the 50k salary range - they're families or people who opt in to expensive boutique health plans.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 7:59pm

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

I know people paying that kind of money too - but they aren't single people in the 50k salary range - they're families or people who opt in to expensive boutique health plans.

Ok we'll maybe that's what she is doing. On about 55k gross, 1200 a month studio lower east side, is a professional, and pays about 400 a month into her health plan. No kids and has a visa/MasterCard lifestyle subsidy, like very other New Yorker.

I also know a 95 year old paying $1 a month on a one bedroom upper east side apt.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 8:15pm

clairefontaine wrote: »

Ok we'll maybe that's what she is doing. On about 55k gross, 1200 a month studio lower east side, is a professional, and pays about 400 a month into her health plan. No kids and has a visa/MasterCard lifestyle subsidy, like very other New Yorker.

I also know a 95 year old paying $1 a month on a one bedroom upper east side apt.

Okay, you don't know a 95 year old paying $1 a month because even rent controlled apartments are subject to rent raises. I used to be in the property game - the cheapest rent I ever came across for a decent apartment in Manhattan was in the $100 per month range.

You seem to be completely ignorant of life in New York if you think that everyone here is living on a "visa/MasterCard lifestyle subsidy". Maybe you should restrict your comments to subjects you actually know something about?

silja · 31-07-2013 8:43pm

Mod note: please remain civil. You may have different ideas of what is livable and how much money is needed, and a discussion of that is fine. No need to attack eachother's ideas and for this thread to degenerate into bickering- stay with the facts.

Paul_Hacket · 31-07-2013 9:05pm

silja wrote: »

Mod note: please remain civil. You may have different ideas of what is livable and how much money is needed, and a discussion of that is fine. No need to attack eachother's ideas and for this thread to degenerate into bickering- stay with the facts.

Sorry mod, but claiming that everyone in New York is living off their credit card just seemed factually ignorant - not to mention insulting - to me.

crapmanjoe · 31-07-2013 9:37pm

My perspective

Late 20's, moved here 3 years ago - on 90k+ and live pretty comfortably, not saving much but thats by choice as i spend way to much on going out / holidays. I have a huge, nice 1 br to myself in queens, prob 20 min commute to mid town - just did not want to go down the room mates option.

I can not imagine living on less than 50k and maintaining an active 20's social life.

clairefontaine · 31-07-2013 11:29pm

Paul_Hacket wrote: »

Okay, you don't know a 95 year old paying $1 a month because even rent controlled apartments are subject to rent raises. I used to be in the property game - the cheapest rent I ever came across for a decent apartment in Manhattan was in the $100 per month range.

You seem to be completely ignorant of life in New York if you think that everyone here is living on a "visa/MasterCard lifestyle subsidy". Maybe you should restrict your comments to subjects you actually know something about?

Yes I do know a 95 year old woman paying $1 month. Don't tell me whom or what I know, thank you.

Why would you assume I know nothing about New York when you know nothing about me?

And you tell me to restrict my comments because they contradict yours? Eh...it doesn't work that way.

iusedtoknow · 31-07-2013 11:32pm

crapmanjoe wrote: »

My perspective

Late 20's, moved here 3 years ago - on 90k+ and live pretty comfortably, not saving much but thats by choice as i spend way to much on going out / holidays. I have a huge, nice 1 br to myself in queens, prob 20 min commute to mid town - just did not want to go down the room mates option.

I can not imagine living on less than 50k and maintaining an active 20's social life.

My wife and I are the same. I am on 100k in SF (Gross). By the time taxes and SS are taken off, this is around the 70k mark.

From that , I have to pay 30k rent a year, car payments, insurance, food, utilities, going out money etc. We go to quite a few concerts, eat out when we want and travel quite a bit (mostly by car).

We lead a pretty good life, we don't "survive", but live and more importantly have enough to plan for our future which is the reason we made the move to the states.
My wife is on 48k a year, gross. we've worked out from her payslips that she'll walk away with a little over 30k this year after taxes and SS.
As an exercise, we tried to figure out a budget for her living here by herself on 2500 a month. It was tight, unless she wanted to commute two hours to her work each way (which one of her workmates does, however she tends to sleep in our spare room some nights/days, working as a junior doctor is not easy)

clairefontaine · 01-08-2013 2:19am

iusedtoknow wrote: »

My wife and I are the same. I am on 100k in SF (Gross). By the time taxes and SS are taken off, this is around the 70k mark.

From that , I have to pay 30k rent a year, car payments, insurance, food, utilities, going out money etc. We go to quite a few concerts, eat out when we want and travel quite a bit (mostly by car).

We lead a pretty good life, we don't "survive", but live and more importantly have enough to plan for our future which is the reason we made the move to the states.
My wife is on 48k a year, gross. we've worked out from her payslips that she'll walk away with a little over 30k this year after taxes and SS.
As an exercise, we tried to figure out a budget for her living here by herself on 2500 a month. It was tight, unless she wanted to commute two hours to her work each way (which one of her workmates does, however she tends to sleep in our spare room some nights/days, working as a junior doctor is not easy)

You can forget about a car in New York, unless you live in a suburb. The parking alone is phenomenal, never mind the insurance.

NYC2013 · 01-08-2013 8:31pm

LOL at having to be on $90k a year for a single person to be able to live comfortably here

clairefontaine · 01-08-2013 9:46pm

If you are on 50, take down a third just for taxes.

That leaves you with 33.

Out of that is rent. I take comfortable to mean having your own space, not sharing, and nt in a dump hole basement.

Lets say that's 2k a month for someone just new to the city. That leaves 24k a year.

That leaves you with just under 800 a month to cover health, dentist, pension, leisure, savings, commute to work, clothes and utilities.

seachto7 · 02-08-2013 1:45pm

Feck, this thread doesn't make the "American Dream" very appealing...

Living in New York?

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