Income to move to NYC? Single, childless in my 20s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You will need roommates and possibly sleep in a bunkbed

No. Someone with an income of $80,000 can actually have a bedroom. Maybe small and up four flights of stairs, but with a door.

[Anonymous]

I did it but was rent stabilized. It was still tight and I didn’t go out a lot spent most of my time working.

[Anonymous]

I actually hear decent things about Jersey City. It's right across the river, cheaper than Manhattan, and you can take the PATH train straight to the city. In fact, PATH will often get you to the urban core faster than if you were taking the subway from Queens or Brooklyn.

[Anonymous]

You can definitely do it. When I moved from DC to NYC my cost of living AFTER real estate fell. Everything you get in DC you can get in NYC for less. You can also of course get it for more, but there are so many more holes in the wall and deals to be found.

I know you're not moving from DC but it's really not that expensive after you cover housing. Transportation, food, and entertainment can all be doable on a low budget. You'll have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do it. If you don’t do it now you never will. Being young in New York City is incredible. If you wait to move there ‘till you can actually afford it, well, then you’re too old already to get the real feel.

+1

Being in NYC in your 20s is amazing. As others have said as long as you're good with having multiple roommates, living in Brooklyn, Queens or Jersey City, and possibly a 4th floor walk-up, you can get by. Although housing is expensive, there are lots of low cost activities to be found and it is such a great experience to meet people from so many different backgrounds and have the opportunity to experience so many things that are just not available in other places (at least not the variety of things).

[Anonymous]

You’re single with no kids. Don’t listen to this bunkbed outer borough shit. You can easily live in a decent apt in Manhattan with a roommate or two. Is it going to look like Gossip Girl? No. (I’m dating myself.) But a cute quaint place that’s all about what being in your 20s in NYC is all about? Damn right.

[Anonymous]

My daughters friends all make that income and live in Manhattan.

Her three friends live in a one bedroom divided up on Water Street in Manhattan.

I think a big factor is are you a man or a women? Are you hot?

I lived in Manhattan for several years when single. A lot of girls I dated lived at home, in “the burbs” multiple roommates but remember a 23-28 year pretty singer female is dating 29-34 year old guys. Weekends in the Hamptons, ski trips, Broadway plays, clubbing etc all paid for by others. Pretty good deal!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have a backup exit plan.
I've lived in NYC since graduating college and while it can be exciting, it can also leave you cold.
Community will be hard here unless you want to stick with shallow friendships from work. I have a handful of people I could really call friends and two stretch back to grad school, the 3 others are mom friends made through my children's school.
If you are religious, you will find community thru your church or temple.

Outside of my mommy and school friend circle, here are the categories of working women I would present to you as templates -
-the middle aged are usually childless and past child-bearing age. out of the dating pool due to age or married too late to have children.
-I see a lot of younger women at my office who are spinsters in the making - working long hours, living here in the city without meaningful connections, and not exactly earning enough to mix in the high income net worth crowd.
-the ones with families are usually married to a high earlier or come from family money. or they commute in from NJ, CT or Westchester and are married to a high earner. or they left the city entirely.

OP is in her twenties. This is totally inaccurate. There is a huge pool of single twenty somethings who work in the city and live with multiple roommates. It’s a fun time of life, for a few years. Especially a few years after graduating college.

What PP described is more accurate for 30 something women.

[Anonymous]

My oldest is there, trained at professional ballet school. Dorms and tuition were comparable to private colleges.

When she and two friends got their own apartments they had to have a guarantor if you didn’t make 40x the annual rent. Their part time jobs weren’t enough. It nobody wanted to give shady landlords so much personal info they needed so we went through an agency who will guarantee rent for a fee.

Based on calculations you could afford $2,000 per month. And don’t assume Manhattan is your best option. I swear there are more rats and roaches in manhattan than the other boroughs. Young people head to Astoria or parts of Brooklyn. An agent will let you know the best neighborhoods. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

You can manage living frugally.

The one major problem is unless you increase your earnings, you’ll never own an apartment. You’ll be a renter for life. That’s okay when you’re 25 and not when you’re 45.

You should focus on getting a higher paying job. NY is a terrible place to not have any money.

Move. Just make sure you don’t end up 40, with no way to put a down payment on an apartment and end up renting for life. I know a few people who were living very fun Manhattan lifestyles and acted like they were better than the rest of us in suburbia or second tier cities. They somehow didn’t get the memo and now are struggling financially in their 40s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My oldest is there, trained at professional ballet school. Dorms and tuition were comparable to private colleges.

When she and two friends got their own apartments they had to have a guarantor if you didn’t make 40x the annual rent. Their part time jobs weren’t enough. It nobody wanted to give shady landlords so much personal info they needed so we went through an agency who will guarantee rent for a fee.

Based on calculations you could afford $2,000 per month. And don’t assume Manhattan is your best option. I swear there are more rats and roaches in manhattan than the other boroughs. Young people head to Astoria or parts of Brooklyn. An agent will let you know the best neighborhoods. Good luck!

NP
can you offer a name of a reputable agency. My DC and 2 friends are looking for a place in NYC and I love this idea of not giving out personal/financial/credit application info to multiple landlords.