So surprised that we arent getting more info about Brooklyn? Most middle aged NYers I know live there, with kids. (The people I know in Manhattan either married EXTREMELY rich or inherited an apartment that was purchased 50 years ago).

I've also considered the Brooklyn move -- how doable is it?

Anonymous wrote:I worked in NYC on Wall Street for 30 years. Not a single person including CEOs or traders lived in Manhattan long term with with kids. It makes zero sense.

It depends where you live in NYC for instance Garden City and Rockville Centre and Bergen County NJ as goes straight to downtown

Midtown Manhasset or Great Neck or CT.

Any other examples besides CEOs and traders? NYC is huge. There are five boroughs ? I think and most people here are only mentioning the most expensive neighborhoods. There’s everything from suburban neighborhoods in Queens to densely populated neighborhoods in midtown. I’d be excited if I was you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

Do you live in there on under a 300k HHI? Please share your expenses then.

Not PP but the median HHI there is only $127k.

A lot of people here are young and just starting out, bunking with four roommates and taking advantage of free lunches at work. A lot of people (including almost everyone I know) move to the suburbs once they have kids. It’s just so expensive to raise children here, and honestly gets tiring after a while. I’m a big law partner and even at that income a majority of people move to the suburbs.

I lived there with my parents in the early 2000s and their HHI was 5 figures. It was not difficult to make ends meet and we did not feel poor. I am also in biglaw and not surprised you cannot fully understand the lives of the poorer people who serve you.

We are on Roosevelt island with 2 kids. ~400K HHI. RI is very “middle class” - I recognize a lot of clothes from Target on the kids. Lots of UN employees and doctors at Cornell and MSKCC. There are really no ostentatious displays of wealth. We are very pleased with the local school PS/IS 217. Most kids leave in 6th, though, and take the train to Manhattan for school (kids going to the same school travel together). RI is in district 2, so most of the zoned schools are good, but the middle school thing is kind of crazy and anxiety-provoking. 3 BR exist, but you pay quite a bit extra for them versus a 2 BR. We rent a 3 BR (1200 sf) for 7000. RI is a great place for kids - safest place in NYC (probably bc it’s quiet and pretty boring!), and so our kids can tool around by themselves and with friends. There are free red buses that do loops around the island - it’s great for the kids when they want to visit each others buildings. There is an F train to Manhattan and of course the tram. The ferry isn’t a great way to get to midtown.
I don’t love suburbia, but also find Manhattan a bit overwhelming, and RI is sort of city-living lite.

I worked in NYC on Wall Street for 30 years. Not a single person including CEOs or traders lived in Manhattan long term with with kids. It makes zero sense.

It depends where you live in NYC for instance Garden City and Rockville Centre and Bergen County NJ as goes straight to downtown

Midtown Manhasset or Great Neck or CT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

Do you live in there on under a 300k HHI? Please share your expenses then.

Not PP but the median HHI there is only $127k.

Because there are tons of poor people.

Depends on how you define that. I would rather be ''poor'' in NYC than "rich" in Kansas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

You need way more than $300k.

Many families raising kids there on way lower than that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

Do you live in there on under a 300k HHI? Please share your expenses then.

Not PP but the median HHI there is only $127k.

Because there are tons of poor people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

$300k in NYC after taxes is $150k, so yah, not easy raising two kids on that income in Manhattan. We made $700k last year, are frugal and were able to only save $60k for college and retirement.

Uh huh.

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

You need way more than $300k.

OP, I live in NYC and will comment on the school situation. It's relatively easy with elementary schools - pick a school, find which buildings are zoned for that school, rent there. You can even move the next year and keep the kid at the same school; once they are in, they are in.

Middle schools are trickier because in many desirable places, e.g. Upper West Side, Park Slope, you essentially do not have a zoned school. You go through a district wide lottery or a similarly opaque process that spreads the kids far and wide. That's why many people leave when their kids reach middle school (and don't get the placement they desire).

Finding 3 bdr apartment is hard because there are very few of them. In a typical building, there might be 1 line of true 3 bdr, and maybe another 1-2 lines of 2 bdr where you can close off a dining room.

Try the StreetEasy app also. That’s where bulk of NY rent/sell real estate options are.

Anonymous wrote:This is DCUM so people are going to say that you need $300k+ HHI to raise a family in NYC and that you need to send your kids to private. Neither are true. If you really want to live in NYC it’s completely possible to live in a 2BR rental & send your kids to the local public

$300k in NYC after taxes is $150k, so yah, not easy raising two kids on that income in Manhattan. We made $700k last year, are frugal and were able to only save $60k for college and retirement.

OP you need to go and spend time in these places and see what the neighborhoods are like.

A close friend of mine who grew up in wealthy suburb of CT raised two kids on the Lower East side. They both ended up at a performing arts HS and took the subways there and home.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This is helpful. Income-wise, we are DCUM middle class, and my pay would give us a bump, but I suspect that private school/Gossip Girl life is not at all for us. We aren't "granola" but I would have to sell my Subaru

Share all the things. I was hoping for city living, but mostly to cut down on the commute. A lot of folks at my husband's firm live in Westchester, etc, and that seems like it might be a heavy lift.

I'm finding that 3-bedrooms seem a bit harder to find. Wondering if a two-bedroom could work near a park?

PP you don't think Queens would be a good option? Even like, Long Island City (is that too cool/young) or Astoria? Where in Brooklyn should I look? Is it Park Slope or other neighborhoods too? Are there specific PS numbers we should check out?

The nanny thing is something to think about. Is it normal to find someone for afternoons only? College students?

Where will your offices be, and how often do you work late? Although ostensibly the trains run throughout the city, some commutes are more of a pain than others. For example, getting crosstown above 42nd street is a hassle, so if you’re working in midtown east, you should look for a place on the UES. If you work in midtown west, go with UWS or Tribeca. The commute from Brooklyn to midtown can be long, and trains frequently stop running between the boroughs at night so it’s not ideal if you often work late.

Astoria and LIC are nice, but I’m not sure about the schools. LIC has more families, Astoria tends to be a post-college demographic. Both easily commutable to midtown. LIC doesn’t have many parks. Astoria has a beautiful park, but it’s about a 20 minute walk from the subway.

Your best bet might be Park Slope. Prospect park is beautiful and the neighborhood is very family friendly. That’s about a 45 minute commute by train, but be warned that off-peak trains aren’t the most convenient. There’s enough to do in Park Slope that you probably won’t have many reasons to leave on the weekends or evenings, but if you do you’ll probably want to Uber.

If you want a nanny for afternoons only, you may want to look into a nanny share. In my experience, most want full time work. We pay a full time salary of $85k with 3 weeks paid vacation (plus paid vacation whenever we’re on vacation, if we don’t bring her), 401k match, and medical insurance. I’d say that’s average among people we know, but if you’re willing to pay under the table you can pay less and do it hourly.