Moving to New York City

[Farang]

I'm about to graduate with a liberal arts degree in December, just finishing up my last 3 classes online. I was thinking of moving to New York and doing an internship there but have no idea where to start in terms of what places are good to live in and what to expect.

From what I see on Craigslist I can get a room with all utilities in Manhatten for around $500/month (shared kitchen and everything else). Am I basically set if I got a place in Manhatten or are there bad places to live on the island? Half the reason I want to go there is to experience the city so I'm willing to deal with shitty accomodation in exchange for the area of town I'm living in--that is unless there are much better places just outside where I could hop on the subway to get into town easily. Any info would be appreciated. I'm trying not to go above $700/month for rent but don't laugh I'm not demanding much for that money either.

edit: I can probably budget $750-$800 for rent as long as I can land a part-time job making at least $10/hour which doesn't seem extremely difficult.

 

[LegendKiller]

First off, not to nit pick, it's manhattan (not manhatten).

I personally like the upper west side, but UES is nice also. I would avoid going too far downtown (such as fiancial district or battery park) because they are ghost towns on the weekend. I'm not sure what's cheaper though, since I was looking for something different.

I would be very careful about Craigslist, a lot of scams are run through there. An intern at my place got hit recently.

 

[skim milk]

I encourage the move
I graduated in December of last year and did the same thing you did. I moved to do an internship for a few months. It's a great experience and you really get to see if NYC is for you or not. I stayed on the upper west side, paid about 600 per month for a room. All utilities included, the subway is a few blocks away so you can get around easily. You can easily find a place for 500-700 per month in manhattan when shared with roommates. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The location might be crap but it's still in the city. The living conditions aren't too bad as long as you're not expecting much.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: LegendKiller
First off, not to nit pick, it's manhattan (not manhatten).

I personally like the upper west side, but UES is nice also. I would avoid going too far downtown (such as fiancial district or battery park) because they are ghost towns on the weekend. I'm not sure what's cheaper though, since I was looking for something different.

I would be very careful about Craigslist, a lot of scams are run through there. An intern at my place got hit recently.

Sorry I'm using a new browser because Firefox 3 sucks and I'm used to trusting it to correct my spelling mistakes.. I thought it didn't look right when I was typing it.

Thanks for the responses.. very encouraging. I'm pursuing a career in editing and have just realized that there are mounds of these types of internships in New York.

and if Craigslist has scams, where is a good place to look?

 

[EGGO]

Well if you find a place, let me know what neighborhood you go to because I never was able to find anything that cheap here. LegendKiller did give a good place, though, UWS.

 

[ed21x]

yeah, i just moved to NYC 4 days ago, and am currently living in Upper East Side. Not a bad place to live at all. For that budget, you are probably going to be sharing a room in a nice area, or getting your own room in a not so nice area, but definitely doable. cl is still the best resource, followed by www.citycribs.com, and the Educational Housing Service if you want to live in a nice private dorm-type environment with other graduate students. let me know when you get here, first beer is on me.

 

[MichaelD]

Glad you're not expecting much for your $700/mo.

"Living conditions" are quite subjective; where do you live now? Do you live in a Section 8 project in Detroit, or do you live in your parent's house, on a cul de sac in a quiet neighborhood where you leave your bicycle in the driveway and the cars unlocked?

Manhattan can be quite a shock to "midwestern coddled whitebread" folks....even if you're not white. $700/mo will get you a ROOM, maybe 10x20 if you're lucky and a shared bathroom in the hallway. OR, you'll get a bedroom in a shared apartment with 4 other people. And they'll eat all your food, use your toiletries and make noise 24 hours a day.

Have you investigated other places? NYC is not the be-all, end-all of places to live/work.

<--native ex-pat NYer

 

[halik]

There's no frickin way you'll find a place for 500 a mo that's outside the ghettos of harlem.

The only way you'll be in manhattan proper for $500 unless you're sharing a room. Also UWS ends at 110, so despite the fact the place is market as UES/UWS you're living in harlem.

here's by far the best reference to where harlem starts

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Glad you're not expecting much for your $700/mo.

"Living conditions" are quite subjective; where do you live now? Do you live in a Section 8 project in Detroit, or do you live in your parent's house, on a cul de sac in a quiet neighborhood where you leave your bicycle in the driveway and the cars unlocked?

Manhattan can be quite a shock to "midwestern coddled whitebread" folks....even if you're not white. $700/mo will get you a ROOM, maybe 10x20 if you're lucky and a shared bathroom in the hallway. OR, you'll get a bedroom in a shared apartment with 4 other people. And they'll eat all your food, use your toiletries and make noise 24 hours a day.

Have you investigated other places? NYC is not the be-all, end-all of places to live/work.

<--native ex-pat NYer

I just got back from India a couple weeks ago so I'm pretty confident I can handle whatever NY has in store It isn't the be-all, end-all, I'm near Seattle right now and could find work up there, but I have a few months to kill and might as well do something different. I really like to travel and few places in the U.S. interest me but NYC being the center of the Earth and all it seems like it would be a good experience to live there at least a few months.

 

[ivan2]

In NYC I won't expect anything less than $1000 below 90th. Best way is to live with a buddy you know and share a 2 bedroom but that room starts from about $3000 a month.

There are other choices depending on where you work, queens, brooklyn, jersey city and hoboken are quite populated, and if you are in the right station, express subway ride can bring you to manhattan from the heart of queens in less than 20 minutes.

and stay away from the ghetto

 

[Farang]

So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

 

[God Mode]

did you factor in transportation, food and other expenses with that 1300 a month?

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: God Mode
did you factor in transportation, food and other expenses with that 1300 a month?

No that isn't a budget that is just the income I have guaranteed when I land in the city. So it seems as if it isn't enough to get by but with 20 hours/week part-time I'd get by comfortably enough.

 

[bonkers325]

try international house, but its definitely more than $500/mo

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
try international house, but its definitely more than $500/mo

That's the $750-$850 place I was referring to but upon looking further it seems they have a competitive application process and seeing as how the move-in date was September 1st, I am now assuming they are all filled up and I'll have to find something new.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.


Also have a job/internship lined up BEFORE you move, because otherwise you'll end up like all the other wanna bes singing and dancing in union square station. NYC is VERY VERY VERY VERY expensive, it ranks in top most expensive places to live in the world. My apartment ran me 1600/mo and figure in month and half deposit when you sign the lease + proof of income in most cases + moving expenses.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

To be blunt,
you'll be living in the ghetto and be poor as shit. Don't do it unless you have a paying job lined up, because your life will not be an episode of "sex and the city".

Before coming to grad school, I was an analyst for a top bulge bracket investment bank in NYC. To be honest, my quality of life is better here in MI with ~$2K/mo then with the 6 figure salary in NYC. The island eats up your money like no tomorrow.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

To be blunt,
you'll be living in the ghetto and be poor as shit. Don't do it unless you have a paying job lined up, because your life will not be an episode of "sex and the city".

Before coming to grad school, I was an analyst for a top bulge bracket investment bank and my quality of life is better here in MI with ~2K/mo then with 5 figure salary in NYC.

I appreciate your bluntness but if you don't mind.. what do you think you spent a month or a day on living expenses (food and luxuries) in NYC? I think maybe we have different standards of living because I don't mind if my accommodation is shit and I hate Sex and the City. It's just one of the few cities that has a shitload of editorial internships and is the most appealing of those cities for me to live in.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

To be blunt,
you'll be living in the ghetto and be poor as shit. Don't do it unless you have a paying job lined up, because your life will not be an episode of "sex and the city".

Before coming to grad school, I was an analyst for a top bulge bracket investment bank and my quality of life is better here in MI with ~2K/mo then with 5 figure salary in NYC.

I appreciate your bluntness but if you don't mind.. what do you think you spent a month or a day on living expenses (food and luxuries) in NYC? I think maybe we have different standards of living because I don't mind if my accommodation is shit and I hate Sex and the City. It's just one of the few cities that has a shitload of editorial internships and is the most appealing of those cities for me to live in.

$80/mo MTA card
$700-900/mo rent (guaranteed harlem) + security deposit of 1.5mo + most places do credit checks and want proof of income
$50-80 utilities
$300+ /mo for food (gal of milk was $4-5 when i was leaving in '07)
+ clothes/dry cleaning/laundry money etc etc.

I would start with a) living in jersey city/brooklyn/queens b)having a job lined up before you make the move

 

[chuckywang]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

To be blunt,
you'll be living in the ghetto and be poor as shit. Don't do it unless you have a paying job lined up, because your life will not be an episode of "sex and the city".

Before coming to grad school, I was an analyst for a top bulge bracket investment bank in NYC. To be honest, my quality of life is better here in MI with ~$2K/mo then with the 6 figure salary in NYC. The island eats up your money like no tomorrow.

You took a 66% paycut to work in MI?

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

To be blunt,
you'll be living in the ghetto and be poor as shit. Don't do it unless you have a paying job lined up, because your life will not be an episode of "sex and the city".

Before coming to grad school, I was an analyst for a top bulge bracket investment bank and my quality of life is better here in MI with ~2K/mo then with 5 figure salary in NYC.

I appreciate your bluntness but if you don't mind.. what do you think you spent a month or a day on living expenses (food and luxuries) in NYC? I think maybe we have different standards of living because I don't mind if my accommodation is shit and I hate Sex and the City. It's just one of the few cities that has a shitload of editorial internships and is the most appealing of those cities for me to live in.

$80/mo MTA card
$700-900/mo rent (guaranteed harlem) + security deposit of 1.5mo + most places do credit checks and want proof of income
$50-80 utilities
$300+ /mo for food (gal of milk was $4-5 when i was leaving in '07)
+ clothes/dry cleaning/laundry money etc etc.

I would start with a) living in jersey city/brooklyn/queens b)having a job lined up before you make the move

So that is 1260, and my guaranteed income is $1300 with at the very least $1800 to come shortly after that (I imagine it isn't difficult to find a job that pays at least $8/hour in NYC). Keep in mind I'm just an about-to-be college grad so savings isn't important and I wouldn't even mind going slightly into debt, it is all about the work/personal experience.

I guess I shouldn't argue with you since you're giving me advice but I don't see what you're telling me as an absolute roadblock. What do you think I could save per month living outside Manhattan? What is the best place in the vicinity of Manhattan to live? Words like "Brooklyn" and "Queens" conjure up similar images as "Harlem" to a person like me who has no idea what the makeup of NYC is.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: chuckywang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Farang
So I found student/intern housing in the Upper West Side for $750-$850 a month, which is a bit out of my original price range but because I get a private room and it is through a legit program seems appealing. I have a guaranteed income of $1300/month until December, so it seems I could get by with 20 hours/week part-time work (bike messenger was the first thought that came to mind) and then 15-20 doing an internship (paid or unpaid). Is there any major hole here in my plan that I'm missing? My guaranteed income drops to $200 in January so I'd have to shift to full-time work but could go as long as 2-3 months without working (on credit) and it seems as if finding a job, even just to get by, in the city isn't difficult.

$1300/mo after tax or before tax? NYC has state and city taxes and EVERYTHING is expensive. Living on 1300 a mo in manhattan is impossible for all practical purposes.

$1300 in my bank account period. It seems like I can pay rent and a portion of food expenses and then would have to work part-time for the rest. So assuming I got a pretty shitty part-time job let's say I have $1800/month total in the bank.

To be blunt,
you'll be living in the ghetto and be poor as shit. Don't do it unless you have a paying job lined up, because your life will not be an episode of "sex and the city".

Before coming to grad school, I was an analyst for a top bulge bracket investment bank in NYC. To be honest, my quality of life is better here in MI with ~$2K/mo then with the 6 figure salary in NYC. The island eats up your money like no tomorrow.

You took a 66% paycut to work in MI?

No,
went back for Graduate school
I do some part time work to pay for my rent and what not.

 

[LegendKiller]

After reading this more, I'd say go to Jersey City.

Craig's list will be fine, just be very careful.

 

[Vonkhan]

I've been living in NYC since '04, so here's my $.02

My first internship paid me $2000 per month before taxes
I BARELY survived

Here's halik's original list + my updates of monthly expenses:

$80 MTA card
$750-900 Rent (Harlem / Brooklyn / Queens)
$70-120 Utilities (Gas + Electricity - costs are thru the roof, going to get more expensive this winter)
$50 Cell Phone (700 minute plan)
$50 Cable TV
$50 Internet
$400-800 Food (<--- Cooking for yourself ---- Eating out ---->)
$20-40 Laundry

Add in Security deposit (1.5 x monthly rent), Moving Costs, Initial set up costs (furniture, etc. - you'll need a bed min.), Health Insurance, clothes, etc.

You'll need to make ATLEAST $1500 per month after taxes - that's approx. $2000 per month gross (taxes are approx. ~20-23%)

Keep in mind that the above will require you to live like a hermit - no shopping, no dining out, no beer / alcohol, no dates.

Is it worth it? It sucked hard for me when I moved here for a while, spent a year in poverty ... now I have a decent job (well, a soon-to-be baby is making me poor again ), but I'm never going to get that year of my life back in which everyday was a struggle.