Places to live in NYC

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I have a friend who is contemplating moving to NYC. What are some reasonable neighborhoods for a single female? She's probably like to keep her rent under $1,200.

[turnipmonster]

anywhere in manhattan is very safe.

my two favorite neighborhoods in brooklyn are williamsburg/greenpoint and brooklyn heights. prospect park is also nice.

important things for her to consider:

- pick an apartment that is near a subway line. she doesn't want to have to walk 20 blocks home at 3am after getting off the subway

- make sure she visits the place in the evening and that she feels safe there at night. some places are fine during the day but sketchy at night

- odds are she will have to have a roommate. everyone has a roommate in the city, it's just too expensive otherwise. people in other places think the random roommate thing is weird, but here it's normal.

the outer boroughs (not manhattan) are generally cheaper. I am obviously biased towards brooklyn, but queens is nice too (a little farther on the train though). astoria (queens) is pretty cool.

--turnipmonster

[BottlesOf]

She's probably like to keep her rent under $1,200.


Somewhere small /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Garbonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a friend who is contemplating moving to NYC. What are some reasonable neighborhoods for a single female? She's probably like to keep her rent under $1,200.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brooklyn. If she wants to live alone she basically can't afford Manhattan.

Avoid the UE side, despite cheap prices as you get up there...

NYC is the kind of place where anything can happen anywhere. At 5:30 AM Saturday night two guys attacked a 31 year old giirl, on the street, at 35th and 3rd...which is about as safe, and horrendous, place to live as there is in NYC.

I vote Brooklyn, but not Billyburg or Greenpoint, commonly known as Sanfrancisco East...Fort Greene, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace, Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill etc...

Close to a Subway is key, and preferably more than one. Really, close a BIG station is good. Atlantic, Borough Hall, etc....

[NJchick]

$1,200 in Manhattan is impossbile unless you are looking for roomates and/or don't mind living in traditionally non desriable ares like Harlem or Washington Heights.

Just to give you an idea, a good friend of mine lives in Chelsea in a 400sf studio and pays $2,500 a month.

For $1,200 she's looking at the outer boroughs, Westchester County, Long Island or NJ.

Tell her to check out Craigslist

http://newyork.craigslist.org/

[Garbonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
$1,200 in Manhattan is impossbile unless you are looking for roomates and/or don't mind living in traditionally non desriable ares like Harlem or Washington Heights.

Just to give you an idea, a good friend of mine lives in Chelsea in a 400sf studio and pays $2,500 a month.

For $1,200 she's looking at the outer boroughs, Westchester County, Long Island or NJ.

Tell her to check out Craigslist

http://newyork.craigslist.org/

[/ QUOTE ]

A friend of mine has a studio in Brooklyn Heights for 1100, which is cheap. It's not like $1200 and she has to live in straight up ghetto...

Craiglist is a good idea.

The key to shopping for apartments in NYC is patience and word of mouth.

[Martin Aigner]

NJchick,

OMG, I can´t believe this. 2500 for a 400 ft² studio???

Just curious: How much is the average income in NYC? How much makes somebody who works on a counter in a bank or has an average office job?

Thanks in advance

Martin Aigner

[boedeker]

i had a nice stuidio in park slope (favorite neighborhood in brooklyn: lots of cool bars for young folks and right on prospect park for awesome spring,summer,fall relaxation) for 1k per month.

[Garbonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
NJchick,

OMG, I can´t believe this. 2500 for a 400 ft² studio???

Just curious: How much is the average income in NYC? How much makes somebody who works on a counter in a bank or has an average office job?

Thanks in advance

Martin Aigner

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably 40-55k.

Chelsea is definitely a top tier neighborhood regarding price.

[VinnyTheFish]

[ QUOTE ]
NYC is the kind of place where anything can happen anywhere. At 5:30 AM Saturday night two guys attacked a 31 year old giirl, on the street, at 35th and 3rd...which is about as safe, and horrendous, place to live as there is in NYC.


[/ QUOTE ]

I worked on 3rd and 40th for a few years. Loved the bars, close to all good things, but I would not have lived there.

The village is so much better and a bit safer. The rent is way, way above 1500/mo. Not to mention that most agents want a bond equal to one years or more. It kept me out of living there.

The best advice is to simply answer ad's. This way you can avoid all the larger fees and bonds.

[NJchick]

Someone who works on a counter in a bank or has an average job does not live in NYC. Not unless they have bunkbeds in the room and are sharing a 1bedroom walk up 4-ways....

Yes $2,500 is a tad steep but I was taling Chelsea which is a GREAT area in NYC. Close to all the hotspots and restaurants.

It all depends where you want to live. Of course if you do not have any money or make a poor man's salary of $35-$55K you ain't going to find much in Manhattan.

NJC

[McMelchior]

It's absolutely possible to find a nice Manhattan apartment below 125th Street for around $1,200. I gave up my own $1,100 per month rent-stabilized studio on 8th Avenue & 52nd Street 3 years ago (to move in with my GF).

You just have to:
1. Be patient, and accept the abuse realtors systematically subject young people looking for apartment in the cheaper end of the scale.
2. Make $45,000 - $50,000 a year (rule of thumb among Manhattan realtors is you must make 40 - 50 times the monthly rent in yearly salary).
3. Be willing to put up 18% of first years rent in broker fee.
4. Accept very little space (my studie was approximately 240 sqf., but very cosy).

But realtors are different. If you PM me I'll take the time and find the phone number for the one, that got me two (2) Manhattan apartments - both great deals. The guy actually gave me $400 of the fee back in cash the first time, becuase he realized the ad I responded to said "reduced" fee - after I'd paid the full price!

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)

[fnurt]

A very reasonable alternative no one has mentioned is to live someplace like Hoboken (college-town atmosphere) or Jersey City and commute to Manhattan via PATH train. Depending on where you work in the city, it's often a faster commute than you might get living in the city itself.

[Garbonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
A very reasonable alternative no one has mentioned is to live someplace like Hoboken (college-town atmosphere) or Jersey City and commute to Manhattan via PATH train. Depending on where you work in the city, it's often a faster commute than you might get living in the city itself.

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, I find this option yuk.

I can explain if need be...but especially for a new person moving to the city I would not recommend this. 1200 is more than workable in NYC. I pay 800, and I split 3300 sq feet with 2 other people....

You do not need a broker either. Many many people find places without one, which saves ALOT of money.

[turnipmonster]

the key is having a roommate, which everyone does. really easy to find a room and share kitchen/common area for less than 1200/month.

--turnipmonster

[Garbonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
the key is having a roommate, which everyone does. really easy to find a room and share kitchen/common area for less than 1200/month.

--turnipmonster

[/ QUOTE ]

What he said.

[sfer]

I think the most important thing is to figure out what neighborhood you're likely to enjoy. There are screamingly big differences betweent the East Village, West Village, UES, Murray Hill, Billyburg, Battery Park, Spanish, Hell's Kitchen (sorry, Clinton) etc etc etc. Once you figure this out the rest sort of takes care of itself if you're willing to have a roommate.

[midas]

Kurn:

There are a bunch of sites dedicated to finding roommates in NYC just do a search and check them out.

Most people choose a neighborhood that is an easy commute to their job. If you work downtown, Chelsea and the Village are better options. Brooklyn people tend to work downtown because its close. A Mid-Town job gives you more options because of the central location.

Women tend to feel more secure in doorman buildings which by nature are more expensive. Also, tell your friend to check out the neighborhood at night and see if she feels safe walking around.

The Hoboken option may be more affordable but it mostly young NJers who are looking for a easy NY commute while still staying close to home.

[jayadd]

If the option is to live just outside NYC go with Nyack its in Rockland County 15 miles outside of the GWB. Great town with easy access to all of the Metro area has to offer.

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a friend who is contemplating moving to NYC. What are some reasonable neighborhoods for a single female? She's probably like to keep her rent under $1,200.

[/ QUOTE ]

You could probably get a closet big enough for a mattress for that.

eastbay

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]
NJchick,

OMG, I can´t believe this. 2500 for a 400 ft² studio???

Just curious: How much is the average income in NYC? How much makes somebody who works on a counter in a bank or has an average office job?

Thanks in advance

Martin Aigner

[/ QUOTE ]

The median apartment price in Manhattan just topped $1M. That's not a typo.

eastbay

[eggzz]

[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
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the key is having a roommate, which everyone does. really easy to find a room and share kitchen/common area for less than 1200/month.

--turnipmonster


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



What he said.



[/ QUOTE ]

I can't agree with this more. If you really want to save money while working towards your nut (career path), you have to go this route.

I did it in Chicago, and while the rent is about half of what it costs to live in NYC, it was still very expensive to me, making bank teller money if that.

I looked at apartments all day and finally, after seeing nothing I liked, the best being a studio apartment, approximately 550 square feet for $575 a month plus utilities, I grabbed a newspaper and returned home to Cleveland.

In the paper, I saw a room for rent, in a nice residential area of Naperville. Rent was $375 a month, but the owner rented out three of his bedrooms. Sight unseen, I called him and arranged the deal. He seemed cool over the phone, and he turned out to be a lonely middle aged man (I can see where some of you are going, but no....) who was just looking for company, and the ability to pay down his mortgage quicker. He turned out to be a chronic spender, one of the types to buy a treadmill on a whim for $1500 only for it to turn into a very expensive tie rack three months later.

The only adjustment was learning to go from having an apartment to myself, to sharing a bathroom with someone, cooking space with three, and absolutely no privacy. But for the money, 375 and utilities divided by four, you can't go wrong. I did well at my job, but ended up moving back home after a year, moving that far away, with no friends, makes it very difficult to make new ones. I basically just grinded it out to enhance my resume.

If your friend is also a stranger to NYC, I would recommend this avenue even stronger. If he/she has no friends in the city, what can she lose, and there is an opportunity right there to meet people. I would recommend going as cheap as possible, I mean, the job might not pan out too, do you want to be stuck in a strange city with a bad job and $2000+ a month in rent? Heck no, get in with three other roommates and be more flexible, you won't regret it.

[Miah]

A lot of the places mentioned for brooklyn are directly where the out of towners go when they move to NYC... not to say these places aren't nice, they are. However, this does result in very large rent prices.

I'm in Bay Ridge, commute to the city is about 45 minutes via train (as opposed to 20 minutes from park slope). You can definitely find places here for < 1200 per month, and they'll probably be larger. I've already noticed much of 3rd avenue being populated with much of the type that traditionally moved to the park slope/downtown brooklyn area.

I'd also recomend checking out Queens, a lot of queens has apts and 15-20 minute commute to midtown.

[sfer]

That's surprisingly high. High rise 1 bedrooms are around $500-600K and I would expect those to be a large percent of the population. Are you sure it's not the mean or a statistic that tracks something like trailing 3-month sales?

[eastbay]

[ QUOTE ]
That's surprisingly high. High rise 1 bedrooms are around $500-600K and I would expect those to be a large percent of the population. Are you sure it's not the mean or a statistic that tracks something like trailing 3-month sales?

[/ QUOTE ]

Correction: it's the mean, not the median. Still pretty staggering.

eastbay

[sfer]

The mean sounds right. The mean is going to be way skewed with a fair number of apartments around $5+ MM range. Most are still under $1 MM though, I would think.

But yeah, it's pretty amazing. I used to live in SF during the height of the dot com boom, and I've concluded that all of the San Francisco real estate is now as expensive as New York talk was totally wrong.

[turnipmonster]

yep. what sfers consider a 1 bedroom and what nyers consider a one bedroom are two different things entirely. san fran doesn't even come close to nyc prices, unfortunately for us /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[Aloysius]

Hi NJ Chick, I moved from Manhattan a while ago (5 years now) but still have a lot of friends there and in Brooklyn. Based on what they've told me, and still having a pretty good sense of what neighborhoods are desirable, I find the $2,500/month in Chelsea very, very high.

Does that mean a 400 square ft. studio (which, of course by Manhattan standards is a pretty good size) in Gramercy Park, or SoHo, or the West Village, or Union Square, or other higher-priced neighborhoods is running for $3k/month?

My friend is in a nice sized (I'd say about 800 sq. ft) 1 bedroom in Union Square (basically the blocks surrounding Broadway and 14th), a very nice neighborhood and great location with tons of trains. He pays $2400/month (moved in 6 months ago), and historically (and I believe currently) Union Square/Gramercy Park is a much more desirable and expensive part of Manhattan than Chelsea.

I'm just curious because your Chelsea quote just seems like an anomaly based on what I know and have heard anecdotally.

-Aloysius

[turnipmonster]

I used to live in a gramercy park area studio that was 500 square feet, and it was 1600/month 2 years ago. it sounds like her friend is getting ripped off /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

--turnipmonster

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
Does that mean a 400 square ft. studio (which, of course by Manhattan standards is a pretty good size) in Gramercy Park, or SoHo, or the West Village, or Union Square, or other higher-priced neighborhoods is running for $3k/month?

My friend is in a nice sized (I'd say about 800 sq. ft) 1 bedroom in Union Square (basically the blocks surrounding Broadway and 14th), a very nice neighborhood and great location with tons of trains. He pays $2400/month (moved in 6 months ago), and historically (and I believe currently) Union Square/Gramercy Park is a much more desirable and expensive part of Manhattan than Chelsea.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup. I'm in Gramercy with a normal sized 1 bedroom and well under $3K.

[Philuva]

It depends on where she works and what she likes. I lived in the West Village for a year and then the East Village for 3 years. I loved both areas and would recommend them over any other neighborhoods in Manhattan. The East Village has a ton of great bars, restaurants and shops. There is also a great dog run at Tompkins Sq. Park if she has a dog. Rents are fairly reasonable as well. I would probably recommend she tries to find a roommate. Otherwise, I know people who had studios or even some 1 BR's for less than $1,400. But you can find nice 2 BR's for leass than $2,200. They will not have doormen or elevators or anything, but they are still nice.

[slogger]

Chelsea has gotten very expensive lately. 730 sq. ft. one-bedroom in an elevator/doorman building runs around 2,800 to 3,200 right now.

I'm an attorney and I still couldn't stand paying those rents anymore. Which is why I moved out of Manhattan to Hoboken, NJ recently. Add 20 minutes to my commute, same quality of building, slightly larger apartment at a little more than half the price of Chelsea. And if you're willing to have a roommate anyway, there are MANY very nice 2-bedroom apartments for under 2,400 (1,200 per person).

[slogger]

Please expound on "yuk". Depending on what this person is looking for, Hoboken might be perfect.

If you're willing to share space or live in a closet in order to say you live in Manhattan or to be close to certain sites (job, theatre district, park, etc.), then by all means you can do it for under 1,200/month. But if you prefer to live a nicer building with amenities beyond the mailbox at the front door, and a larger space that is all your own, then Hoboken and other locations immediately outside Manhattan are more your speed.

FWIW, sounds like you have a fantastic deal on your place, but you're still living with 2 other people, and unless it's in a crappy neighborhood and/or really far from the Subways and/or in really bad condition, then what you have is rare.

[NJchick]

hiya -

Chelsea is RED HOT right now. Kind of cyclical in NYC with neighborhoods. Think late 80s - SOH, Early 90's TriBeCa, and now Chelsea. Heck Hell's Kitchen is now called Clinton - go figure.

No - $2,500 is not anomaly. Kind of the norm. I am sure there are cheaper rentals out there. Its all about what you want.


Personally for $2,500 I'd rather be paying a mortgage and have some equity to show. Which I do in NJ. I'm 10 mins away from Manhattan and don't regret living in the city at all. I work there and play there without going broke.

[Paluka]

I live in Chelsea right now and my rent is infinite.

[turnipmonster]

I moved to greenpoint 3 years ago and you couldn't pay me to move back into manhattan. it actually takes me less time to get most places in manhattan than when I lived in manhattan, becuase the L train kicks ass, and I live near a lot of my friends in a real neighborhood. gramercy never felt like a real neighborhood to me.

--turnipmonster

[Noo Yawk]

Hi Kurn,

For $1200 she isn't going to get very much. I haven't lived there for about 7 years now, but I paid about that for a small studio in a rent control building on the upper east side. If she looks in Queens, she is a short subway ride away in Kew Gardens, Forest Hills or Astoria. I'm Not familiar with Brookly, but some of the other suggestions on this thread looked good.
If she insists on Manhattan, which would be the best choice as far as fun, then the roommate reccomendation is the best option. She will save money on not having to own, insure or gas a car, as there is no need for that in the city. Besides, the idea of living in the city is the going out factor. Your Apartment is for sleeping, showering and storing your stuff. I hope all works out well for her.

[Aloysius]

Wow, that's insane. Thanks for the response NJChick. Yeah, I'd be hard-pressed to justify paying that much for a studio or 1-bedroom on a lease.

Why is Chelsea so outrageously expensive? Also, I assume the other "standard" expensive places to live in Manhattan (Union Square, West Village, SoHo), are priced comparably to Chelsea... or are they even more expensive than Chelsea?

I am never moving back to New York unless I pull a Fossilman and win the Big One...

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
I live in Chelsea right now and my rent is infinite.

[/ QUOTE ]

Prewar?

[blackaces13]

If you need specifically Manhattan than good luck with the $1200 buddy, it aint happening unless the place is about the size of a closet. I live in a nice neighborhood in the Bronx (yeah those do exist) called Riverdale. It's just across the Manhattan/Bronx divide along the Hudson River and I pay $1100 for a pretty large 1 bedroom.

There are 2 quick and easy ways into the city from here. You can take the 1/9 subway line which gets into Midtown in about 30 minutes but which I have to take a very short busride to, about a 7-10 minute bus ride and the buses run very often in the morning.

There are also 2 express buses which go directly to the east/west side and take about 45 minutes to reach 34th St with no traffic and about an hour with normal morning traffic. The buses are nice because they are direct, no switching from bus to train. I take both of these routes and its really no problem. Living in Riverdale costs about 1/2 what it does in Manhattan and the apts. here are much more spacious, so a 45 minute commute is no big deal IMO.

[MaxPower]

There is a building boom going on in Astoria right now. I think she could easily find a nice spacious apartment in her price range. Living in Manhattan is nice, but having an extra $1000 in your bank account each month is even nicer.

[WillYumTX]

I lived in New York three years ago. A friend had to go out of state for a year and wanted me to sublet his place.

I lived in Midtown West (aka Hell's Kitchen, aka Clinton) on 49th and 11th. It was a fourth floor walk up. The rent was $1100 a month.

You open the front door to the kitchen. It was about 15' by 15'. The bathtub was against one wall, the sink next to the tub, and the stove and fridge on the other wall.

There was a small "hallway" (just a space) leading to the two bedrooms and water closet.

One bedroom was 12' by 10'. The other was 10' by 6'. The water closet was just big enough for the toilet.

There was a shallow closet in the big room.

There was no central air. My friend had a wall AC unit. Heat came from the radiator.

The ceilings were rather high. There was no view.

That apartment was a very good deal for actually living on Manhattan.

Your friend will want to check out the ads in the Village Voice and on-line. Look for a place that's relatively close to a subway. Check out the place day and night. Look around the neighborhood.

Housing is very very competitive. Two friends were apt hunting there not long ago. At one place, a woman ran up the stairs ahead of them, dashed around the apt, and said to the realtor that she would take it. It can be like that.

I miss the public transport. I miss the cool (and cheap) restaurants. I do not miss the crowding and pollution.

Best of luck to your friend.

[Garbonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
Please expound on "yuk". Depending on what this person is looking for, Hoboken might be perfect.

If you're willing to share space or live in a closet in order to say you live in Manhattan or to be close to certain sites (job, theatre district, park, etc.), then by all means you can do it for under 1,200/month. But if you prefer to live a nicer building with amenities beyond the mailbox at the front door, and a larger space that is all your own, then Hoboken and other locations immediately outside Manhattan are more your speed.

FWIW, sounds like you have a fantastic deal on your place, but you're still living with 2 other people, and unless it's in a crappy neighborhood and/or really far from the Subways and/or in really bad condition, then what you have is rare.

[/ QUOTE ]

I find the commute from NJ to restrictive.

I pay $800 for 1/3 of a 3300 sq ft loft next to BAM in Brooklyn, also next to one of the best train stations in NYC.

In reality, i truly LOVE Brooklyn, I have lived here for years and years and can't imagine moving unless I left the country.

If I was rich, which I am not, I would buy in Brooklyn, not in Chelsea, UWS, Gramercy Park or NJ.

I apologize if my remark offended anyone.

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I live in Chelsea right now and my rent is infinite.

[/ QUOTE ]

Prewar?

[/ QUOTE ]

Brand new doorman building.