[Nigel]

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For 3k/month, I hope you're buying.

But for 3k, you can probably be very choosy about where you end up. That's a lot to pay, even in NYC (

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Studios alone in NYC can cost $500,000+ to buy, and nice places are hard to find and very $$$, so buying isn't a viable option for most people.

For renting, $3k/month is not a lot to pay for anyplace nice in Manhattan, and won't allow you to be "choosy". $3k is basically the starting point for having a decent place in a nice neighborhood.

Frankly, if you can afford it, I would think about spending $4-5k, because then your options open up and you can start looking at places that you could actually consider "home". What you get for $4k+ is so much more than what you get for ~$3k and is in another world from what you get for ~$2k.

As for location, ppend some time in NYC and get to know Tribeca, Soho, the Village, Flatiron, Chelsea, and CPW/UES. See which area suits your lifestyle and your aqe.

Caveat emptor, great city to visit, but one tough city to live in. My friends who have lived in California look 10 years younger after a few years of not seeing them, while my friends in NYC look 10 years older. I would think SF->NYC is a seriously -EV move.

Good luck though,

Nigel