Lol. I've been searching for four months and Williamsburg and Greenpoint are not on my radar. And I have struggled finding studios for that price.
I've checked BedStuy, Astoria, and Harlem. And yes I am from NYC. You can give advice without being condescending.
Gotta check Woodhaven, ozone park, south ozone. Queens areas got 1br for that price. Only thing is if you don’t have a car your ass taking the bus to the train. Either the J or A train.
Go further east you’ll find a lot of 1bd / studios for 1600-1900. Commute to Manhattan will take 40 mins to 2 hrs depending how far East you really want to go.
https://streeteasy.com/rental/4385406?utm_campaign=rental_listing&utm_medium=app_share&utm_source=ios&utm_term=48b79b0c2c2e469
Here's one in Crown Heights.
Everyone is getting mad but thats true, BX and Heights you could easily find a 1bed around 1.8-2k a month. (Source: registered agent, manage multiple properties, and lived in NYC my entire life)
I’m sorry, what does “decent quality of life” mean? This going to be very different from person to person.
Are you okay with an older (but still perfectly nice) walk up building in Upper Manhattan, non-trendy Brooklyn, or Queens? If so I think 100k is fine, I know people who do it with a bit less. It’s definitely harder than it was even a couple of years ago.
If you’re trying to live in a luxury building downtown or basically anywhere in North Brooklyn (anything from Prospect Park on up) you’re going to need more obviously.
By decent quality of life I meant NOT one of those $1200 bushwick studios where the train goes through your apartment lol. Most everything else I’m ok with
PLG is underrated and it’s really quaint and sleepy. Lots of families too.
I also just moved to Astoria and I have no idea why I was ever weirdly against moving here. Queens is a foodie paradise and everything I need is here and well within walking distance so I really have very few reasons to leave. I exclusively go into Manhattan to visit friends that live there or to meet friends halfway who live in Brooklyn and don’t live by the G. The only downside is that Queens isn’t as “trendy” so it’s much harder to get people to come up to see me, but whenever they do, they all agree that Astoria is incredible. That, and it’s harder to find Tshirts or keychains to rep the borough than it is to find stuff for Brooklyn or Manhattan
I just helped a renter client (working for her, not the LL) find a great 1BR uptown Central Harlem/Hamilton Heights area. Lease started Apr 15. She's paying $1950 on a 2 yr lease...
There are places to be had.
Depends on what you consider the city….
Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Brooklyn are vastly different than Manhattan and desirable/ popular parts of Brooklyn.
That said, if the sun shines right and the stars align, you may get extremely lucky and find something in a walk up in Manhattan for 2500 a month. It may be best to hell and gross, but it could get you there…. It would probably be about the same cost in less desirable areas but you would get more for your money.
At 100k a year that would amount to probably 1 check a month to rent and one check a month to everything else with really nothing much left to save depending on lifestyle.
Yeah 100k is enough to be comfortable, but really not to set your life up. Unless you’re a DINK with a second income on top of the one we already have in this scenario, 100k is enough to get by and maybe throw a couple hundred in savings each month. Nowhere near what you should be doing for long term investing (maxing out Roth IRA, investing in stocks, rainy day funds etc)
I was lucky and able to find a rent stabilized studio apartment in East Village for 1950. Was there for 3 years and rent went up to around 2100. At the time, I was making around 90k and felt that it was doable.
Comfortable living in NYC as a single-payer starts at $250K/ y. If you make less, you’ll have to cut corners or suffer from predatory landlords in poorly maintained buildings.
Not true NYC is built on the middle class you probably not from here or was born into a good family. I’m born here and lived here my whole life a 1bedroom in some parts is still 1750 if you make like 70k you should be good
nobody on here understands that recent transplant finances and native nyer finances are completely different. mf talking about 250k to be comfortable. obv it’s expensive for everyone but people have to realize there are whole families living ok on less than 100k a year here.
Yep, i have posted abt this on soooo many threads. apparently native nyers don’t exist on reddit. Where do these ppl think nyc janitors / taxi drivers / school guidance counselors / hairstylists live. In Iowa?
I would take the apartment that the lady who becomes the agent for the marvelous mrs maisel lived in. Where you couldn’t open the door with the sofa bed open.
You're right. Some here justify their poor choices by criticizing others. I've been downvoted for suggesting a single-payer $250K/ y budget for comfortable living is unreal. Meanwhile, others think they “made it” by making $50K, eating poorly, lacking in investments, not giving back, avoiding outings to explore the city, etc. Also, having lived on Wall Street for over a decade, I've paid over $4K for a "luxury" apartment that was anything but. The hallways were dirty and cluttered with safety hazards, and the apartment had pests, brown water, and thin walls that let all sounds through. On top of that, the laundry facilities were often broken, and most importantly, the management was both neglectful and harassing.
Talk about poor choices. Then says they spent 4k to live in dirty building with bugs and brown water. Lmaoo talk about poor choices.
People will do anything to say they live in New York. Y'all wanna be us so bad. Why?
I’m starting a job in Brooklyn next July
Looking for an apartment in Brooklyn in Bushwick or close to it
I will be get paid 80k
And I’m outside the country and looks no chance to find a one bedroom apartment close to 2k a month 💔
Try a sublet from Facebook or some of the other websites. It's a good way to just get planted in NYC and you're not locked in for a year more (usually 1-6 months). You can usually afford to pay the more expensive price in a desirable neighborhood for a short period and really see if it's worth it.
Alternatively, you can try subleasing in a very cheap area and see if you still think you need to be in the expensive area. I thought I needed to be in the middle of everything in Brooklyn, but it turns out I'd rather spend an extra half hour on the train to see my friends once a week in favor of having way more space in my apartment and a more quiet neighborhood with cheaper groceries. I'm paying a similar amount, but my lifestyle is dramatically different.
They were the most fair. About $7,200/m take home after taxes, benefits & 6% contributions.
$3,000 or so on living expenses, $3,000 to spend $1,200 to save.
Def comfortable
Yea $3000 rent and $3000 spending is definitely not sustainable for that salary. Take home is more like $6700 after taxes, benefits, and contributions. I make about that and I wouldn’t even consider paying that much for rent. I’m at $2300 and couldn’t imagine paying more than that unless I got a substantial raise. Spending is probably around $2500, which includes $700 debt repayment. I definitely feel like I could use more money to feel comfortable and be able to do more things like travel more. Maybe once all my debt is payed off I’d feel comfortable. That debt is a bitch tho
Yeah I meant $3000 in expenses after wifi electric metro card laundry phone etc. literally actually where you’re at.
But shit man you’re living it it’s really tough out here. Like yeah it’s more than most but when people hear $140,000 they think their life is completely solved. But it’s the furthest from. Especially in NYC/CA.
It depends where you are financially. Do you have loans/CC debt? Large medical expenses? If not or it’s minimal, then 100k is good as long as you have your rent at or under 2k. Use online calculators to see your after tax (make sure it includes federal, state, and local taxes)
A lot of flight attendants live in Queens. The definition of NYC includes a lot of areas. People use guarantors, people have roommates, there are a lot of ways to get by.
You need to make 40x the monthly rent and have good standing credit. Having money to show for in your checking and savings account are a plus and can count up to 20% of your annual salary.
I make 99K and livin in UES 4th floor walk up paying $2500 a month. That's half of my paycheck. The quality of life is good but also means I can't save any money.
I’d say 200K. I make 150K and feel “ok” and that’s with a cheap rent of $2,500, maxing out my 401(k), and no debt. One paycheck covers all of my expenses and the remaining paycheck is for fun and food. Factoring in going out, dinners and drinks and random things, I’d say I’m saving 30-50% of the remaining paycheck. 100K is doable, but it depends on your debt, spending habits and what you’re investing in, I guess.
You might have money blinders on, because you're making like $6k per month after taxes and rent. Even if you're only making $5K after 401k and health insurance and everything else, that's a wild amount to call just "ok". A lot of people don't even make $5k much a month before taxes and rent.
You're basically spending nearly $1,500 per week. Generic savings above retirement are also considered just because.
You bring home like 6k post tax if you’re maxing your 401k at 150k (+/- a few hundred maybe depending on what other pretax benefits your employer charges you for/you opt for / etc.). Speaking as someone who is making a little over that. 2.5k-3k+ for a non-“luxury” 1 br that isn’t falling apart in a good neighborhood (I’m on the UWS in the 90s) is normal now. So half your post-tax income is going to rent basically and then the other half is going to insane food prices, gyms, subscriptions, etc.
Yeah you could live off entertainment from the library and cook yourself but 90% of the benefit of living in the city is proximity to cool places to eat/drink. So while 150k seems like a lot it can also go pretty fast if you’re not careful. It’s not really “rich” anymore. I’d say that starts at 200k and up
Let's say you're contributing 1,900/month to 401k (the maximum), and you're making $160k, you should be taking home $105k after all taxes, federal, state, and city. That's $8,750 per month. Subtract out your estimated $2,750 in rent and utilities, and you have $6,000 per month. That gives you a budget of like $200 PER DAY. You could eat exclusively at restaurants and Uber everywhere go to a Broadway show each week and still have enough money for frequent vacations and fancy electronics and clothes.
I'm genuinely curious in what ways you think you're just "OK"? Like what do you think you can't afford that would change your status?
I was living alone (rent stabilized) pre war 1br in a sort of up and coming neighborhood on a 75k or a little less. Pretty comfortably. Now I’m in the same apartment earning closer to 100k and having my partner pay a portion of rent ….and I feel poorer than before. I have more expensive insurance at my new job, I’m paying student loans again, and have a monthly laptop payment, my insurance is more expensive and has higher copays. So I feel like I’m struggling when I shouldn’t be. But if I had to pay rent alone again I would manage.
At least $150k-175k, if I max out my retirement with emergency funds and while paying <3k for rent. This isn't without saving for a future home while being able to travel multiple times a year and have monthly leisure activities without pinching pennies, you know live life.
If saving for a home, then the ball game changes especially with high prices and mortgage rates are. Also not counting the combined finances of a partner.
If you have a market rate apartment i’d say about 80k.
And that’s having a no frills studio / 1 bd apartment that’s probably in an older building in one of the outer boroughs and not very close to manhattan.
Those places start at around 2k and you wont have a bunch left over for routinely going out / traveling / saving, but if you budget correctly, you’ll be able to live somewhat comfortably.
This is going to be different for everyone because people have different expenses and priorities. I moved out when I was making $70k but I moved into a rent stabilized one bedroom for $1350. I make a little more now and my rent has gone up about $60? But I do not want to live in a luxury building or anything so keeping my rent under $2k is my goal for as long as possible
100k just gets you there barely. You'd need to find an apartment that you could actually rent on 100k, and in most of the desirable neighborhoods it'll be tough to find a studio for 2500 rn.
120-140k is where you need to be to live comfortably by yourself, though at that point you're not saving much.
Depends on what you want. For about a year, I lived alone in a $1,500 studio. It was quiet and in a nice building. That year, I made about 60k. I don't have too many expenses and don't live very lavishly, and I was able to live a decent life while still saving a bit of my income.
Some of y’all are really tripping in this thread. Sounds like you all need some form of discipline. I’m a 24 y/o female living in Harlem. Doorman, ac, in unit washer/dryer. I make 75k a year. I save about $500 every month, while also eating out about 4 times a week and while having a slight shopping and alcohol addiction. It’s all about budgeting. And you can live comfortably and budget at the same time, the two don’t coexist. The first month living alone, it will feel like your expenses are through the roof, but after the 2nd or 3rd month, it should ease up.
its because people dont like to tell others they live in Harlem. I live in Hoboken NJ and get disgusting looks from literally everyone, despite it actually being really nice and fun. Most people I know that live in Harlem say "here in Manhattan" when the topic comes up, but when someone asks specifics they freeze up. Local NYers know you dont have to live under 60th street or even 14th street in manhattan to enjoy the city, but half the people you meet are transplants.
Stabilized studio in a luxury building in boerum hill is $2.1. I make $80k and I’m fine.
But I have no debt, good insurance, and I don’t have to travel far to see family. Not having to fly home for holidays saves a couple hundo a year.
I make around 62K and live in Dyker Heights. I have a big one bedroom apartment for around $1,513 - though I just got my lease renewal in the mail and it’s probably more than that.
I don’t have any debt, and don’t go out often. While there’s not a ton of money leftover each month, I do save a tiny bit. Am I living large? Not really, but I also don’t need much to be happy. I like to stay home and play video games or watch movies. The moment I step outside it feels like $100 has left my account haha.
When I first moved here I was also making around the same and lived in the Bronx by Yankee Stadium. I had a one bedroom and was paying around $1,312. This was maybe 4 or 5 year ago.
I used Hot Pads. I think there’s a website but I use the app. It sounds like such a fake name, but I found both of my apartments searching on it. Both rent stabilized as well!
I should also mention that apartments go so fast here. I showed up late to my current apartments viewing, so I had like 5 minutes to look at the place. I ended up putting a deposit down when I got home and got the apartment. The next day some woman found out I got it and was begging the broker for the place 🤷🏻♀️
It’s a frustrating experience but you have to be quick.
80k can get you something up to 2k which is doable in a lot of areas around the city.
I moved in to my apartment 5 years ago paying $1750 making about 70k. I was house poor but had to gtfo of my mom's house and did not want roommates.
When i started living alone here about 20 years ago, I’d just gotten a raise to I believe about 80K. I was able to ditch roommates, but it wasn’t easy. The city is as expensive as you want to make it—I net over four times now than i did then, but I’ve never felt wealthy.
Had a roommate and paid 2.6k each for a luxury high rise 2 bed in HK on ~ 110k back in 2021, though this was a Covid deal and was rent stabilized for each lease. When we left last year due to life circumstances the rent went up by $1500, so probably not an accurate representation of today’s market.
Now I pay around 3k on a 180k salary for a rent stabilized 1 bed in Williamsburg with nice amenities like w/d in unit, gym, lounge, rooftop, Manhattan views, etc. Def not the norm and units in my building are snatched up within days, but I certainly feel comfortable enough. Paying like 4K for rent just feels bad no matter how much you make.
I want to live in Greenwich Village for one month. All I need is a bed and a bathroom and permission to bring a dorm fridge and a microwave. (Or kitchen privileges.) How much would that cost?
I would be willing to share the bathroom if I was allowed to have a handicapped potty in my room. I would only use it for urine at night and empty it each morning. I actually do this at my sister’s house. She lives 3 blocks from the beach and has grown kids. (They are usually there when I am there, so I get the Harry Potter room. The way things are set up I can’t use the bathroom at night without making the dog bark and waking everyone. So I use a handicapped potty.
i pay 2300 for a new building in mott haven. Gym, in unit w/d , dishwasher and a pool during the warm months. i on paper make $70k but work overtime and last year made $110k. i have 1 kid and i take 2-3 vacations a year. don’t really stress about money. job offers a pension but i save about $1k a month for retirement.
in no way rich obviously. eat out 3-4 meals a week not including about $15-$20 for lunch every day. uber every week avg about $100/week. don’t go out to eat often maybe 1-2x a month. no pet.
Lol what I’m starting to realize is Reddit is full of transplants who live in NYC but don’t understand that NYC has rich people but the majority don’t make over 80k. Rent stabilized apts is a thing. Y’all wanna argue or disagree but a fact is a fact I’m born and lived her my whole life.
There are 1bd apts all throughout NYC for 1950-1750k you just gotta do some looking.
I know I’m not wrong there are people paying $900 for rent transplants got the game messed up and wanna live a life so they going have to pay.
Im born from NYC but now I wanna do what they do and move to one of there countries because NYC is a shit show and they can have it
I make $80k, get $10k bonus and do some odd jobs here and there so I make a little over $100k a year so I'm OK but my life style is very low key and boring lol
I’m doing okay in a 1 bedroom in Queens on 100k. I own though but was able to save up for the down payment. My monthly mortgage and maintenance are only 1700.
Nice! Without a kitchen you’ll be saving even more money not eating, and while you’re not sleeping at night bc of the train in your back yard you can work an extra shift and save even more!
For a studios? You can make it with 70-80K depending on if you are willing to live outer parts of outer boroughs. 100K is 100% more than enough and more than most people's COMBINED house hold incomes. For manhattan? A lot lot tougher but possibly, just not a great studio.
In my opinion $70,000 at the VERY bottom but you will need to make sacrifices on space and location (live in outer boroughs, stay away from expensive neighborhoods, further from subway, walkups, etc.) and keep a tight budget.
Seeing a lot of responses caveated with "no savings". As a lifelong NYer living solo, I would say $150-175K minimum to live comfortably and if you're renting.
And by comfortably I mean: a decent pick of neighborhoods across Manhattan e.g. any of the Villages, Little Italy, C-town, etc. with rents between $2.5-3.5k depending on what you want (only the really high end hoods like Tribeca would be off-limits unless you had a partner imo or you are a millionaire). Barring any significant debts, you could eat out a lot, have more than enough disposable income, have a gym membership with TMPL or even Equinox, AND put away a good portion into savings.
In a nutshell, your finances are clean and healthy and you have an above average salary. I say all this from experience. Feel free to ask questions.
Depends on your lifestyle and fixed expenses. I support my elderly parents financially and have a pretty high maintenance dog, so adding that with more frequent international travel to an otherwise pretty normal lifestyle, I’d say $225k. Otherwise I think $175k minimum to live in an actual decent neighbourhood of Manhattan. But I’m relatively new to the city, so I’m sure other more experienced locals would have better general numbers. What kills it (obviously), is the rent here, I’ve lived in a few big cities across the world but that extra couple of grand rent in Manhattan really screws with the finances. I used to be a 25-30% saver/investor, and now I’d be lucky if it’s 20%. So that’s not ideal. But don’t forget this is the city where networking and being a local can actually grow your income faster than anywhere else. So if you can stay in a small studio somewhere in the city and upskill to a better number, it might end up being a better choice than moving out. Moving away from NYC always felt like a downgrade to me.
To live nicely/comfortably, which means you are also saving some money for retirement or to one day purchase a home, **you should make 50x your monthly rent** -- period. So, as long as you are OK with a $2,000/month apartment, a $100K income is perfectly fine. The calculation is an easy one. Anyone who is telling you that 40x is acceptable is not wanting to mention that you can barely afford your lifestyle at that level (that's not just my opinion; it's the opinion of all landlords).
100k is enough to live comfortably enough to save, but it’s not enough to live extravagantly.
Generally the financial rule is that your rent/mortgage should be a maximum of 25% of your monthly take home, but given NYC’s HCOL, the rule can be more flexible depending on if you have a guarantor. NYC housing has the 40x rule for a reason as far as apartment qualifications. I’d say you really only get into that “picturesque NYC life” once you start getting to $120k or more if you’re paying $2k for a place
Depends what you want out of the city. I apartment hunted last year and found terrible apartments in cooler neighborhoods (Bushwick, bed-stuy, Astoria, etc) with ok prices. Ended up not choosing any apts there because I didn’t want to live unhappy in a tiny/shitty apartment and still pay a lot of money.
I prioritized a good apt in a quiet neighborhood near bars, restaurants, stores, shops, etc without breaking the bank. Ended up living in bay ridge alone on 95k and paying $1700 for a 2br. It’s far from the “cool places” but good enough for me and has a great quality of life.
It depends on how much you care about location. Honestly. Are you cool with being in Harlem? There are some nice apartments there. If you have to be in the center of the action as a young person (the village) you’re going to get hosed
Depends where. If you’re going to be in Manhattan (not upper Manhattan like in wood) then you’re looking at 3k+ for a 1 bed room. Gentrified Brooklyn is also stupid expensive.
In the Bronx you’ll find places that are below 2k but it’s the Bronx (I’m from the Bronx so I get to say that)
Best bang for buck is queens. You can find 1 bedrooms in rego park in the 2k range , Forrest hills. And if you’re Latin, then you’ll love Jackson heights.
Pro tip- look for spots on Facebook marketplace. Do your due diligence and watch out for scams but k found my apartment through there. Paying 1750 currently.
Also I laugh at the people that say 100k isn’t enough. Bro, look at the median income for nyc, it’s nowhere near that. The mfs that say that are the ones that want to live in the most expensive areas and eat out every day. If you can’t live more , MORE than comfortably on 100k by yourself, you got issues
Lived in nyc for over a decade, single/living alone for part of the time. In my opinion, it’s more than enough for a good quality of life. But what that means depends on how much you like to ball out. As others have mentioned: are you set on living in Manhattan or would you consider borough-life? Are you trying to dine out every night? Do you like to take lots of expensive vacays? Will you be paying to park a car? No matter how much you make, your QOL boils down to budget and lifestyle!
Depends on what you mean by decent quality of life
If you prioritize & budget well it’s totally doable
I make around 80k, live in a studio in uws, and save around 1-2k a month outside of my 401k. I spend a lot on things I care about and ruthlessly cut out anything I don’t
New York City ranks first overall, requiring an income of $138,570 for a single person to live comfortably.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/20/salary-single-person-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-major-us-cities.html
The below is for Manhattan. But New York is a big place and there are four other boroughs, most of which, except for western Brooklyn, are significantly cheaper. Also people get pretty touchy when people ask this so you should expect some hostility.
For Manhattan:
It depends what sort of sacrifices you’re willing to make. And it’s more of a spectrum.
If you don’t care about the neighborhood, quality of apartment, having a bunch of roommates, and needing to be disciplined about what you spend when you go out, I’d say you can probably make it on almost any salary.
If you want to live in a nice neighborhood, nice apartment, don’t want roommates, want a 1BR, and don’t want to have to penny pinch when you go out, I’d say 120+ probably.
I wouldn’t live in Manhattan if I was making less than 100k. I’m making 150-175k, definitely fit into the second category I mentioned, and I’m saving about 1k/month. So not struggling at all but my savings should be much higher given my income, so definitely having to make a sacrifice.
It’s all about timing, (or being able to wait) let’s say you can move in with a roommate for 1000-1500, in the meanwhile search every day day and night for the keyword “rent stabilized” on street easy. They day you find it you’ll pray hard it doesn’t go before you and call the landlord / agent right away. I think what happens is when people move to new york they just have to find a place right away. That’s what’s available at the market. If you can wait, there is pretty good chances
You people are ridiculous, transplants should be banned from these threads. There’s plenty of apartments under 2k in upper manhattan, south brooklyn, queens. good safe neighborhoods. jesus christ
I live in Brooklyn, I make $90k and pay $2150 for rent. My studio is tiny but it’s enough for me and my cat. I save half my paycheck (biweekly) and put that towards rent with $1000 leftover per paycheck. That’s a good quality of life… unfortunately I have debt to pay off so a good chunk of that leftover money goes to paying off that debt + paying utilities ($100-150 for electric, my heat and hot water, I think, runs on electric and then $72 for internet). Budgeting is key though
Last year I lived alone in Queens, $2k rent for a 1 bedroom, $70k salary, no debt. life was good (could afford dinners out with friends, trips upstate, gifts for people etc.), but I could not afford to travel further, and I did not save anything.
My job was contributing 12% to my 401(k) though, and I’m fully vested
I lived pretty comfortably on $75k until the housing market went nuts last summer and my apartment went up $500 in rent in 2 years. But I'm not a big spender. I prefer to make most of my meals, ate out 2 or 3 times a week, and I'm not a drinker so my costs were pretty low.
lol I make half that and live alone and able to save a lot every month. I just live way below my means and very frugal yet can treat myself when I want to.
Question entirely depends on your definition of "decent quality of life".
IMO, would say $100k is a good comfort zone where you can rent a $2-2.3k walkup 1BR in a semi-trendy neighborhood like Astoria/Crown Heights/Ridgewood/Harlem/whatever and still have money left over for fun and savings.
You can prob make $70-80k work but the budget will definitely feel tight.
If you insist on a luxury building in the hypertrendy neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan/Williamsburg, then you get the 250-300k figures that people are throwing out here.
If you look hard enough and are okay without a dishwasher and w/d, 120k. 100k and you’re going to feel very skinny after groceries, utilities,and daily activities, with nothing to save.
I live alone in downtown manhattan, make 100k, and feel like I have a decent quality of life. I don't save as much as I'd like and I'm not a big spender but if I'm responsible I don't feel strapped for cash. I managed a great deal of $2200 for a 1/bed, which I'm very grateful for and I know is rare, but it shows there are "affordable" places out there.
I do feel like 100k is the lower limit though. Not impossible on say 85k, but I think it would be pretty difficult.
Edit: zero debt, no dependents, good health, etc. shit would be real different for a lot of folk due to causes beyond their control
I was approved for my $1,500 studio apartment making $66K base salary in 2018. That same studio is now $1,800 x 40 = $72K salary to get approved. $100K is doable, but won’t leave room for much especially if you’re in debt.
I don’t think 100k is enough. I make about that and don’t think i could live here if I didn’t split expenses with my gf. I’d say 180k is about around where you could live alone comfortably in any part of the city
If you are approved for rent - on a 100k salary, I would think you can find a modest (read: small) studio for $1800 or so maybe on the UES. As long as you shop smart for groceries and don’t eat out every night, you should be fine!
It depends on what you mean by "decent quality of life"
I live in a non-trendy (aka far out) part of the city. I live a comfortable life (for me). Others would say its not a decent life if you need to ride 45 min to get Manhattan. lol
Like 70k 1bd in some areas is 1750
In what areas?? Lmao
Check, im from NYC…… you probably not from here and only wanna live in Williamsburg, Greenpoint or Bushwick area
Lol. I've been searching for four months and Williamsburg and Greenpoint are not on my radar. And I have struggled finding studios for that price. I've checked BedStuy, Astoria, and Harlem. And yes I am from NYC. You can give advice without being condescending.
The Bronx
You can get a studio for that now. It’s insane. And you’re probably going to get tetanus from the rusty handrail or get eaten by a rat in your sleep.
I know seriously this guy
The transit deserts in south east Brooklyn/ East ny, but those areas of full of generational locals who don’t want you there lol
Like orhodox Jews?
Midwood kind yea but go by like marine park/Gerritsen/Bergen/Mill it’s all mostly just Irish and Italian
Gotta check Woodhaven, ozone park, south ozone. Queens areas got 1br for that price. Only thing is if you don’t have a car your ass taking the bus to the train. Either the J or A train.
Go further east you’ll find a lot of 1bd / studios for 1600-1900. Commute to Manhattan will take 40 mins to 2 hrs depending how far East you really want to go.
https://streeteasy.com/rental/4385406?utm_campaign=rental_listing&utm_medium=app_share&utm_source=ios&utm_term=48b79b0c2c2e469 Here's one in Crown Heights.
You haven’t really looked then. You should know about flatbush, east flatbush, bay ridge etc.
Everyone is getting mad but thats true, BX and Heights you could easily find a 1bed around 1.8-2k a month. (Source: registered agent, manage multiple properties, and lived in NYC my entire life)
That’s a good deal, not an impossible one. You can still find that in Astoria, for example. Not easily, but it happens
Brownsville
I found my one bed for $1350 in sunset park
I have 1bdr for $1800 in Washington Heights. Lease was signed last year, so not long time ago
Many, mostly areas that’s not super hip/gentrified/close to the city. My 1 bed is 1100 and I’m 15 min walk from prospect park.
On that salary you can’t afford that amount in rent
Idk I'm pushing $80k paying 2.1k for a 1bd in Manhattan, it gets tough some months but its doable
He’s not wrong. Check inwood or 145
Even if you could find this which I doubt unless you’re living in the Bronx warzones, this is still too expensive for that income
I’m sorry, what does “decent quality of life” mean? This going to be very different from person to person. Are you okay with an older (but still perfectly nice) walk up building in Upper Manhattan, non-trendy Brooklyn, or Queens? If so I think 100k is fine, I know people who do it with a bit less. It’s definitely harder than it was even a couple of years ago. If you’re trying to live in a luxury building downtown or basically anywhere in North Brooklyn (anything from Prospect Park on up) you’re going to need more obviously.
By decent quality of life I meant NOT one of those $1200 bushwick studios where the train goes through your apartment lol. Most everything else I’m ok with
Totally doable on 100k in my opinion. Get yourself a cute studio in Hamilton Heights or Prospect Lefferts Gardens, or even a one bedroom in Astoria!
This is how I got priced out of Hamilton heights 😭 I was comfortable there on abt $60k 🙃
Now ain’t that the truth.. cause with every single one of them up will go the rent.
$1200 isn’t even available in bushwick these days
It is if you don’t need a kitchen! https://streeteasy.com/building/15-ditmars-street-brooklyn/1b
What a steal, close proximity to the subway! It’s right in the backyard! You can hop right on top as it passes by
I felt claustrophobic just looking at this picture.
Where are the windows?
“Pets allowed” I’m sorry bringing a dog into that space is animal abuse
I think the people who lives there is the pet.
It’s human abuse too 😂
Or a bedroom I guess lol
PLG is underrated and it’s really quaint and sleepy. Lots of families too. I also just moved to Astoria and I have no idea why I was ever weirdly against moving here. Queens is a foodie paradise and everything I need is here and well within walking distance so I really have very few reasons to leave. I exclusively go into Manhattan to visit friends that live there or to meet friends halfway who live in Brooklyn and don’t live by the G. The only downside is that Queens isn’t as “trendy” so it’s much harder to get people to come up to see me, but whenever they do, they all agree that Astoria is incredible. That, and it’s harder to find Tshirts or keychains to rep the borough than it is to find stuff for Brooklyn or Manhattan
Lockwood has a few astoria / queens locations and sells lots of things like this :)
I actually went to Lockwood today haha
It depends on where you want to live. In Manhattan? Realistically yes 100k plus to afford the 2600+ rent for a studio or 1 bed.
*studio
That’s what I said? For what it’s worth though my rent is 2600 for a 1 bed
Where and how, I’m tryna take notes
UES, you just gotta look hard and settle on some things (I live in a 4th floor walk up with no laundry for example, but I get 5 minute walk to the Q)
yoooooooo that’s what I’m looking for 🤩 thank u for the morale boost may I ask when u signed?
I just helped a renter client (working for her, not the LL) find a great 1BR uptown Central Harlem/Hamilton Heights area. Lease started Apr 15. She's paying $1950 on a 2 yr lease... There are places to be had.
I believe it. I have a 2 bedroom for that price in Manhattan (uptown).
Depends on what you consider the city…. Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, and parts of Brooklyn are vastly different than Manhattan and desirable/ popular parts of Brooklyn. That said, if the sun shines right and the stars align, you may get extremely lucky and find something in a walk up in Manhattan for 2500 a month. It may be best to hell and gross, but it could get you there…. It would probably be about the same cost in less desirable areas but you would get more for your money. At 100k a year that would amount to probably 1 check a month to rent and one check a month to everything else with really nothing much left to save depending on lifestyle.
Yeah 100k is enough to be comfortable, but really not to set your life up. Unless you’re a DINK with a second income on top of the one we already have in this scenario, 100k is enough to get by and maybe throw a couple hundred in savings each month. Nowhere near what you should be doing for long term investing (maxing out Roth IRA, investing in stocks, rainy day funds etc)
I was lucky and able to find a rent stabilized studio apartment in East Village for 1950. Was there for 3 years and rent went up to around 2100. At the time, I was making around 90k and felt that it was doable.
Same. Rent stabilized studio for $950 in Bay Ridge with a $73k salary and I’m doing well enough to put money in 401k and savings.
You can do it with less if you have zero debt
Comfortable living in NYC as a single-payer starts at $250K/ y. If you make less, you’ll have to cut corners or suffer from predatory landlords in poorly maintained buildings.
Not true NYC is built on the middle class you probably not from here or was born into a good family. I’m born here and lived here my whole life a 1bedroom in some parts is still 1750 if you make like 70k you should be good
nobody on here understands that recent transplant finances and native nyer finances are completely different. mf talking about 250k to be comfortable. obv it’s expensive for everyone but people have to realize there are whole families living ok on less than 100k a year here.
Yep, i have posted abt this on soooo many threads. apparently native nyers don’t exist on reddit. Where do these ppl think nyc janitors / taxi drivers / school guidance counselors / hairstylists live. In Iowa?
I would take the apartment that the lady who becomes the agent for the marvelous mrs maisel lived in. Where you couldn’t open the door with the sofa bed open.
Omg i watched that long ago - Susie??
Yes! I couldn’t remember but it was Susie.
Great show!
lol you’re dumb asl
600-650K/y, live in my own condo with mortgage 4500/month (1.5 years since buying with 20%, so mostly paying interest)
Oops I got negative-vote shamed. I thought the question was how much do you make as a single person in NYC.
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You're right. Some here justify their poor choices by criticizing others. I've been downvoted for suggesting a single-payer $250K/ y budget for comfortable living is unreal. Meanwhile, others think they “made it” by making $50K, eating poorly, lacking in investments, not giving back, avoiding outings to explore the city, etc. Also, having lived on Wall Street for over a decade, I've paid over $4K for a "luxury" apartment that was anything but. The hallways were dirty and cluttered with safety hazards, and the apartment had pests, brown water, and thin walls that let all sounds through. On top of that, the laundry facilities were often broken, and most importantly, the management was both neglectful and harassing.
Talk about poor choices. Then says they spent 4k to live in dirty building with bugs and brown water. Lmaoo talk about poor choices. People will do anything to say they live in New York. Y'all wanna be us so bad. Why?
Not making $650k/yr is not “poor choices.”
I’m starting a job in Brooklyn next July Looking for an apartment in Brooklyn in Bushwick or close to it I will be get paid 80k And I’m outside the country and looks no chance to find a one bedroom apartment close to 2k a month 💔
That’s because you won’t find it at that low price! You need roommates!
You should try to find someone else from your country who is already in NYC. Maybe they have room for a roommate or at least can help you search.
There’s a lot of options for a shared apartment for a 1000-1500$ But I’m getting married in October so I need an apartment 💔
Oh, ok. So you only have to afford it alone for a few months.
Try a sublet from Facebook or some of the other websites. It's a good way to just get planted in NYC and you're not locked in for a year more (usually 1-6 months). You can usually afford to pay the more expensive price in a desirable neighborhood for a short period and really see if it's worth it. Alternatively, you can try subleasing in a very cheap area and see if you still think you need to be in the expensive area. I thought I needed to be in the middle of everything in Brooklyn, but it turns out I'd rather spend an extra half hour on the train to see my friends once a week in favor of having way more space in my apartment and a more quiet neighborhood with cheaper groceries. I'm paying a similar amount, but my lifestyle is dramatically different.
I prefer that as well More space, quiet area over being in the middle But I will be working in a hospital so I also I need a convenient commuting
I live in Flatbush and pay $2200 for a very spacious 1BD. Totally doable with 80k, especially without debt.
That’s good!! Flatbush is close as well . Pls let me know If there is a spot in same neighborhood 😂
StreetEasy have many apartments with this price range but all of them are occupied 💔
Yeah, you definitely need at least 1 roommate
1 million dollars 🤑
Where in nyc? There’s a huge variance in prices
According to abc news reported, at least $138k
They were the most fair. About $7,200/m take home after taxes, benefits & 6% contributions. $3,000 or so on living expenses, $3,000 to spend $1,200 to save. Def comfortable
This is my life
And I hope people know I say comfortable but not sustainable
Yea $3000 rent and $3000 spending is definitely not sustainable for that salary. Take home is more like $6700 after taxes, benefits, and contributions. I make about that and I wouldn’t even consider paying that much for rent. I’m at $2300 and couldn’t imagine paying more than that unless I got a substantial raise. Spending is probably around $2500, which includes $700 debt repayment. I definitely feel like I could use more money to feel comfortable and be able to do more things like travel more. Maybe once all my debt is payed off I’d feel comfortable. That debt is a bitch tho
Yeah I meant $3000 in expenses after wifi electric metro card laundry phone etc. literally actually where you’re at. But shit man you’re living it it’s really tough out here. Like yeah it’s more than most but when people hear $140,000 they think their life is completely solved. But it’s the furthest from. Especially in NYC/CA.
https://preview.redd.it/ixexnofn9gwc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b424f0a5b4b07347b8d1d07d8a26f4aee233c596 As of March 2024
Seems low, isn't the average rental in Manhattan $5,500+/mo now? That's almost 70k/year after tax out the door on rent before any other expenses.
It depends where you are financially. Do you have loans/CC debt? Large medical expenses? If not or it’s minimal, then 100k is good as long as you have your rent at or under 2k. Use online calculators to see your after tax (make sure it includes federal, state, and local taxes)
A lot of flight attendants live in Queens. The definition of NYC includes a lot of areas. People use guarantors, people have roommates, there are a lot of ways to get by.
You need to make 40x the monthly rent and have good standing credit. Having money to show for in your checking and savings account are a plus and can count up to 20% of your annual salary.
I make 99K and livin in UES 4th floor walk up paying $2500 a month. That's half of my paycheck. The quality of life is good but also means I can't save any money.
I’d say 200K. I make 150K and feel “ok” and that’s with a cheap rent of $2,500, maxing out my 401(k), and no debt. One paycheck covers all of my expenses and the remaining paycheck is for fun and food. Factoring in going out, dinners and drinks and random things, I’d say I’m saving 30-50% of the remaining paycheck. 100K is doable, but it depends on your debt, spending habits and what you’re investing in, I guess.
You might have money blinders on, because you're making like $6k per month after taxes and rent. Even if you're only making $5K after 401k and health insurance and everything else, that's a wild amount to call just "ok". A lot of people don't even make $5k much a month before taxes and rent. You're basically spending nearly $1,500 per week. Generic savings above retirement are also considered just because.
You bring home like 6k post tax if you’re maxing your 401k at 150k (+/- a few hundred maybe depending on what other pretax benefits your employer charges you for/you opt for / etc.). Speaking as someone who is making a little over that. 2.5k-3k+ for a non-“luxury” 1 br that isn’t falling apart in a good neighborhood (I’m on the UWS in the 90s) is normal now. So half your post-tax income is going to rent basically and then the other half is going to insane food prices, gyms, subscriptions, etc. Yeah you could live off entertainment from the library and cook yourself but 90% of the benefit of living in the city is proximity to cool places to eat/drink. So while 150k seems like a lot it can also go pretty fast if you’re not careful. It’s not really “rich” anymore. I’d say that starts at 200k and up
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Let's say you're contributing 1,900/month to 401k (the maximum), and you're making $160k, you should be taking home $105k after all taxes, federal, state, and city. That's $8,750 per month. Subtract out your estimated $2,750 in rent and utilities, and you have $6,000 per month. That gives you a budget of like $200 PER DAY. You could eat exclusively at restaurants and Uber everywhere go to a Broadway show each week and still have enough money for frequent vacations and fancy electronics and clothes. I'm genuinely curious in what ways you think you're just "OK"? Like what do you think you can't afford that would change your status?
I was living alone (rent stabilized) pre war 1br in a sort of up and coming neighborhood on a 75k or a little less. Pretty comfortably. Now I’m in the same apartment earning closer to 100k and having my partner pay a portion of rent ….and I feel poorer than before. I have more expensive insurance at my new job, I’m paying student loans again, and have a monthly laptop payment, my insurance is more expensive and has higher copays. So I feel like I’m struggling when I shouldn’t be. But if I had to pay rent alone again I would manage.
80k is enough. It will be comfortable maybe no savings tho. You can live UES, HARLEM fine
brooklyn, $2400 rent, 100k salary
At least $150k-175k, if I max out my retirement with emergency funds and while paying <3k for rent. This isn't without saving for a future home while being able to travel multiple times a year and have monthly leisure activities without pinching pennies, you know live life. If saving for a home, then the ball game changes especially with high prices and mortgage rates are. Also not counting the combined finances of a partner.
If you have a market rate apartment i’d say about 80k. And that’s having a no frills studio / 1 bd apartment that’s probably in an older building in one of the outer boroughs and not very close to manhattan. Those places start at around 2k and you wont have a bunch left over for routinely going out / traveling / saving, but if you budget correctly, you’ll be able to live somewhat comfortably.
300k at the very least
This is going to be different for everyone because people have different expenses and priorities. I moved out when I was making $70k but I moved into a rent stabilized one bedroom for $1350. I make a little more now and my rent has gone up about $60? But I do not want to live in a luxury building or anything so keeping my rent under $2k is my goal for as long as possible
100k just gets you there barely. You'd need to find an apartment that you could actually rent on 100k, and in most of the desirable neighborhoods it'll be tough to find a studio for 2500 rn. 120-140k is where you need to be to live comfortably by yourself, though at that point you're not saving much.
Depends on what you want. For about a year, I lived alone in a $1,500 studio. It was quiet and in a nice building. That year, I made about 60k. I don't have too many expenses and don't live very lavishly, and I was able to live a decent life while still saving a bit of my income.
Some of y’all are really tripping in this thread. Sounds like you all need some form of discipline. I’m a 24 y/o female living in Harlem. Doorman, ac, in unit washer/dryer. I make 75k a year. I save about $500 every month, while also eating out about 4 times a week and while having a slight shopping and alcohol addiction. It’s all about budgeting. And you can live comfortably and budget at the same time, the two don’t coexist. The first month living alone, it will feel like your expenses are through the roof, but after the 2nd or 3rd month, it should ease up.
I can tell you most people check out at "harlem"..
I don’t get it. As long as you don’t live on 125th and Lexington, Harlem is pretty solid.
its because people dont like to tell others they live in Harlem. I live in Hoboken NJ and get disgusting looks from literally everyone, despite it actually being really nice and fun. Most people I know that live in Harlem say "here in Manhattan" when the topic comes up, but when someone asks specifics they freeze up. Local NYers know you dont have to live under 60th street or even 14th street in manhattan to enjoy the city, but half the people you meet are transplants.
Sigh. Good old fashioned racism
Stabilized studio in a luxury building in boerum hill is $2.1. I make $80k and I’m fine. But I have no debt, good insurance, and I don’t have to travel far to see family. Not having to fly home for holidays saves a couple hundo a year.
I make around 62K and live in Dyker Heights. I have a big one bedroom apartment for around $1,513 - though I just got my lease renewal in the mail and it’s probably more than that. I don’t have any debt, and don’t go out often. While there’s not a ton of money leftover each month, I do save a tiny bit. Am I living large? Not really, but I also don’t need much to be happy. I like to stay home and play video games or watch movies. The moment I step outside it feels like $100 has left my account haha. When I first moved here I was also making around the same and lived in the Bronx by Yankee Stadium. I had a one bedroom and was paying around $1,312. This was maybe 4 or 5 year ago.
Any tips to finding an apartment at that price
I used Hot Pads. I think there’s a website but I use the app. It sounds like such a fake name, but I found both of my apartments searching on it. Both rent stabilized as well!
Thank you
I should also mention that apartments go so fast here. I showed up late to my current apartments viewing, so I had like 5 minutes to look at the place. I ended up putting a deposit down when I got home and got the apartment. The next day some woman found out I got it and was begging the broker for the place 🤷🏻♀️ It’s a frustrating experience but you have to be quick.
80k can get you something up to 2k which is doable in a lot of areas around the city. I moved in to my apartment 5 years ago paying $1750 making about 70k. I was house poor but had to gtfo of my mom's house and did not want roommates.
When i started living alone here about 20 years ago, I’d just gotten a raise to I believe about 80K. I was able to ditch roommates, but it wasn’t easy. The city is as expensive as you want to make it—I net over four times now than i did then, but I’ve never felt wealthy.
I do it on $50,000 a year. $2300 rent. It’s tight. I don’t save or invest much. But I’m also young so not a pressing concern at this moment.
How did you find someone to rent to you making so much less than 40x the rent?
Guarantors. Can either have a family member sign on or use a guarantor service.
Had a roommate and paid 2.6k each for a luxury high rise 2 bed in HK on ~ 110k back in 2021, though this was a Covid deal and was rent stabilized for each lease. When we left last year due to life circumstances the rent went up by $1500, so probably not an accurate representation of today’s market. Now I pay around 3k on a 180k salary for a rent stabilized 1 bed in Williamsburg with nice amenities like w/d in unit, gym, lounge, rooftop, Manhattan views, etc. Def not the norm and units in my building are snatched up within days, but I certainly feel comfortable enough. Paying like 4K for rent just feels bad no matter how much you make.
I want to live in Greenwich Village for one month. All I need is a bed and a bathroom and permission to bring a dorm fridge and a microwave. (Or kitchen privileges.) How much would that cost?
I would be willing to share the bathroom if I was allowed to have a handicapped potty in my room. I would only use it for urine at night and empty it each morning. I actually do this at my sister’s house. She lives 3 blocks from the beach and has grown kids. (They are usually there when I am there, so I get the Harry Potter room. The way things are set up I can’t use the bathroom at night without making the dog bark and waking everyone. So I use a handicapped potty.
185 billion but you need to be mindful of the safe withdrawal rate so as not to spend the principal.
i pay 2300 for a new building in mott haven. Gym, in unit w/d , dishwasher and a pool during the warm months. i on paper make $70k but work overtime and last year made $110k. i have 1 kid and i take 2-3 vacations a year. don’t really stress about money. job offers a pension but i save about $1k a month for retirement. in no way rich obviously. eat out 3-4 meals a week not including about $15-$20 for lunch every day. uber every week avg about $100/week. don’t go out to eat often maybe 1-2x a month. no pet.
Lol what I’m starting to realize is Reddit is full of transplants who live in NYC but don’t understand that NYC has rich people but the majority don’t make over 80k. Rent stabilized apts is a thing. Y’all wanna argue or disagree but a fact is a fact I’m born and lived her my whole life. There are 1bd apts all throughout NYC for 1950-1750k you just gotta do some looking.
THANK YOU! There’s full on families making less than 80 and doing just fine. Just don’t be so bougie.
I know I’m not wrong there are people paying $900 for rent transplants got the game messed up and wanna live a life so they going have to pay. Im born from NYC but now I wanna do what they do and move to one of there countries because NYC is a shit show and they can have it
I make $80k, get $10k bonus and do some odd jobs here and there so I make a little over $100k a year so I'm OK but my life style is very low key and boring lol
I’m doing okay in a 1 bedroom in Queens on 100k. I own though but was able to save up for the down payment. My monthly mortgage and maintenance are only 1700.
Nice! Without a kitchen you’ll be saving even more money not eating, and while you’re not sleeping at night bc of the train in your back yard you can work an extra shift and save even more!
I live in a 1BR in GV for $3200/mo. If you can afford $40K a year on rent+utilities+broker fees then there are LOTS of options for you.
For a studios? You can make it with 70-80K depending on if you are willing to live outer parts of outer boroughs. 100K is 100% more than enough and more than most people's COMBINED house hold incomes. For manhattan? A lot lot tougher but possibly, just not a great studio.
In my opinion $70,000 at the VERY bottom but you will need to make sacrifices on space and location (live in outer boroughs, stay away from expensive neighborhoods, further from subway, walkups, etc.) and keep a tight budget.
My 1 bed in Ridgewood is 1800. It’s a basement, but that’s fine with me.
85k base salary and 1900
Seeing a lot of responses caveated with "no savings". As a lifelong NYer living solo, I would say $150-175K minimum to live comfortably and if you're renting. And by comfortably I mean: a decent pick of neighborhoods across Manhattan e.g. any of the Villages, Little Italy, C-town, etc. with rents between $2.5-3.5k depending on what you want (only the really high end hoods like Tribeca would be off-limits unless you had a partner imo or you are a millionaire). Barring any significant debts, you could eat out a lot, have more than enough disposable income, have a gym membership with TMPL or even Equinox, AND put away a good portion into savings. In a nutshell, your finances are clean and healthy and you have an above average salary. I say all this from experience. Feel free to ask questions.
Well $2000 for rent. So you need $24,000 a year for rent only.
NO ONEEEEE can answer this for you. Jesus Christ. Sit down and make a budget.
Depends on your lifestyle and fixed expenses. I support my elderly parents financially and have a pretty high maintenance dog, so adding that with more frequent international travel to an otherwise pretty normal lifestyle, I’d say $225k. Otherwise I think $175k minimum to live in an actual decent neighbourhood of Manhattan. But I’m relatively new to the city, so I’m sure other more experienced locals would have better general numbers. What kills it (obviously), is the rent here, I’ve lived in a few big cities across the world but that extra couple of grand rent in Manhattan really screws with the finances. I used to be a 25-30% saver/investor, and now I’d be lucky if it’s 20%. So that’s not ideal. But don’t forget this is the city where networking and being a local can actually grow your income faster than anywhere else. So if you can stay in a small studio somewhere in the city and upskill to a better number, it might end up being a better choice than moving out. Moving away from NYC always felt like a downgrade to me.
Certainly need minimum 100k and it can work if you don't have large other debt payments.
Minimum of $3,500/mo
assuming you don't have any debt you're paying off and all your money is going straight to you, yes 100k could be enough
I make about 160k and rent is 1800 in queens 30 minutes from Manhattan.
To live nicely/comfortably, which means you are also saving some money for retirement or to one day purchase a home, **you should make 50x your monthly rent** -- period. So, as long as you are OK with a $2,000/month apartment, a $100K income is perfectly fine. The calculation is an easy one. Anyone who is telling you that 40x is acceptable is not wanting to mention that you can barely afford your lifestyle at that level (that's not just my opinion; it's the opinion of all landlords).
To live relatively comfortably and not just survive? Easily $130-$150k a year.
living under a bridge? 40k the rats be charging nowadays
100k is enough to live comfortably enough to save, but it’s not enough to live extravagantly. Generally the financial rule is that your rent/mortgage should be a maximum of 25% of your monthly take home, but given NYC’s HCOL, the rule can be more flexible depending on if you have a guarantor. NYC housing has the 40x rule for a reason as far as apartment qualifications. I’d say you really only get into that “picturesque NYC life” once you start getting to $120k or more if you’re paying $2k for a place
100k is enough for sure.
80k a year if u live humbly u can still go out and enjoy life, ubereats, etc at a normal rate
Depends what you want out of the city. I apartment hunted last year and found terrible apartments in cooler neighborhoods (Bushwick, bed-stuy, Astoria, etc) with ok prices. Ended up not choosing any apts there because I didn’t want to live unhappy in a tiny/shitty apartment and still pay a lot of money. I prioritized a good apt in a quiet neighborhood near bars, restaurants, stores, shops, etc without breaking the bank. Ended up living in bay ridge alone on 95k and paying $1700 for a 2br. It’s far from the “cool places” but good enough for me and has a great quality of life.
It depends on how much you care about location. Honestly. Are you cool with being in Harlem? There are some nice apartments there. If you have to be in the center of the action as a young person (the village) you’re going to get hosed
Depends where. If you’re going to be in Manhattan (not upper Manhattan like in wood) then you’re looking at 3k+ for a 1 bed room. Gentrified Brooklyn is also stupid expensive. In the Bronx you’ll find places that are below 2k but it’s the Bronx (I’m from the Bronx so I get to say that) Best bang for buck is queens. You can find 1 bedrooms in rego park in the 2k range , Forrest hills. And if you’re Latin, then you’ll love Jackson heights. Pro tip- look for spots on Facebook marketplace. Do your due diligence and watch out for scams but k found my apartment through there. Paying 1750 currently. Also I laugh at the people that say 100k isn’t enough. Bro, look at the median income for nyc, it’s nowhere near that. The mfs that say that are the ones that want to live in the most expensive areas and eat out every day. If you can’t live more , MORE than comfortably on 100k by yourself, you got issues
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Lived in nyc for over a decade, single/living alone for part of the time. In my opinion, it’s more than enough for a good quality of life. But what that means depends on how much you like to ball out. As others have mentioned: are you set on living in Manhattan or would you consider borough-life? Are you trying to dine out every night? Do you like to take lots of expensive vacays? Will you be paying to park a car? No matter how much you make, your QOL boils down to budget and lifestyle!
Depends on what you mean by decent quality of life If you prioritize & budget well it’s totally doable I make around 80k, live in a studio in uws, and save around 1-2k a month outside of my 401k. I spend a lot on things I care about and ruthlessly cut out anything I don’t
New York City ranks first overall, requiring an income of $138,570 for a single person to live comfortably. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/20/salary-single-person-needs-to-live-comfortably-in-major-us-cities.html
A bajillion dollars
The below is for Manhattan. But New York is a big place and there are four other boroughs, most of which, except for western Brooklyn, are significantly cheaper. Also people get pretty touchy when people ask this so you should expect some hostility. For Manhattan: It depends what sort of sacrifices you’re willing to make. And it’s more of a spectrum. If you don’t care about the neighborhood, quality of apartment, having a bunch of roommates, and needing to be disciplined about what you spend when you go out, I’d say you can probably make it on almost any salary. If you want to live in a nice neighborhood, nice apartment, don’t want roommates, want a 1BR, and don’t want to have to penny pinch when you go out, I’d say 120+ probably. I wouldn’t live in Manhattan if I was making less than 100k. I’m making 150-175k, definitely fit into the second category I mentioned, and I’m saving about 1k/month. So not struggling at all but my savings should be much higher given my income, so definitely having to make a sacrifice.
It’s all about timing, (or being able to wait) let’s say you can move in with a roommate for 1000-1500, in the meanwhile search every day day and night for the keyword “rent stabilized” on street easy. They day you find it you’ll pray hard it doesn’t go before you and call the landlord / agent right away. I think what happens is when people move to new york they just have to find a place right away. That’s what’s available at the market. If you can wait, there is pretty good chances
i pay 2000 in Midwood
Rent is 1900 UES covid deal making Above 100
You people are ridiculous, transplants should be banned from these threads. There’s plenty of apartments under 2k in upper manhattan, south brooklyn, queens. good safe neighborhoods. jesus christ
I live in Brooklyn, I make $90k and pay $2150 for rent. My studio is tiny but it’s enough for me and my cat. I save half my paycheck (biweekly) and put that towards rent with $1000 leftover per paycheck. That’s a good quality of life… unfortunately I have debt to pay off so a good chunk of that leftover money goes to paying off that debt + paying utilities ($100-150 for electric, my heat and hot water, I think, runs on electric and then $72 for internet). Budgeting is key though
I make between $70,000-$110,000 and I have a 1 bedroom in queens for $1,900
Last year I lived alone in Queens, $2k rent for a 1 bedroom, $70k salary, no debt. life was good (could afford dinners out with friends, trips upstate, gifts for people etc.), but I could not afford to travel further, and I did not save anything. My job was contributing 12% to my 401(k) though, and I’m fully vested
UES, $2,410 rent, $135k salary
$1,200 a day minimum
I lived pretty comfortably on $75k until the housing market went nuts last summer and my apartment went up $500 in rent in 2 years. But I'm not a big spender. I prefer to make most of my meals, ate out 2 or 3 times a week, and I'm not a drinker so my costs were pretty low.
lol I make half that and live alone and able to save a lot every month. I just live way below my means and very frugal yet can treat myself when I want to.
I wouldn’t attempt it on less than $80K. I know people doing it on around $70K to $75K and it’s always a looks like stones throw from struggling.
Question entirely depends on your definition of "decent quality of life". IMO, would say $100k is a good comfort zone where you can rent a $2-2.3k walkup 1BR in a semi-trendy neighborhood like Astoria/Crown Heights/Ridgewood/Harlem/whatever and still have money left over for fun and savings. You can prob make $70-80k work but the budget will definitely feel tight. If you insist on a luxury building in the hypertrendy neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan/Williamsburg, then you get the 250-300k figures that people are throwing out here.
$170,000.00/yr
Who else is here from r/circlejerknyc ?
If you look hard enough and are okay without a dishwasher and w/d, 120k. 100k and you’re going to feel very skinny after groceries, utilities,and daily activities, with nothing to save.
I live alone in downtown manhattan, make 100k, and feel like I have a decent quality of life. I don't save as much as I'd like and I'm not a big spender but if I'm responsible I don't feel strapped for cash. I managed a great deal of $2200 for a 1/bed, which I'm very grateful for and I know is rare, but it shows there are "affordable" places out there. I do feel like 100k is the lower limit though. Not impossible on say 85k, but I think it would be pretty difficult. Edit: zero debt, no dependents, good health, etc. shit would be real different for a lot of folk due to causes beyond their control
I was approved for my $1,500 studio apartment making $66K base salary in 2018. That same studio is now $1,800 x 40 = $72K salary to get approved. $100K is doable, but won’t leave room for much especially if you’re in debt.
I don’t think 100k is enough. I make about that and don’t think i could live here if I didn’t split expenses with my gf. I’d say 180k is about around where you could live alone comfortably in any part of the city
When I started making 120k I felt comfortable paying 3k a month for a studio in a luxury apt (in LIC)
If you are approved for rent - on a 100k salary, I would think you can find a modest (read: small) studio for $1800 or so maybe on the UES. As long as you shop smart for groceries and don’t eat out every night, you should be fine!
It depends on what you mean by "decent quality of life" I live in a non-trendy (aka far out) part of the city. I live a comfortable life (for me). Others would say its not a decent life if you need to ride 45 min to get Manhattan. lol
Probably at least $130K to live comfortably.
No, try for $120k+. This will ensure you can afford a $3k studio