Living in New York

ikareteru

Blue Belt
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How do working class people afford to live in New York if a normal apartment costs 3000 dollars?

Do they live in he suburbs and only work in NY city?

Do only rich people live in New york City?
 
good question, i guess most workers travel in from way out
 
Beats the hell out of me. But I can't figure out why any middle/lower class person would want to live there. It's the worst traffic I've ever experienced in my entire life and the people are so sterile and inhospitable. There's no warmth at all.
 
Everyone sells crack.
 
I had the same question about San Francisco. Where are are the McDonald's patty flippers living? Even if you share a place it doesn't seem possible to get by on minimum wage.
 
There are a lot of neighborhoods in the Bronx, upper Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn that are inexpensive. They're pretty shitty though. If you're looking at an even remotely nice neighborhood it's going to be $$$$.

Where I work in Long island city there are a few blocks of NYC housing projects where low income families live. About 2 blocks away from there, you'll see nothing but new luxury apartments and condos.

It's really weird. Anyway good deals are really hard to find, but they exist. I know someone who lives in a rent controlled apartment, and she's of relatively low income. The apartment is in the heart of Chelsea. Good luck finding a normal apartment under 3k there.
 
Tips bro. My Dad spent a week there once and he said the only thing that stood out was how you'd constantly have assholes either complaining about your tip or trying to guilt you into a bigger tip.
 
We commute in from Westchester. You need to leave your house by 6:00 to avoid traffic. Still some times I get caught. Work provides me with parking so that helps.

NYC is an awesome place to live near. You have access to amazing food and shopping. My house and wardrobe are pimp.

An hour outside NYC provides access to sizable forest and affordable housing. However that point is debatable. My recent house hunting has lead me to believe a decent home will run 500k in Westchester.
 
New York's alright if you like saxophones....
 
One thing is that a lot of the lower/middle-income people here don't have and a lot of the time don't plan on having traditional families, so "overpaying" for a studio/1br apartment is worth it to enjoy the sheer amount of options available to them at any given moment (and that's the siren's call to NYC for most).

Also, with that in mind, it's not uncommon for people to have roommates on into life. My roommate and I are in our 30s, and sure someone from somewhere else might say "losers", but it's a situation of instead of struggling and paying out the nose to "live like big boys", we share a place so that we can afford to enjoy what the city has to offer...this goes for richer people too. I have a client with an awesome view in Hell's Kitchen/Chelsea border area and she rents out a room in her place.

Beats the hell out of me. But I can't figure out why any middle/lower class person would want to live there. It's the worst traffic I've ever experienced in my entire life and the people are so sterile and inhospitable. There's no warmth at all.

Basically living here is a sacrifice of space for options and opportunity. And sure, it's not the "warmest" place out there, and it still to this day gets to my southern boy soul at times, but (especially) if you have a good group of friends, NYC life is so much fun.
 
NYC is my nightmare. I've been there a few times, it's just not for me.
 
There are a lot of neighborhoods in the Bronx, upper Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn that are inexpensive. They're pretty shitty though. If you're looking at an even remotely nice neighborhood it's going to be $$$$.

Where I work in Long island city there are a few blocks of NYC housing projects where low income families live. About 2 blocks away from there, you'll see nothing but new luxury apartments and condos.

It's really weird. Anyway good deals are really hard to find, but they exist. I know someone who lives in a rent controlled apartment, and she's of relatively low income. The apartment is in the heart of Chelsea. Good luck finding a normal apartment under 3k there.

This^^^ -- pretty much.

Most of Manhattan is uber expensive. You just have to go further away from "110th to battery park" to find affordable housing. The subway/buses/trains bring people into the city from lower cost areas. I haven't looked but can't imagine that the areas around LGA are super expensive, they look as crappy as they did when i lived in NYC.

I had a $1500/mo bachelor (580sqft) 1/2 block from CPW in 2000. A guy i knew bought a $70k apt on the upper east side (70s around 1st ave) in 1999. It was super small but well laid out. He had a bunk with a desk on the lower bunk, an efficient kitchen and a small bathroom. Did I mention he had an apt on the upper east side for $70k!!
 
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I had the same question about San Francisco. Where are are the McDonald's patty flippers living? Even if you share a place it doesn't seem possible to get by on minimum wage.

Oakland + the BART
 
I have a homosexual friend from NYC. Great guy, but I don't understand why a straight guy would want to live there. Far too risky.
 
People either travel in from surrounding areas to work and hang out or they live in not so great areas of NYC.

But, jobs do pay more there so there's that. But really you only need to be wealthy to buy a place in Manhattan.

I know quite a few people that live in Brooklyn and Queens that don't have great paying jobs. But they live in apartments and have roommates.
 
I had the same question about San Francisco. Where are are the McDonald's patty flippers living? Even if you share a place it doesn't seem possible to get by on minimum wage.
Same here. I haven't been there but isn't it expensive in the entire Bay Area?
 
there was a point in my life where all i ever wanted to do was to live and work in NYC
i lived in NYC right after college from 2003 to 2010
first couple years out of college i rented a shoebox apartment in the lower east side for $900..and that was a STEAL even back in 2003......even then, I shared that studio apt with a roommate for an entire year bc we werent making any real money yet

after a couple of years i rented a place in the west village...studio apartment, bigger and "nicer" than my first apt, for $1500 in 2006
did the NYC single life thing, went to all the hot restaurants, clubs, etc

i moved to the suburbs a couple years ago and now I cant fathom why i ever wanted to settle in NYC at all

main reason i hate the idea of living in NYC.....and no offense to anyone here...are all the new money out of state transplants who think they are "New Yorkers" after a month of living here


NYC is pretty much as bad as LA, when it comes to the younger crowds....everyone is a mini "celebrity" in their own right and they cop this too cool for school attitude
 
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