Tell Me About: New York City

[Coach]

There's a possibility I need to move on from my current place in Vancouver, which is likely going to double my cost of living. Looking at rent prices, some stuff in NYC seems downright reasonable by comparison. I'm American, but haven't lived there since I was a toddler. I work in the entertainment field, so NYC will have opportunities for me. Just wanted to get a sense from anyone who has lived there recently. What are the best places to live within reason? What are places to avoid? How far out into places like Mt Vernon or Long Island can you reasonably live while getting to the city in decent time? I'm seeing some decent places for ~$1000/month in various areas including Brooklyn (mind you, I only need a room and don't mind roommates).

Anyways. The thought has been leaking in my brain recently so just wanted to see what the CP braintrust has to say about the city.

[Calgary14]

Anywhere in North America will seem reasonable compared to Vancouver. What about LA? I assume it would have more opportunities for you. What draws you to NYC?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Calgary14

Anywhere in North America will seem reasonable compared to Vancouver. What about LA? I assume it would have more opportunities for you. What draws you to NYC?

A lot of people are currently leaving LA, due to similar issues that Vancouver has. Average cost of rent for a 1 bedroom in LA is over $2,500 USD now. That's a more expensive than Vancouver and you have to be more careful about what neighbourhod you pick in LA. Granted salaries are likely higher in LA.

NYC is more expensive than both LA and Vancouver, but the job market and salaries are much better than either.

[Galakanokis]

Not sure what you do in the entertainment business but if it is in the production of TV and movies Atlanta is a good place to be. Their production and post infrastructure has come along way in the last 10 years and more amore productions (not just marvel) are being based out of there. I would imagine that it is a lot cheaper that NYC but very work dependent.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by blankall

A lot of people are currently leaving LA, due to similar issues that Vancouver has. Average cost of rent for a 1 bedroom in LA is over $2,500 USD now. That's a more expensive than Vancouver and you have to be more careful about what neighbourhod you pick in LA. Granted salaries are likely higher in LA.

NYC is more expensive than both LA and Vancouver, but the job market and salaries are much better than either.

Lots of people are leaving California period

[blankall]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Lots of people are leaving California period

New York is seeing population loss as well. Affordability is a major reason for the demographic changes in the USA.

Honestly OP, I'd choose a different city besides Vancouver, NYC, LA, San Fran, etc.. to live in. America, unlike Canada, has a lot of great options. When things get unaffordable in the USA, you can go to a city like Austin or Miami...where in Canada the affordable option is....Regina.

[butterfly]

OP asks for info about New York City, everyone else tells them how to live their life.

[Bonded]

I liked to visit but would never want to live there unless I was really rich but a city with 2 million people is probably about the max of my comfort level. It would be a great place to live if you actually have time/make the effort of taking in what the city has to offer. I just don't know how much you can do on a normal wage there these days.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by butterfly

OP asks for info about New York City, everyone else tells them how to live their life.

Some organizations would kill for CP's level of consistency....

[topfiverecords]

Would be a very niche section of the CP userbase with the experience to properly answer his questions. So until those select people chime in if ever, others will say what they say.

[dissentowner]

It is dirty, has a high crime rate, and their are entirely too many people there.

[flames_fan_down_under]

If I were to live somewhere in NYC I would go with Greenpoint, Bushwick or Park Slope in Brooklyn. Brooklyn feels a lot more livable than Manhattan and Manhattan is still just a train ride away. Also if you're looking to go to Long Island you're already closer than if you were to live in Manhattan.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Would be a very niche section of the CP userbase with the experience to properly answer his questions. So until those select people chime in if ever, others will say what they say.

Yeah, seems like a long shot that there is more than one or two CPers that have lived in NYC recently enough to offer relevant opinions. I assume like the rest of the world, a lot of the economics of living there have changed in the last few years, so they would probably have to be current residents.

On the plus side for me, I learned about California losing population, which I hadn't heard before. So I checked out some articles about it and found them interesting.

Good luck to the OP as well. Hope you find some good info at some point to help your decision.

[opendoor]

The only advice I'd give is, really look into those neighborhoods that you're seeing the $1K rental prices. New York is generally one of the more expensive cities in the world, so if you see places that are extremely affordable, there's usually a good reason. Either it's a rough neighborhood or it's really hard to get around due to poor transit options.

Just as an example, my friend owns a townhouse in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, which used to be a pretty rough area but has now been gentrified somewhat. His place is decent, but ultimately the neighborhood is still a pretty high crime area for NYC and probably equivalent to the worst areas of Vancouver. And when he moved out for a couple of years to take care of his parents during the pandemic, he was able to rent his place out for about $9K/month. And studio apartments in that neighborhood go for about $3K/month.

[Table 5]

What part of Brooklyn are you thinking, coach? I haven't lived there in a few years now, but maybe can offer some insight that's still relevant.

Commuting from LI/CT/NYJ is always an option (my inlaws live 2 hours out in Long Island, and I see plenty of people commuting from there) although personally I think that makes most sense when you have a family, or need access to good schools, want a yard etc. Because it's not like LI is particularly cheap. Also, the best part of living in NYC is that you're in NYC...so you want to make sure you have enough time to enjoy it, and not just spend your free time sitting on a train. Even if you have to make that work with roommates, or a smaller space, I think it's worth it.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by butterfly

OP asks for info about New York City, everyone else tells them how to live their life.

To be fair, he states that he doesn't want to live in Vancouver anymore due to the high cost of living. Then picks one of the few cities in North America that has a worse cost of living. The population of NYC is shrinking, mostly due to cost of living issues.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by blankall

To be fair, he states that he doesn't want to live in Vancouver anymore due to the high cost of living. Then picks one of the few cities in North America that has a worse cost of living. The population of NYC is shrinking, mostly due to cost of living issues.

Their population was fairly stable prior to Covid, then the work-from-home trend allowed people to get out.

The OP said their cost of living in Vancouver is going to double. I interpreted it as, "given that, I might as well think about going to New York for that amount."

[Coach]

To clarify,

I’m not going to leave Van because I can’t sustain the cost. Just that if I’m going to pay that much, I had an inkling of “might as well go to NY”. I just spent about a month working in Toronto and enjoy the older city vibe. I like being able to get around with various modes of transportation, including walking fair distances (this is why LA doesn’t really appeal to me much). I work in production design mostly but writing and comedy attract me. I’m not running out of work opportunities or anything here. And from what i gather from some peers there’s plenty of opportunity there for people with my type of work experience. Just thought that if I’m going to make a big life adjustment due to cost, might as well take it all the way. So yeah, was just curious about people’s thoughts on life in NYC. I’ve only visited it once for a few days and really enjoyed my time. But obviously living somewhere is a different animal.

I don’t mind a decent commute if it’s easy enough via train and I can work or read while going. Places that are older and eclectic appeal to me (ie would rather in a broken down old unique place than a new apt complex). Looking at prices in Brooklyn doesn’t seem as bad as it’s made out to be when you’re coming from Van. I saw some cool looking spots in Harlem too, but have no idea really about any of the areas outside of what you see/hear about in TV and movies.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Coach

I work in production design mostly but writing and comedy attract me. I’m not running out of work opportunities or anything here. And from what i gather from some peers there’s plenty of opportunity there for people with my type of work experience. Just thought that if I’m going to make a big life adjustment due to cost, might as well take it all the way.

As a fellow designer/creative, there's definitely nothing quite like working in NYC. The talented people you work with, the highly level of projects, the vibe...it's just absolutely the cream of the crop and it makes you better for it. My priorities have changed as I've gotten older, so I don't really miss living in NYC anymore...but if you are a driven person, then there is no better place to be. Even if it's only for a few years, I would highly recommend it, as it will make you better for the rest of your career.

[butterfly]

I can't really help out with specifics about NYC since I've never lived there, but I've visited five or six times. I'd recommend going for a week and instead of hanging out at hotspots, just spend time exploring neighborhoods that you're interested in. See if it's somewhere you feel like you fit in, feel safe, would like to be.

Also, I am pretty sure that it's unique in that you need an "apartment broker" to actually help you get a place somewhere. You can't just do it yourself like what's common in the rest of North America.