How much does it cost to live in new york city

The answer is: It depends on what kind of life you want to lead . The city can be for wealthy millionaires but also for poor people who take the free coffee in the waiting rooms of the hotels.

But let us take a person who wants to move to New York. He’s 32 years old. Let’s see how much he will spend monthly, realizing that he has a middle-class life. But without giving up anything.

The first thing Michael asks is where to live. Do you want to live alone or with others? Do you want to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn? Or in Queens? Miguel checks the ads a little on Craiglist and discovers that with his budget, 1000 dollars a month, he can afford to rent a room in a shared apartment with two other tenants in Astoria in Queens or in Williamsburg in a building a little old, or You should look at Harlem at the northern end of Manhattan. If you want to be in a nice area of ​​Manhattan, by that figure, you would find only a few dumps in the East Village, or you should share the apartment with a very large number of people.

And to be alone? If he wanted to live alone, for $ 1,500, he would find something in Queens, in Astoria, or in Brooklyn, as in Bushwick or Harlem. To find something in downtown Manhattan (Village, Soho) you must have at least $ 2800 a month, but it is most likely to find something starting in the year 3000. If you are looking for a modern building, a residential skyscraper and easy $4500

No, our dear Miguel chooses a room in Astoria, for 1000 dollars a month, with two companions and only one bathroom. The house is also a bit dirty, but no way. At least it is near the subway. To reach the Apple Store Fifth Avenue needs less than ten minutes by subway. And the subway can take it 24 hours a day.

But how much do they cost? The one-month payment for the glorious New York subway costs you $ 116.50, and since a ticket for a single trip costs you $ 2.75, if you make more than 42 trips then you’ll receive the subscription. Miguel takes the subway at least twice a day, at least 60 trips, so he decides that he should buy it monthly. Well, he already has a house, he already has the credit for the subway, but he lacks the telephone. Here is a bad surprise, since all plans start from a minimum of $ 50 a month, with unlimited calls and messages, but if you want at least 5GB of internet at 4G speed then you should pay $ 70. He thinks about it a little and decides that the sacrifice is worth it. The 4G internet is useful. In New York you spend a lot of time on the street and there is a need to communicate a lot. Being offline in a city of networks is not at all pleasant.

Electricity and internet at home

To complete basic expenses, you must pay for electricity and internet. As already mentioned, it shares the apartment with tenants, so it does not spend much. The internet costs a total of $ 72 a month.

So far the basic expenses, which are necessary to live with dignity. Now we turn to the subject of food. Miguel knows that he will at least have dinner twice a week. A dinner costs at least $ 20 per person, but you easily get to 50-60 (between tip and taxes, heck!) Miguel does not want more of this sum because he would feel bad about spending $ 80 for a dinner). Therefore, it calculates on average 40 dollars per dinner, about 80 dollars a week, which sums 320 dollars a month. Miguel also needs to have fun, a couple of nights out a week to drink, plus a happy hour. When the weekend comes, Friday and Saturday, take between three and four drinks a night, and goes to beautiful and elegant places. On average, he then spends $ 50 on Saturday, and $ 50 on Friday, plus another happy hour during the week, but then he pays half price and gets about $ 20 . So they add up to $ 140 a week for drinks. $ 560 a month.

But when you do not eat out, you will eat at home. He actually works in Midtown, and takes his lunch at the nearby Deli, or at the restaurants that make the lunch special. It is paid by weight, and generally defends with $ 10 a day, for five days, plus coffee and croissant in the morning, sometimes a yogurt, for a total of 5-6 dollars breakfast And coffee every day. Doing the calculations then it’s $ 75-80 a week, it’s 320 a month.

To make the purchases for the house, considering that always eats outside, 50-70 dollars to the week. Another $ 240 a month.

Mom is not there, and who washes the clothes?

Now there are two other expenses to consider. The laundry. A shirt is washed by paying between 2 and 3 dollars, while the rest is paid by weight. New York houses do not have a washing machine, and coin laundries waste a lot of time.  He did his math and spends about $ 120 a month in laundry. And then the taxi, if you are in a hurry or if you feel tired at night, every now and then you have to take the expense. Then there are another $ 100 a month minimum.

You will also need clothing

Now the clothes. Miguel obviously saves a lot because he lives in New York and knows when there are big discounts, he knows where to look, and does not dress  in designer clothes, he is content with Banana Republic. So generally during the year does not spend more than 1200 dollars, which are $ 100 a month.

In conclusion, you better think very carefully before you decide to move to new york or bring your roommate with you.