janelane wrote:

The thousands of new graduates who will be driving the engine of the city’s rental market from now until September will quickly learn that renting in New York is not like renting anywhere else.

The apartment sizes and prices in NY never cease to amaze me.

-janelane

Yeah, it's a fucking nightmare up there. The k's recently went through it but didn't even look in Manhattan... they got what they wanted out in Brooklyn in a nice neighborhood that's only a few subway stops from Manhattan, but a lot more reasonable, cost wise.

I think the broker thing can be gotten around, but you more or less have to just be there, so you can make a move quickly. Turnover is virtually instantaneous, so it's a matter of extreme luck or, if you have the flexibility, extreme patience.

I'd love to live in New York, but I'm not sure my earning potential there is high enough to support that wish.

If you compare NYC and Atlanta cost of living, NYC comes out at about 200%, but the average salaries are only 117% of Atlanta's. So you're effectively taking a sizable pay cut to live there.

Still, it's one of the greatest cities in the world... you definitely pay an entry fee to live in that environment. Atlanta would rather chop down the trees in all the suburbs than invest in even a marginally functional transit system, by comparison.

-k

RE: Finding Your First Apartment in New York City - Your Apartment May Be Smaller Than Expected - Housing - New York Times