Drop Everything and Move

Posted by Lana 
Drop Everything and Move
October 15, 2005 07:14PM
I seem to be reading a lot about people who just up and move to NYC.

If I were to drop everything and move to NYC, what would I have to know?

Lets cover things like:

Roof over my head (how to find one, how to decide on roommates, rent, location, etc)

Job (how to find one, what the employment rate is like, etc)

Living (transportation, food (groceries), etc)

and coming to NYC alone, and being alone.

Background info for me: I am a receptionist, no post-secondary education, currently making 2100 a month, in a city where rent is 500 - 600 for a studio. 24 years old, and single.

What would your advice to me be if I were to drop everything where I live, and move to Manhattan on a whim?
Kelly M
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 16, 2005 07:23AM
$2100 a month before or after taxes? I hope after. That's still not much money. Rent for studios is actually quite a bit more than that, if you want to live in a decent neighborhood. I wouldn't come "on a whim", but after lots of research, preparation, and after you save some money. I wouldn't think you should move here without at least $3000 in your pocket and good prospects for getting a job.

You will need:
broker fee to find an apartment (in most cases) which will be about 12% of yearly rent.
first month rent and security deposit.
(would you bring furniture and other necessities for the apartment? Otherwise you must buy those of course)
You could possibly find room-mates, you could check on Craigslist.com for that. I think you should have minimally, minimally $650-$700 to work with when it comes to rent.
money to set up phone, etc. in your apartment.
subway is $76/month
groceries here are more expensive than other places in the country. I don't know how you eat, but AT LEAST $40 per week at the grocery store, and that is being very frugal.
you could start out with a temp job, perhaps. You could go to a temp agency which would probably get you something right away.
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 16, 2005 12:05PM
Thank you, Kelly.

2100 a month GROSS. Yeah, I know, it's gross. However, the cost of living in Edmonton is far less than the cost of living in NYC. I have researched jobs in my field which pay considerably more in NYC.

You have given me a lot to think of. Thanks for your help!
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 18, 2005 11:15PM
you give great advice Kelly M....you helped me too! anything else you would like to share about moving please let me know!!! and good luck Lana!
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 19, 2005 02:29PM
Sign up with more than one temp agency. This way you are gauranteed always having work.
Leo
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 19, 2005 03:23PM
When they talk about cost of living here, they mostly talk about Manhattan. You can find a share somewhere in Brooklyn (1-hour train ride from Manhattan) for 250-350 dollars. You'll just have to commute 1 hour each way to Manhattan which is obviously the business a financial center of New York.

If you are willing to live in one of the not-so-glitzy yet safe residential areas of Brooklyn (Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, Kings Highway, etc.) or Queens (Rego Park, Kew Gardens, etc.) and share an apt., you can find very cheap rents, cheap groceries, etc.

I commute 1 hour to Manhattan every day. I pay 950 for a nice 1-bedroom. In my area many groceries (especially fruits and vegetables) are actually cheaper than in a typical supermarker in Canada or in a large supermarket in the suburbs.
Leo
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 19, 2005 03:42PM
You have to realize that the word "NYC" means a huge city of 8 million people. The further you from Manhattan, the cheaper it is, in most cases. Many people in the last few years bought apartments (apartment craze is not over yet) and are now desperately trying to find tenants. In Brooklyn you can buy the local Bay News newspaper that is full of rental ads (many by owner). You can probably find an acceptable studio in Brooklyn for 600-700/month. It won't be in a skyscraper with river views, obviously. More likely it's going to be on the 1st floor of some private house in a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn. But you can start there and work your way up to the top. After all, many famous Americans started their lives in those areas of Brooklyn - from Rudy Giuliani to Barbara Streisand.

You can also use sites like [www.rent-direct.com] to avoid paying the real estate agents. Or search Craigslist. [newyork.craigslist.org]

Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 31, 2005 06:15PM
You cannot find studios in Brooklyn for $600-700 a month. Unless your idea of Brooklyn is Long Island. I used to live in Bedford-Stuyvesant, which is most definitely not a trendy or fancy place in Brooklyn, and paid $ 1,500 a month for my one bedroom; I pay only $100 more a month for my one-bedroom in Chelsea (Manhattan). Perhaps the rates have come down due to all of the people who bought in the last 2 years (see Leo's post above), but they can't have come down THAT much.

First off, you should do a search on the web to see what your earnings would translate to in the NYC job market; one poster here found that his $60,000 job in the middle of nowhere translated to $120-150k here. Granted, his job was mid-level management with many skills & education, but this gives you an idea of the disparity in terms of the job market here & the pay scale. Personally, I have hired receptionists for $ 30-45,000, depending on what their other abilities where & what kind of company it was for. For someone without a college degree...expect about $30k, and if you are a hard worker your loyalty could work its way into a much higher digit over time.

As far as cheap places to live go, you cannot beat Staten Island. I know that sounds ridiculous, but that is where I lived when I started my career & wanted to live on my own. I paid $550 all inclusive for a one bedroom...granted, that was almost 10 years ago, but even so it is still cheaper than anything else I could find at the time.

If you are looking for motivation to move here, well, alot of that depends on what you want out of life. For me, I LOVE it here & can't see myself anywhere else in the world (and I lived in Paris for a while, and tried London ....nothing else comes close). There is so much richness of life & a great pace here that when all is said & done...well, if it wasn't worth it you can be darn sure that we wouldn't have so many people living here! It IS inspiring everyday...if you let it be. Trust me, I grew up here & still prefer it to anywhere else, despite the cost. And as for that, it is also a city of tremendous opportunity...I was making $ 30k 8 years ago, I make close to $200k now, and I'm not even 30! Plus, I enjoy my life & the way I spend my time, and that is what matters most. The reason why so many sitcoms, movies and novels revolve around new york: all the hype is true. GOD BLESS NEW YORK!

pack your bags & best of luck





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2005 06:18PM by (n/a).
Leo
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 31, 2005 11:00PM
moonriver: I don't know where you're getting those kinds of rental rates.

Look at craigslist - there are lots of apartments in safe areas of Brooklyn for way less than 1200/month.

You can certainly rent a studio on Kings Highway or in Modwood (both very safe areas close to the subway) for less than 1000 dollars a month.

[newyork.craigslist.org]

Again, buy Bay News in Brooklyn - they have lots of rental listings and use Caigslist. I would not live in Bedford Sty for free. I don't know why would anyone live there...
Leo
Re: Drop Everything and Move
October 31, 2005 11:01PM
For example, by owner, studio for $750 in Bensonhurst:

[newyork.craigslist.org]

Re: Drop Everything and Move
November 01, 2005 12:18PM
You can find an apt in a private house in the Bronx (and yes in good areas, not some shot out area) for 600-900. Again the commute on the train is about an hour, we also have an express bus that costs 5/each way (50 a week, 200 a month).

The issue is that everyone is hell bent on moving into "the city" as they call it (that term drives me up a wall!). You could try Inwood, the very upper upper west side. I grew up there. I think its still a dump but the yuppies have now "discovered" it so its become an in place. Funny when my grandparents disovered it in 1940 it wasn't so in. Oh whatever..........

Word of advice though.......a lot of places here want some sort of college. Even 2 years. I don't know why either. I find the more education people the dumber they really are.

But just my opinion.
Re: Drop Everything and Move
June 11, 2015 01:25AM
Hi, I saw your thread today because I just googled drop and move to NYC and saw your thread amongst others. I know this was posted back in 2005, a decade ago but as I was reading it we have a lot of things in common! I am 23 yrs, a receptionist with hs diploma, and making the same amount you are a month.
Anyways, I was just wondering how'd everything turn out for you? Did you ever move to New York?
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