That's pretty deeply incorrect, I'm sorry. I think you mean you can rent a room in an apartment with roommates for 1K a month, which is the going rate unless you're in a luxury area.

Still nope. Several of the Brooklyn listings are scams: top link is a 4 BR for 900 in Bushwick, which speaks for itself. The others are NOT near Manhattan (these NJ spots like Newark, Montclair, even Bayonne are not considered close because of very long commute times). Gravesend is not anywhere near Manhattan. The list goes on, I just addressed page one. Streeteasy has more realistic listings.

"...and work in the " + USA

What is the commute like in NYC?

The MTA. It is not perfect but it is good enough. I say this as someone who experienced Singapore and Japan's subway system.

My commute time is 30 - 45 mins and I pay $1100 for my room outside of Manhattan.

Centralized. Jobs are found either in midtown or downtown, and subway lines feed into both. Your commute will be dependent on how much you spend to be near work, but even a non expensive area (like eastern Bed Stuy or Crown Heights) doesn't have a commute more than 40-45m. You can also be lucky enough to be able to walk to work if you don't mind living in Manhattan, and spending more for a nearby neighborhood.