NYC is indeed absurdly expensive (and getting worse), but: you're being taken for a ride if someone is trying to rent you a 1BR for $5K.

I live in a convenient (and "cool") area and pay less than a third of that. The only 1BRs that I'm aware of that go for anywhere close to that are "luxury" rentals, which tend to be worse anyways (newer construction means thinner walls, etc.).

You're suggesting paying $1600/mo for your own place is a really good area of NYC is more the norm than paying $5k?

That's simply untrue. Average 1 beds on Zumper for all of Manhattan is $4k. In more central areas downtown it's absolutely going to be more right now. https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/manhattan-ny

And if you rent something that requires a brokers fee then that's another ~2 months of rent you're paying on your initial lease.

I said I live in a "cool" area, not midtown Manhattan. I don't live in Manhattan at all, although I did for over 20 years.

Looking at 1BR rentals in Bushwick and Ridgewood (not my areas, but similarly considered "cool"), the average is between $1800 and $2500. Studios average $1400 and $2100.

> Bushwick

How was I able to sense that you lived in Bushwick before you stated it? :P . That said, Bushwick only makes sense (to me) if you don't need to commute. The commute from my Manhattan apartment to my office in Midtown is ~15-20 minutes, but my rent is north of $4k for a 1 BR. I expect the rent to go up another $1k when I get the renewal next month. Even at $4k+ I'm paying "under market" if one can believe it.

I wouldn't be caught living in Bushwick :-)

(I live in another North Brooklyn neighborhood, one with much better subway access, including to Manhattan. I agree entirely about Bushwick not being an ideal neighborhood if your commute involves Manhattan.)

You're still exaggerating. Streeteasy says median for Bushwick is $3200. Zumper has it at $2850 for a 1 bedroom https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/new-york-ny/bushwick

Yes, it's possible to rent for cheaper in the outer boroughs hence why I specifically said central and convenient. If something is $1800 it's because it's a dump or a tiny studio. It's not a normal amount rent someone is paying at all for their own place right now.

I don't know what to tell you: I pay about $1600 for my part of a three bedroom, which is two bedrooms to myself (one is my office), a private back yard, a front patio, and a furnished basement. I don't think I got a particularly good deal on it either, from talking to my neighbors and friends. It's not "luxury," but it definitely isn't a dump either -- from seeing other units in the neighborhood, it's probably strictly average.

The rates provided on these kinds of sites don't necessarily reflect the median housing stock in neighborhoods in Brooklyn, which are frequently buildings where the owner lives in one of the units.

I'm talking about what it would cost an individual to live in their own 1 bedroom in a central and convenient area not a shared apartment with roommates.

I just checked, and the last 1BR I lived in (Manhattan, in a very central and convenient neighborhood) was leased for $2250/mo this year.

I read that whole exchange eager to learn the secret of an affordable one bedroom apartment in New York and the secret is rent part of a place with roommates. I can only chuckle.

Having a roommate is my choice; you can confirm the number ranges I gave for studios and 1BRs in those neighborhoods on most sites.

I’ve never paid more than $2,000/mo in rent in NYC, and that was a 1BR in Manhattan in 2018.

I don’t mean to denigrate the decision to live with roommates, I have for plenty of my life and may well again - I just wish NYC wasn’t so expensive!

In this whole exchange you implied you lived in a 1br apt for $1.6k in a cool area today, but now it comes out you share a 3br. I also chuckled

I double-checked what I’ve written, and nowhere do I imply that. I said that one can find a 1BR.

1/3 of a 3BR !== 1BR