Ask HN: Is living in NYC worth it?

Are you married? Do you have kids?

It's not a good city for most. It's expensive, crowded, busy and difficult to live in. If you get a good job in the city and want to try it, sure, give it a shot. But most visitors end up moving elsewhere.

Maybe live in Jersey City?

It's closer (time-wise) to mid-town or lower Manhattan than much of the outer boroughs, and is (or was, at least) heaps cheaper.

And sure, NYC is crowded, dirty, frustrating, and so very expensive, but .. it's also exhilarating, fascinating, insane in the best possible way, and if you've got the chance you should absolutely do it.

(Lived there for 6 years; loved it)

It's just very expensive there, unless you have a job somewhere in the city making >100k a year then paying the $2.5k+ rent for a apartment the size of a closet isn't worth it to me.

You should definitely come check it out and see if you like being here for a couple of weeks. You can definitely do a lot better than $5k, check out this street easy link[1] at the time of posting it has 173 apartments in neighborhoods in Brooklyn that are all really nice and under $4k/mo with no broker fee. There's actually a LOT of good cheap food here, depending on where you are and your tolerance for eating while standing. Entertainment costs vary, but I saw an excellent show a few weeks ago for $20 and paid I thin $8 for a beer at the venue.

I've been here for 7 years and love it, it's actually very pleasant most of the time.

[1]https://streeteasy.com/for-rent/nyc/price:-4000%7Carea:321,3...

I grew up in NYC but moved to DC years ago and enjoy it a lot. Cost of living is noticeably lower, still no need for a car (though having one isn’t prohibitively expensive like in NYC), and it’s got a better vibe than people give it credit for (At least if you’re not in politics). A bit slower paced but you can also Amtrak or Jet bus up to NYC any time you want.

NYC is incredible, but when it came down to value… it was hard to justify the $5k+/mo rents. Delis are great but its just not worth it

That said, if you are interested in NYC, I wouldn’t look in Manhattan these days. Brooklyn or the more accessible parts of Queens are where I’d look for a better vibe and good values

It's worth it if there's something you value there that you cannot get here, and you accept the tradeoffs.

Is it important to you to eat some of the best food on Earth at the expense of living in a smaller, older apartment? Do you prefer social diversity to a temperate climate? Are you generally an indoors or outdoors person? Are you a single straight male?

These are the types of questions I'd be answering to help decide. That said, I haven't lived in NY, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Manahattan--and I guess Brooklyn these days--are somewhat unique. I'd definitely try them out for a couple of weeks to see if they're something you can handle over the long term. Cost is a factor but it's also just the overall intensity. As a visitor who likes the city, I couldn't stand living there--albeit as a student in the 80s.

What are you talking about? There is a ton of apartments under 3k in Manhattan: https://www.zillow.com/new-york-ny/rentals/?searchQueryState...

Though as someone who lived in both cities (not recently) I’m not sure what you’re hoping to gain by moving.

Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard.

Generally speaking, no, it is not worth living in NYC unless you have family or a network of friends already there. You can have a bountiful social life with good transportation in many smaller-than-NYC cities in the U.S.

I’ve been in NYC 18 years (went to college here) minus a 1 year stint in Miami. I grew up in Atlanta. I’m married with two kids under three. I absolutely love it here…

You either love NYC or you hate it and thankfully you will know where you fall within 1-2 years of moving. It can be intense.

I personally love the energy, diversity, ambition, serendipity and grit. I love being able to walk and discover something new every time, no matter how often I’ve walked the path. I love how much it is constantly changing. I love the museums, parks, theaters and art galleries. I’ve traveled all over the world and no city compares for me (Hong Kong is my second love).

If you are a homebody, this is not the right place for you. If you don’t enjoy meeting new people, likely not the place for you. If you thrive off of nature, hiking, surfing, playing golf, this is likely not the place for you.

The physical quality of life in nyc is inferior in almost every way, it’s the intellectual and social quality of life that keeps millions tied to it.

Happy to answer any questions.

Edit: Final item to add, in nyc there is no shame to having roommates until you enter a committed relationship and move in together. Even couples have roommates. To outsiders it seems weird but it’s a necessity here.

NYC native here (Have also lived in multiple other cities in USA and ouside of it). NYC is a great city to live in. There is so much stuff to do. And the energy you are talking about is real. Those rent prices whoever look insane to me. I know that you can get a one bedroom apartment in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (It is a nice neighborhood) for around $2K. Used to be $1,500 two years ago. I would give it a try. You should live in NYC at least once in your life.

I don't think your estimates are accurate. A comfortable 2 bedroom can be had in the nice parts of Brooklyn for 3.5-6k. Manhattan is somewhat more, but not drastically so.

Grew up in the midwest and moved to Brooklyn from Philly. Absolutely love it here. City is truly alive with energy and the job prospects are fantastic. Your mileage will vary though depending on how much you make.

I used to live in NYC in my late twenties/early thirties. I was single, I made very good money, I loved it. For a man, it’s a great place for dating too, with a significant surplus of women.

But I also don’t regret moving to the Bay Area at all, where I enjoy living in a large house on a quiet street, close to the hills, with year-round great weather. I don’t have a desire to go clubbing anymore, a neighborhood BBQ is just fine.

It was much easier to make friends in NYC, but friendships were transient too: there’s a lot of coming and going. It gets exhausting after a couple of years. I still like going back once a year or so, but a long weekend is enough.

Rents superficially look ridiculous, but unlike other cities where you feel like you're failing unless you eventually own your own big place, here I find it's almost a badge of honor to live in an interesting apartment that's no bigger than it needs to be. I share a studio now with my wife, which as a Bay Area person even 10 years ago I would never fathom doing, but here it doesn't feel unusual at all.

You'll pay more here, but have an experience that's hard to get anywhere else in America. It's definitely worth trying out.

Up to your mid-thirties if you're single, then move somewhere cheaper.

You may wish to consider other large American cities if the only criteria is “good food and has ‘energy’.” For example, the weather in LA is fucktons better than NYC, and LA easily meets those criteria, but you have to be OK with a certain amount of ubiquitous plastic surgery (and equally fake personalities), and you will probably need a car.

I've lived here (Lower Manhattan, BK, and now Astoria) for the last 10 years and wouldn't move anywhere else.

For reference, I lived in SF (Pac Heights) for ~4 years during and after grad school and a couple of other metros tooThe density of stuff to do / people is much higher in NYC. The diversity of people, language, backgrounds is amazing. You are signing up for dirt, grime, homeless people, weird smells and terrible traffic. But also new restaurants, an amazing music and art scene, very interesting people and an increasingly growing tech scene. On housing:

- You don't need to pay $5K for a 1 Br. Greenpoint/Astoria and even UWS has good-ish places for cheaper. You can find a 2 br in the 80s-90s on the west side for 5K, 1 br should be meaningfully cheaper.

- Look at more neighborhoods. Start at times square, and make three circles that are a 20-30-40 min subway commute from there. Not that you would ever go to times square, but it is central and gives you an idea of relative distance.

- Don't live in Jersey City or Hoboken

- Don't expect a lot of space. I know you think you are used to small spaces in SF, but expect smaller. Prioritize clean and quiet over space.

What's the risk in finding out? It sounds like an adventure either way. If you don't like it move on.

Have you thought about something more radical? South east Asia has all of the energy at a fraction of the living costs.

Unfortunately right now is the most expensive the renting market has ever been (after it was the lowest it's ever been 1.5 years ago). Things are slowly cooling.

NYC in general is expensive (11$ chipotle burrito), but the wages are also crazy. For an entry level, 0-2 year experience programmer at a C level startup, you're easily looking at 100k+ salary. Outside of work, NYC is fun because you can pretty much think of anything you want to do tonight/tomorrow, and you'll have multiple options. Manhattan gets less noisy the further from the middle you get. I would recommend upper west side, upper east side, or hell's kitchen to live in Manhattan on a noise to cost to safety balance.

The optimal way would be to move into a 1 bedroom with a significant other and split the rent 50/50

5k/mo isn't unreasonable for a decent 1bd, and the market definitely goes a lot higher than that. Rents right now I think are a bit insane even for NYC, and there's clearly a huge amount of demand, particularly in the luxury segment. If you have a job that pays well enough such that 5k/mo is not a dealbreaker for you, I think it's absolutely worth a try--it's a completely different vibe from SF or any other city in the US. I moved a decade ago and never looked back. But if possible I would advise spending more for the locations you like most rather than trying to live in a less central area to save money.

I think Hartford is the best. It's a good value except taxes. They have regular trains up and down the Knowledge Corridor and from New Haven you can go to NYC. Unlike Albany, the train prices to interesting places don't vary. You would also perhaps need to like New Haven for it to be worth it. I certainly like it.

However, I moved back to SF almost a year ago and I'm conflicted about it.

However if you want to be in New York multiple days a week I suggest somewhere near a train in NJ, like Elizabeth, and if you really want to be near the ocean I suggest Ocean County, NJ. If you live in NJ you can also go to Princeton and Philly easily which I also love.

Here's my thoughts as a NYC lifer:

NYC is a very, very good city to live in if you know how to take advantage of it. Others in the comments have already said why: arts, culture, entertainment, nightlife, and the sheer culture of the city. If you know how to unlock it, the city can do nearly anything you want. It's also (surprisingly) a nice city to bike around these days, and has some of the best regional rail in the country for local traveling. New York itself is a beautiful and (IMO) somewhat underappreciated state, and it's easy to get to much of the state from the city. It's also much more than just Manhattan and (nowadays) Brooklyn: the Bronx, Queens, and (even!) Staten Island are critical to the city's identity and culture, and are often overlooked by transplants.

That being said, it's not for everyone. You have to be okay, mentally, with a certain amount of mishegaas. You have to be okay with garbage and the fact that the city reeks in the summer, and you have to internalize the fact that garbage and homeless people existing aren't the same thing as crime. If you're a programmer, you'll also have to internalize that New York cares much less about technology: we're a finance and arts city; if you meet people at bars here, there's a very good chance they won't want to hear about tech or startups, &c &c.

(Separately: you shouldn't be paying anywhere near $5k for the average 1BR, even in a "high-end" neighborhood like the UES. Most convenient neighborhoods in Brooklyn should be around $2.5-$3k for a 1BR in the current market, which is already obscene. For "cool" neighborhoods in Manhattan, I would expect around the same.)