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How much money will I have to save up on a 1BR NYC apartment, utilities, rent, stuff to live on? please help ?

How much money will I need to save for food and all above. What job do I need to maintain my first months rent and last months rent and my expensive apartment so I won't end up out on the streets.

Public Comments

1. It depends which borough you want to live in. If it's somewhere like Queens, I guess you'll need about $500-$700/month. You can have have almost any job to pay the rent because an average New Yorker makes about $800-$1000/month.
2. The best thing for you to do is to start saving now!!! Also it would probably be a good idea to have a look at the price of rental properties in your area so you know what you will be expected to pay. Also go to your local centrelink office to find out whether you are in titled to any assistance you may get some rent assistance to help you pay for rent. Also food can be expensive but you are only feeding you so you need to work out how many meals you need, bread,milk, etc etc for a week then a rough estimate of the prices add them up and that will give some idea also. It depends if you get payed weekly or fortnightly. Also dont forget your bills. Rather than waiting for the bills to come in i think it is better to pay so much money on each one each week such as $10 to $20 and then when bill comes in you will only have small amount to pay and sometimes none. Any good job will help but you need these things out first and have a job then sit down and work out if you can afford it or not. Good luck.
3. ummm...you need way more than $500-$700 a month on rent. with the prices of food and gas constantly rising and the stock market falling housing is not cheap anymore. a studio apartment can start at $1100 a month. thats just a studio. sometimes you may find a good deal at $990 a month but its hard to find suitable housing. whoever told you $500 must want you to live in a low income neighborhood with high crime activity. go on craigslist.org and reserch apartments under new york city this will give you a better understanding and start saving..starting today!!
4. Depends on location. If you want to live on the island of Manhattan below 96th Street and want a one-bedroom, you should expect rents around $1800 - $2500 a month. You can find deals out there, my friend just found one for $1100 / month on the lower east side but there are always give and take situations. Another thing you have to understand is that in Manhattan it is hard to avoid a broker's fee which you have to pay. that is about 12% of your annual rent. So on top of expensive rent, you must also pay a fee to the broker, an application fee, a credit check fee. then don't forget you will probably need a mover or at least a van. Its very expensive here over all. But once you get here and you have a place you like and can afford, you'll never want to leave. If you look outside Manhattan, you can find very good deals, generally $800-$1000 and is easier to avoid the broker fee. Basically, you will need to maintain a job of about $30-35K minimum to afford to live on your own here and that's living very frugally. I would definitely suggest having at least half a years rent in savings before moving such a move.