<p>I worked it out with my daughter a while back to figure out how much she would need to make to live in NYC after graduation. I think the number came to around 80-100 for herself. </p>
<p>We lived in NYC for 15 years before we move to NJ. I was paying $400/week for a nanny 10 years ago, now it’s more like 800/week. Private school cost is 30,000/year/child. I do not know that many people in Manhattan that send their kids to public schools. Housing cost is probably 6000-10000/mon (rent or mortgage plus maintenance). Of course, if you throw in lessons for kids…Just private school, rent, nanny would cost you close to 250-300,000 before tax money (OP did say comfortably). Surprisingly I though the food cost (going out) was a lot better in the city than in NJ. There were a lot of more good, reasonably priced restaurants in NYC than out in the burbs.</p>
<p>My D lives in Brooklyn and is finishing her two year Teach For America work. She lived for one year on the West side of Manhattan and then moved to Brooklyn. She teaches in The Bronx. She earns about $43,000. We have not helped financially except for plane tickets home. Her rent is $1,100 to share a large 4 bedroom flat on a great street/neighborhood. She paid $930 in Manhattan to share a 2 bedroom but her room was tiny and the apartment was crowded. She loves being there but is not seeing it as a permanent home. (we hope she comes back to the PNW!)
Her main expenses are food, food, food. With commuting she has long day (5:45-6:00) and works on prep in the evening.</p>
Well, if this makes you feel any better. My parents’ good friend has a daughter who graduated from Yale 2 years ago (Poli Sci major.) She moved to NYC, worked odds & ends jobs, couldn’t handle it, moved back to SF and worked as a temp somewhere. It’s a precautionary tale for me for the past 2 years. She was one of the brightest girl growing up.</p>
<p>There are definitely places in NYC that are cheaper than the Upper Either Side. I live in Brooklyn Heights (also pretty expensive), but the outer parts of the outer boroughs are for sure less expensive. And, public trans is fabulous here. Don’t aim so high the first time around. Plan to rent and then buy when you get more established. BTW, the big housing problems that are happening in the rest of the country seem to be a little less noticeable here, so I wouldn’t count on finding cheap digs to purchase. Look in Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx and further into Brooklyn and you should be fine on a starting salary. I would look through CraigsList.</p>
<p>A friend of ours lived in an apt. in Astoria for many years and found it safe and affordable. Know it has gentrified in recent years, but there are still good places to be.</p>
<p>Urban gentrification works well for new graduates. A year ago, my S shared a newly renovated 3 BR on 125th St in Harlem for $900/mo, a few blocks from the Apollo theater, a half mile from Bill Clinton’s offices, and steps from a very convenient express subway stop. He was in Times Square in l0 minutes flat.</p>