Should We Live in Manhattan Or Brooklyn? How Much Moeny Should We Have?

There are lots of sites online that you can search through for that perfect apartment. My suggestion would be for you guys to get an apartment in Brooklyn instead of Manhattan. Things in Manhattan are more expensive than elsewhere. Plus, with your boyfriend going to CUNY Brooklyn it will be more convenient. You won’t have to worry about commuting from Brooklyn to the Financial District (downtown) since the subway has a train that goes from Brooklyn directly to the heart of the Financial District. I think the price range you have set for yourselves is good.

Definetly look in Brooklyn somewhere, you are not touching an apartment in Manhattan for $1600.month.

I live in Park Slope Bklyn and it’s actually a nice place to live, very safe and their are so many people that live here and so many places to visit. But, it’s very expensive here. However, Bklyn is cheaper than Manhattan so it’ll be better if u lived in Bklyn. Sunset Park is not too far for park slope and it’s a little cheaper. I’m not sure if anyone is currently renting rooms or anything around here but it won’t hurt if u go around looking for a place. Another thing is parking. Car parking in Bklyn is very hard unless u have a garage or parking lot. Many condos are being built in brooklyn but the prices are very extreme, like a million bucks. Good luck!!!

dear stranger,

after highschool, i moved from california to new york, and lived on the upper west side in manhattan. the complex i lived in was a bit pricey for me at 1,400 a month for a one bedroom apartment, but it was cheaper than we could find most anywhere else. it was located on 63rd and west end, right behind julliard punlic library. it has a gym, just a couple blocks from riverside park, and ten minutes from the red 1,9 train. the dude in the office is one of those guys who reeks of cologne and wears a gold pendant through his unbuttoned front shirt, named howie, but he’s ultimately harmless. the building has elevators and each building has a basement laundrymat, a courtyard, and a small gym area. the rooms aren’t very big, but there’s a fire escape which we used as a patio at times (dangerous i know, but whatever) it’s a cool place with mostly julliard students… you should check it out.

one bad thing, other than the space and pay, is that there is a small community of projects that borders this complex. it’s not dangerous. my roommate was as white as can be and he didn’t feel threatened, but there were a lot of cops there and constant busts there. but no one i knew was mugged walking through it. and i lived there for 2 years before moving to cheaper digs in harlem…

don’t move to harlem.

as for brooklyn, if you’re down with living outside of the hustle and bustle, i recommend it. since one of you work out there anyway, maybe the draw and appeal is there. rent is genuinely cheaper out there, and gets cheaper the farther out you go from manhattan. i had a friend who lived in a three bedroom apartment (or the entire fourth floor) of a small brooklyn building for four hundred bucks. she lived in the middle of nowhere and it took fifteen minutes to walk from the subway. (though i forget the neighborhood she was in… bedstuy maybe… i dunno) one problem from brooklyn is the people. for the most part, the younger crowd is fine, but you’ll definitely get a lot of hot heads there who want to beat you up at any chance they can. seriously, what do they hafta be so angry about? brooklyn, long island, jersey, and pennsylvania… it’s like the school system breeds jerks. and i don’t mean east coast charm… i’ve lived there for 7 years i think i know the difference.

anywhoo… good luck

Didn’t you post the exact same question just a few days ago?

And are you working in the financial district of NYC right now, or did you just mean the financial sector somewhere else? If you have the opportunity to spend any time in NY, you can easily figure this out by visiting Park Slope, Williamsburg, and any part of Manhattan where you see an apartment listed for under $1600, to see firsthand what seems to you like the best value. Also, you can call up a few brokers and try them out. IMHO most brokers provide little or no service in return for their substantial fees, but on the other hand it takes much longer to find a place that meets your needs if you’re only looking at no-fee apartments.

Like a poster already said, you will not touch an apartment for $1600 in Manhattan (maybe Inwood or Washington Heights, but those neighborhoods aren’t the Manhattan you’re picturing in your head).

Your best bet is to head to Brooklyn, since that’s where your boyfriend is going to school (and to be blunt, that’s where you’re going to find an apt in your price range).

Most New Yorkers don’t have much say in what neighborhood they live in — people live in the neighborhood their job affords them to live in. Welcome to NY.

Brooklyn. You named two of the trendy places for those in your age range. Park Slope and Williamsburg. Sad to say but for $1600 you might find a closet size apartment in Manhattan, but a two bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.

$1600 will not get you a decent place in Manhattan (maybe a tiny studio UPPER manhattan). If you want to live comfortably, I would look into Astoria (Queens) or some parts of Brooklyn.

You’ll find much better places with decent transportation to Manhattan.

If you want to move to nyc that is great. Brooklyn well just make sure you don’t move to where you need to take the G train that is the slowest train in nyc. Look into sunnyside, astoria, steinway, tribecca, spanish harlem (175) I wouldn’t consider williamsburg. Y waste money on an apt. Get something affordable so you can save money to buy a house of your own.