If I can make it there? New York, NY

[julesevar]

Hello, Jules here. I have been keenly interested in moving to New York for grad school. I was wondering how much Cashy-poo does it really take to do so. I figured that I would either get rid of or sell most of my stuff and try to find an apartment under $1000 and work 20 to 35 hours a week. I am really interested in this adventure. I figure I would get a MA in Sociology and then decide if I want to pursue a Phd somewhere.  I figured that there was no way for me to move to New York and not work so I would be interested in knowing what most who do move there do for a living? Any thoughts would be appreciated. If you have or are planning on moving to New York what are your plans for money?

[lkaitlyn]

I live in NYC for school. Finding an apartment for under $1000 is going to be hard (maybe just not possible) in NYC. You might be able to find a room in a shared apartment for close to $1000, but even that will be challenging, especially because you have to add in splitting utilities most places. (If the school you go to for your MA has graduate housing, I highly recommend trying that because it's likely cheaper.) Check out different apartment websites and you'll see what I mean — it's ridiculously expensive.

Given the cost of living in NYC and the surrounding area (check out New Jersey), only working 25-30 hours a week will also pose a challenge. The only way around is public transit, which is $5.50 round trip per day assuming you are not commuting from New Jersey. For whatever reason food costs more in NYC, too, as does everything else.

I don't really have suggestions but I highly recommend budgeting closer to $1,500 or $2,000 a month for rent/utilities in a shared apartment just to make sure you're covered, $500-$600 for food/other spending, and $200 for transit. So this is $2,700-$3,000 or so a month, to be safe, and it probably will be somewhat unpleasant. This will mean looking for full-time jobs, and/or taking out student loans (ick).

Alternatively, you could apply to Ph.D. programs that provide funding and if you don't like it, drop out after the M.A. Some people do that.

EDIT: For what it's worth, I think the expense of New York outweighs the hype. There are funded Sociology M.A. programs elsewhere and you could maybe have your own apartment. NYC is stressful by itself, and adding finances to it makes it even worse. It's up to you, but for me, I don't find it worth it, and I actively avoided applying to grad schools in NYC as a result.

Edited December 24, 2019 by lkaitlyn

[socio1251]

I have lived in Brooklyn in a townhouse room for $550 (with wifi included, hydroelectric and heating are charged separately). You still can find a room under $800 in southern Brooklyn, Queens (forest hills or Elmhurst) or Little Italy (near Chinatown), if you really want to budget a bit. Cooking can save a lot of money, too. For me, I spent $2,400 a month without cooking. I even went small gigs a lot with this budget.

So this was my personal experience as a grad student four years ago. I know most people will spend much more in NYC. Living in the city is definitely expensive, but if you work really hard, you may still be able to make it.