not worth it - 8/20/2008

The extra money you make here is the only reason to live in NY for some time. Once you feel you've got experience and hopefully saved some money, so some place else where you will have life. Terrible weather - windy and chilly in winter and humid in summer, loong commute anywhere, crowds of people virtually everywhere.

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POLLUTION - 8/15/2008

For those who wish to know the most polluted and cleanest cities in the United States, go to www.stateoftheair.gov. I found out that Tucson is on the list of one of the most cleanest cities. Type in your zip code and it would give you a report of Ozone and Particle Pollution, which are both very dangerous. Breathing in these pollutions can take 3 years off of your life and cause major health and lung problems. I choose to move to Tucson, because I suffer from Asthma and the air quality would be perfect. Do your homework before moving anywhere people!

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Cost of living - 8/11/2008

People pay more monthly charges to park their cars in Manhattan than a lot of people pay for rent. Manhattan is fast becomming the domain of the rich and the rich only. But then what should one expect when you have a billionaire mayor.

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STUDENT TEACHER RATIO - 8/9/2008

Student to teacher ratio in Bronx seems too low at 17:1.

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I can't wait to move - 8/5/2008

NYC is too expensive and the quality of life is terrible. It was fun for a year or two when I was in my mid-twenties, but after six years I can't wait to get out. It's not worth the money and the jobs don't pay enough to compensate for the high costs. The people are obnoxious and it's an insanely stressful place to be.

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Greenwich Village - 7/15/2008

This is a wonderful city, near the NYU area. There are quite a few restaurants, boutiques, and convenient stores. The night life is exciting. We completely feel safe walking around at night, the crime rate is relatively low considering the amount of people in the streets.

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pretty expensive but well worth it - 7/9/2008

pretty expensive but well worth it

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Cost of living is thru the roof! - 7/1/2008

i have spent my entire life in nyc and love it but am retiring and altho i thought i'd never leave i just sold my apartment and am moving on. its a great place to retire but only for wealthy retirees.

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Do Not Move Here - 6/25/2008

It's too expensive. Period. The city is designed for the rich only these days. Everything from housing costs to food to taxes to mass transportation has gotten out of control. It's dirty, it smells and there is too much crime. I moved here from upstate NY 20 years ago and I'm leaving as soon as I can. Might be good for a vacation, but you do not want to live here. Believe me!

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Out of Control Housing Costs - 6/6/2008

I've lived in Washington Heights in Manhattan for 14 years. Rents and housing prices have spiralled so out of control that they overshadow everything else about New York. I wouldn't recommend it any longer as a good place to live for anyone. In two years I'll have a nursing license. I'm planning to relocate to a more affordable city. Some that I'm considering are Buffalo and Albany, NY, and Iowa City, Iowa.

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NYC - 5/25/2008

although the cost of living is very high, the culture of the city is priceless

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economy - 5/24/2008

It's very expensive, but everyone knows that. Still, you can find work and eat good food and go to great museums.

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The costs of the cost-of-living over the past 10 y - 5/6/2008

As another life long New Yorker, I can say that it has always been expensive, but the cost-of-living increases have gone up significantly over the past 10 years (some numbers have found the increase to be 34%) leading to a number of problems, one of which is "gentrification" in communities that used to be at least somewhat affordable for lower income folks. Lower Manhattan used to have both low and high income residents. Most of the neighborhoods were segregated by race and class, but the Lower East Side, East Village, and Far West Village/Meatpacking District used to have low-income artists along with working class folks that were later pushed into areas like Williamsburg, and then later into other parts of Brooklyn and Queens that border Manhattan, and some out of the city altogether. The bohemian culture of Greenwich Village is a historical tradition that has essentially been eradicated by the trends supported by our current mayor (Bloomberg), and his predecessor (Giuliani) who have seemed to be oblivious or not care about the consequences to the less well off. This same trend has been happening in arguably the most important historical neighborhood for African-Americans (Harlem) and elsewhere in Brooklyn, like Bed-Sty, Red Hook, Sunset Park and even Kensington. It isn't exactly then shocking to see that the percent of African-Americans that are leaving NYC has increased, leading to the obvious decline of this population. Certainly there are plenty of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, but long standing residents have increasingly moved South where costs are less. I love NYC, but I'm very much ready to leave, which I would have never seriously considered 10 years ago. I'm not that far up there in age either, but even the "culture" which we NYers often feel superior about is dying, particularly for those interested in pursuing the arts. Not only is the marketplace overly competitive leading to, what I would call below market value compensation by music venues/lounges/clubs towards unestablished artists, but how this leaves little room for development as an artist/musician especially with the high cost of living and lack of performance space, all of which a recently published study found. Of course, if you are from Europe you'll find these statements to be less true, but for most Americans the news is not good. Even long standing supermarket chains in NYC have been reported to be in trouble because of rents. Costs of everything were high already, but it's obvious that it is affecting businesses in pricing, and in say restaurants in portion sizes. If you are "lucky" enough to get a rent stabilized apartment (not rent controlled, which you can't occupy unless you've lived there for a long time), even that is not much protection when the rent is increased typically somewhere in the range of 4-5% for a 1 year lease, or 7-8% for a 2 year lease. The 1 year lease is always a "risk," as every year landlords of these buildings and residents make their case to the NYC Rent Guidelines board to not increase or allow for a percentage increase to what can be charged to tenants (not too hard to figure out who's asking for what). I think 3 of the last 4 years it would be better to take the 2 year lease. A rent stabilized apartment does not insure that it will be cheap by any means either since the "limit" (it's a bit more complicated than that) for rent stabilization is $2000, which means after that you could be at risk for no protection and landlords charging market rate, which could easily be double what you may be paying. Good luck to anyone "middle-class" who thinks they can buy an apartment/home here. A super-tiny, 400 sq foot studio in Manhattan will probably cost you a cool $1 million. That may sound extreme to some people, but it's not that far from reality. There are no such things as "good deals" in NYC, in the way others may understand real estate in the U.S. NYC is best for those in lucrative, 'Sex and the City'-wannabe sectors of the city's economy looking to further your career (like finance, banking, tech industry, law, advertising, high fashion, real estate, venture capital, consulting, established/successful artist, or entertainer). It may also be a place for a young person from elsewhere looking for a Peace Corps-like, short term, 'Sex and The City' "experience." This is more of the stereotypical view some longterm NYers have of folks who move here, but there is both truth and falsity here. The reality is that in America wages have remained stagnant for most workers, while the upper classes have benefited hugely, since the 1970s. So, when costs of living go up fairly high over 10 years, along with inflation, this is not a promising sign for many.

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New York City: Quality of Life - 4/28/2008

The city's quality of life has improved over the last 10-15 years. Public transportation, the lifeblood of NYC, is cleaner & safer, and crime is at historic lows. Educational opportunities abound, and the cultural life is without parallel. However, housing costs are a major factor in the elevated cost of living, whether one rents or owns. If one is a determined urbanite, there are few other places as ethnically diverse, as culturally vibrant, as rich in serendipitous possibilities as New York City.

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Too Expensive for me... - 4/14/2008

Neighborhoods that used to have huge, affordable apartments are now being gentrified and becoming too expensive to live in!

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I LOVE NEW YORK!! - 4/11/2008

It's the capital of the world!! I wouldn't dream of living in any other US city outside of New York. The high cost of living is worth the diversity in culture and entertainment that you get. I've travelled all over the US working as an auditor, an I can tell you there is no place like home. Everyday I ride the subway and walk the streets of NY and everyday I come home with another funny story tell of a naked cowboy in the middle of Times Square, grown professionals getting into arguments in the middle of an extremely crowded train or being sexually harrassed by bums in the street. I embrace the rudeness, loudness and the brutal honesty and I've learned myself how to dish out from time to time. But no other city does everything with so much heart and soul as New York. I'll love it always.

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hey nyc review...mostly positive - 3/30/2008

I lived in New York all my life and I have to say like everyone else is very expensive, lol!Honestly, if you are part of the middle class you will definitely get frustrated and won't be able to do alot of recreational stuff because you either have to pay rent, save for a rainy day or pay your expenses. The rich folks out here have no problem living it up (because they can spend money without breaking down in tears) I would just recommend everyone to buy a house (if you can) because you will live paycheck to paycheck if you rent. But even if you do, it would be much better to have a roommate. You will be broke, and mad if you buy an apartment yourself. That's how crazy it is. In regards to culture, NYC has an AMAZING culture and not to be arrogant about it but I feel it NYC is number 1 for culture, arts, theater and nightlife in the US. It's very diverse, you can meet TONS of people and make friends and you would most likely be able to find employment. I can't speak for suburb areas of New York(like Catskill, Albany, Buffalo, Poughkeepsie; there are at least two hours away from New York City) because I lived in NYC all my life. if anyone decides to move here, I think you guys would LOVE it. And also, sometimes people have a tendency to forget that New York City aka Manhattan (that's the politically correct name) has four other boroughs that has great culture and nightlife as well. Please check out Brookyln, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island. I feel Brooklyn may be the second best from Manhattan. Queens is alittle bit more of the residential area but there are some things to do there. There is the Bronx Zoo in the Bronx which is so HUGE and amazing but that's the only place I know in the Bronx and I don't live in Staten Island but if you do your research, you will find something. If you don't have money, you WOULD not need a car, trust me. If you understand the NYC MTA public transportation system, you can live anywhere else in the US. The trains and buses are very reliable. I do love NYC but I would like to move to another place just to see how it is. Do anyone have any suggestions for twenty-five year, college grad who has a fiance, no kids) Thanks!

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New York, New York - 3/30/2008

I lived in New York all my life and I have to say like everyone else is very expensive. I would just recommend everyone to buy a house because you will live paycheck to paycheck if you rent. But even if you do, it would be much better to have a roommate. That's how crazy it is. In regards to culture, NYC has an AMAZING culture and not to be arrogant about it but I feel it NYC is number 1 for culture, arts, theater and nightlife in the US. It's very diverse, you can meet TONS of people and make friends and you would most likely be able to find employment. I can't speak for suburb areas of New York(like Catskill, Albany, Buffalo, Poughkeepsie; there are at least two hours away from New York City) because I lived in NYC all my life. if anyone decides to move here, I think you guys would LOVE it. And also, sometimes people have a tendency to forget that New York City aka Manhattan (that's the politically correct name) has four other boroughs that has great culture and nightlife as well. Please check out Brookyln, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island. I feel Brooklyn may be the second best from Manhattan. Queens is alittle bit more of the residential area but there are some things to do there. There is the Bronx Zoo in the Bronx which is so HUGE and amazing but that's the only place I know in the Bronx and I don't live in Staten Island but if you do your research, you will find something. If you don't have money, you WOULD not need a car, trust me. If you understand the NYC MTA public transportation system, you can live anywhere else in the US. The trains and buses are very reliable. I do love NYC but I would like to move to another place just to see how it is. Do anyone have any suggestions for twenty-five year, college grad who has a fiance, no kids) Thanks!

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living in new york city - 3/28/2008

As far as housing is concerned, you will not find more diversity in a small amount of space as you do in NY's five boroughs. We've got everything from high-rise condos that cost millions of dollars to low-income government housing. As someone with an interest in the real estate market, it's an overwhelming place to be because the price ranges and the types of homes vary greatly from one neighborhood (and sometimes one block) to the next.

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Life in the Big Apple - 3/25/2008

I have lived in NYC for almost 7 years now. New York City is a special place to live - it offers the best of everything - anytime you want it - at your fingertips. NYC has incredible restaurants, shopping, art, music, theater, dance, and overall culture in general. There is an electric energy in NYC that makes you feel as if anything is possible. On the downside, however, NYC can be an exhausting place to live. NYC is incredibly expensive. Currently I rent a 500+ sq. foot 1 bedroom apt. in the East Village and I pay $2150 per month. The pace of life is fast and there is a sense that it is impossible to stop moving, stop climbing, stop reaching - or you might drown.

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