Newark’s not all bad (not a ringing endorsement for a city, I know). There’s some great Portuguese food in the Ironbound area. A bit of a long commute from Newark to the city though. Also, this year the path isn’t going to WTC on the weekends, which is a fuckin’ hassle if you move to Newark.
I live in the historic district of JC. It’s comin’ along. Lots of buildings being built in some of the areas that were just deserted warehouses. It’s not as good as living in the city, but I can have a much bigger apartment for a cheaper price. The OP could also look into parts of Queens and Brooklyn.
The Journal Square area was super cheap when I was lookin’ for apartments last. That area still isn’t all that great though. Newport’s nice, but there doesn’t seem to be much activity there at night. Hoboken is very nice, but I’m not sure how much money you really save by living there versus the city. I second the others recommendations by trying to find some roommates, particularly when you’re starting out in a new city.
In my experience, people from Manhattan are kind of loathe to go to New Jersey. They’re perfectly willing to go some place farther away in Long Island or something, but it’s like New Jersey is some toxic entity.
There are plenty of people that live in NYC for under $70K salary. You best option to live in Manhattan is to get a roommate or two. Otherwise, consider Harlem, Brooklyn, Astoria or New Jersey like Hoboken or somewhere else that’s easy to get into Manhattan. Jersey City may be a possibility but I don’t think that’s much cheaper than many places in Manhattan.
When I began my career in equity research ten years ago, I earned $55K base and figured I would get a bonus around $25K. I wasn’t saving a whole lot, but I focused on getting stuff on sale and not blowing my money on silly things like bottle service. I had a decent apartment and no roommate, because I had been investing in college and had a fair amount of savings which I could survive on for a while. However, I didn’t want a roommate, nor did I want to just “survive”; I wanted to “live.” So, that motivated me to hustle as hard as I could to make the best life for myself.
Today I have a more comfortable lifestyle and more savings in the bank, but not much has changed overall. Every day I’m hustling.
^ or you could live somewhere else and cover your basic living expenses with 1/3 of your after tax take home base pay. But hey. I guess that’s why I don’t live in NYC.
Woah! This is nice…so many responses…i am overwhelmed really…thank you guys!
FWIW, i guess i was going to take the offer anyways but now i am looking at it in a whole new perspective. So USD 70k not great, but decent - i can start with that. Did not really think about room sharing, but now seems practical. My client co-workers say New York is one of the best cities to work and live in. Let’s see how it goes. Visa is still pending so fingers crossed on that.
I started in NYC when i was 22 too. Find a good roommate and convert a 1br into 2 in FiDi. You’ll have a doorman, roof deck, and lounge area (aka nice bachelor pad) while only pay around 1500 per month each. Granted, you won’t be saving too much but you’ll have an awesome experience.
If I were you I’d take the position mostly for the experience and the opportunities it will open up, both in the US as well as back home… and I’d make the most of living in NYC, especially for the first couple of years. They say its an experience to be had. I live in Chicago and its an amazing, but ive heard people tell me that NYC is another level. 70K should be more than enough to make ends meet, and save a bit but not a ton.
^ But San Diego… now we’re talking. But then again, I just spend my free time on the golf course so I don’t need the nightlife of a big city. I have zero appetite for NYC beyond a vacation. I left Toronto for a reason and I’m not going back.
It’s also just a very big piece of land… In fact, the top 3 US states/territories by population density are: 1) Washington DC, 2) Puerto Rico, 3) New Jersey.
