Howdy Hero,

I've been living and working in New York for about three years now...

First of all - it's very expensive, but the key to living in NY is how you handle your budgeting. If you're smart about your money (and you cook your own food), you can get away with a minimum salary of about $50,000. That gives you SOME room to have fun, live life, enjoy the food and the attractions.

Living in Manhattan is expensive, almost no matter where you live, but look in Upper Manhattan, specifically past the 90th streets on either coast of the island (like 90th and Amsterdam).

Additionally, living with a room mate cuts costs significantly. A 1 bed room apartment of about 600 square feet OUTSIDE of Manhattan (in Brooklyn) will still run you about $1,300 - $1,500.

I live with a friend in a 2BR apartment in Manhattan and I pay significantly less. You can find a comfortable space for two people for about $900-$1,100 (each). Of course, the more money you and your room mate can put in, the better location and building you'll get. But hardly anywhere in Manhattan is luxurious for under $2,500.

A general rule of thumb is take monthly rent and multiply it by 48. So if an apartment is $1,000/mo, and you multiply it by 48, you must make at least that amount to supplement that space (hence my suggestion to make at least $50,000). Obviously this doesn't cover food expenses, furniture, or anything else. And if you can make much more then the 48/mo rule, then you'll have plenty of fun in the city.

Hope that helps! If you have more specific questions, feel free to shoot me a PM although I may be slow getting back to you since I only visit TFL a couple times a month