What is cost of living per month in New York?

Question

I am from India. I am coming to New York city for 2 months. Can anybody tell what is cost of living in New York?

How much I need to spend on stay, transport, food, cloths there.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

If you ignore rent, you can live pretty cheap (compared to what people think). The cost of clothes at the Gap is the same in NYC and the rest of the country. Subway is $76 for unlimited monthy use. You can get a lunch/dinner for less than $10 each (or you can eat at Wendy's, TacoBell, McDonalds,.. for $5/meal).

As for "staying" cost, that depends on where you stay. You could sublet a studio in an outer borough for $800/month or you could spent $800/day on a Manhattan fancy hotel.

Bring you clothes, you are only going to be here for 2 months. You can pay the laudrymat $0.50/pound (less than $20 for a big bag) to do your laundry for you.

Answer 2

As most of us New Yorkers agree, the outer boroughs offer much more value than Manhattan. The further out you go, the better value you generally get, though the commute can become much longer. In Staten Island, there are really nice apartments for $1,000 per month. However, if you go into Manhattan, you pay a premium for convenience and prices can go to well over $3,000 per month. As far as food goes, it all depends on your preferences. Obviously, somebody who shops at a supermarket is going to spend a lot less money than somebody who eats out at restaurants, and somebody who eats rice and beans is going to spend a lot less money than somebody who eats steak every night. I would say that food costs my family about $5 per person per day, buying food at the supermarket and eating average food. However, keep in mind that we stock up more on good deals and buy bigger packages so the food is cheaper. New York City is a city where a car isn't necessary, especially if you are a 1- or 2-person household. Therefore, a monthly Unlimited MetroCard costs $89. If you don't use public transportation much, it is $2.25 per ride, with a 15% discount when you buy over $8 on rides. (You get a $9.20 MetroCard for $8, $46 MetroCard for $40, etc) Overall, it depends on what your preferences are and how much you value certain conveniences.

Answer 3

If you ignore rent, you can live pretty cheap (compared to what people think). The cost of clothes at the Gap is the same in NYC and the rest of the country. Subway is $76 for unlimited monthy use. You can get a lunch/dinner for less than $10 each (or you can eat at Wendy's, TacoBell, McDonalds,.. for $5/meal).

As for "staying" cost, that depends on where you stay. You could sublet a studio in an outer borough for $800/month or you could spent $800/day on a Manhattan fancy hotel.

Bring you clothes, you are only going to be here for 2 months. You can pay the laudrymat $0.50/pound (less than $20 for a big bag) to do your laundry for you.

And the taxi is 2.50 at the begin of the ride And .50 cents for every 15 minutes or so.