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How to rent a cheap apartment in New York City

Just like this guy wrote - paying $2450 for a 500 sq. ft 1 bedroom in New York City is a fact. A fact that sucks, because being a New Yorker means living in the city, not some Spanish-speaking Queens borough or commuter-hell Staten Island. And by city, people mean area from downtown up to the 90's.

New York rental market is a pool of sharks when it comes to rental agencies. They are aggressive and greedy, posting new LUXURIOUS properties every day, which are in fact knock-offs. There are never real pictures, because they would make you cry. For most of the "midwest transplants" and "other creative types" something we call apartment causes a shock. Prepare to shed out $1800-$2500 for something that comes with a very limited living area, tiny bedroom and "kitchen corner".

But my story is not about greed of rental agents or stupidity of the "artist teens", it is about looking into the future of the city and especially the future of Chinatown.

Even it looks like a dirty place - it gets better. And when we talk about apartments - they are "gut-renovated", with new floor and new kitchen appliances. Not re-painted n times, with bed bugs and ewww mold in the bathroom. The best thing you can get in Chinatown will look like this:

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for just $1850. Sharing it with a roomie will make your price $975, which is totally not bad for a place near the upcoming 2nd avenue subway line:

After a year living in Chinatown in the back of the busy East Broadway street i can say that it is probably the best neighborhood, if you want to live cheap in the New York City. With unbeatable prices on groceries (cheaper than in Brooklyn), variety of restaurants (where most of the meals cost $3.50-$8) and access to all major subway lines (i primarily use 4,5,6 trains as those are the cleanest) - it is good. How about a haircut with a chair back massage for $16?

On the other note, Beekman Tower is coming ready in the Downtown. With 900 living units i hope it will cool down hype of rental agents about lux residences with idiotic prices in buildings like 2 Gold St. ($3500 for one bedroom? hello? ) and such.

New York City sure is a magnet city for everyone, but will it ever have affordable living spaces? Who knows.

Tags: chinatown, craigslist, nyc, rent

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