long island city
 

what the price of living in long island city and whats the quality of living also? just curious

Less than in Manhattan. Varies by area. Gentrifying - but still mixed. Astoria seems more popular.

A lot more than Seattle, Portland, or SW Oregon--trust me.

yea i have heard its like 3 times more than pretty much anywhere

seattle can be kind of expensive too, right?

the only reason i ask is because my husband got a job offer in both cities and we are unsure about where to go.

I know from your previous posts that you are young. If you and your husband are fascinated by the idea of living in New York City--go. Otherwise don't.

good advice, thank you! i am pondering the idea.

If you want to live in NYC - there are a ton of up and coming places where you can live for (comparativley) little versus Manhattan - although it will involve more of a commute.

But - you need to tell us where you'll be working (physical location - not company) since that will determine where it makes sense to live (45 minute commute versus 1.5 or 2 hours).

Also - some idea of a budget for a rental (assume you;re not ready to buy yet - and, in any case would not reco buying in NYC until you know the city better - it's way too easy to overpay or pick a place you'll hate).

Oh - and a couple otes about the NYC real estate market:

Realtor fees are high (often 15% of the year's rent)

Landlords demand high income versus rent ratio and documentation in the form of both current pay stubs and past couple of income tax forms

Unlesss you have a very generoau budget be prepared for a very small apartment - usually in an older building (most new building is called"luxury" even when it isn;t - and is priced accordingly)

My daughter's friends (mid twenties) live in Astoria and really like it. They have a huge apartment for no more than they paid when they were in college in California. It's a quick subway ride to midtown Manhattan where several of them work.

I would definitely look in Astoria.

my husband will be working in long island city. i saw that the prices are pretty high. we will rent first and then think about buying later if its suitable. someone else said astoria was good. what would a 2 bedroom run? and whats up with the fees?

Long Islad City was long an area of Queens with light industry, warehouses, auto body shops etc. As the city got more and more expensive some areas in Queens are gentifying.

But areas like Astoria - which were always in large part residential, are much more pleasant, have more of the usual services (all sorts of shops and restaurants) and have fairly reasonable prices.

In Long Island city they are putting up several "luxury" buildings - in among the warehouses etc - and giving all sorts of "luxury" to be able to charge almost Manhattan prices.

If you have the money for that I would live in Manhattan in a somewhat less "luxury" building but a much nicer/more convenient area. If you want to spend less look at some of the traditionnal residential areas that are being upgraded (Astoria has tons of young people).

Have a look at the NYTimes real estate section web site - they have profiles/info on all the various city neighborhoods - as well as listings of places for sale or rent.

"and whats up with the fees?"

It's the way real estate agents make money.

thanks very helpful!

Even tho you may be working in LIC you dont have to live there. You might check out Nassau County or Suffolk County of Long Island. I suggest that you go and scout out the area.

If you're young and w/o kids, live in NYC, not in the 'burbs. (Nassau/Suffolk) Most people who live in Long Island City/Astoria can't afford NYC rents or want more space than they can afford in Manhattan. If you're considering this job b/c of the opportunity to live and work in NYC, getting a smaller apt. in Manhattan might be a better option. It's a short subway ride to LIC or Astoria. That said, it is an up and coming area.

NY Magazine has brief descriptions of various neighborhoods. nymetro.com/realestate

Never mentioned Long Island - since I somehow assumed you were a couple without kids. If you have kids LI is probably the best option (much lower costs ad much better schools in many areas). But for a childless couple - you really want Manhattan - or nearby - since the suburbs center primarily around kids.

Actually living in long island might not be that bad, i will be a teacher and that might be a good place to teach.

Sorry - I had assumed you already had jobs. No one is going to rent you an aprtment (except perhaps a private rental in a house) until you can prove employmnet/income commensurate with the rent.

And landing a teaching job in most school disricts on LI is quite difficult - very competitive.

Getting a teacing job in NYC is fairly easy - but many teachers, as soon as they have some experience, try for jobs in the suburbs - where schools are almost universally safer, better, have many more resources and pay more.

Have you looked into teaching requirements in New York? I know they vary a lot by state - but New York requires teachers to have MAs after a couple of years of teaching. (You can start with a BA or BS but have to show you're taking courses towards an MA - and get it within 5 years in order to continue teaching).

OP's HUSBAND has the job offer in LIC.

my husband will have the job. currently i live in oregon where they require a masters to start teaching, this is the toughest state to get certified in anything.

almost every state now requires a ba and teach cert to start with then 5 years to start ma credit. i am fully aware of the requriements of each state i live in, have lived in, and might live in. ny is not any different than the other states. oregon is the only different state in this country that requires a masters BEFORE you teach.

Sorry if I offended - but I have a couple of friends who went to school in Florida in the not too distant past and the teachers didn't even have a BA - only an Associates degree.

But getting a job is different in each school district. As I mentioned - NYC public schools are always looking for teachers. While the better districts in the suburbs have lots of experienced, well-credentialed applicants for each position. (When I went to high school on LI many of my teachers had PhDs and they wouldn;t consider anyone without both an MA and substantial experience.)

Oh no im not offended at all. its just that everyone i tell that im going to be a teacher asks the same thing about if i know about the requriemetns and its just like of course i know, its going to be my profession, i would be stupid not to find that stuff out.
one think i would like to know if yuou could tell me about coaching positions. like if they are paid positions, if they are offered to teachers only, if there are many available? any info would help
thanks again
and i wasnt offened at all, i appreciate the info

Not sure what you mean by coaching. Do you mean athletic teams? Or tutoring?

If the former - they're the gym teachers.

yes i meant athletic. do you know if they hire non teachers? like for middle school or high school, and are they paid positions?

Primo -- a few things to think about re: NYC I had a minute village studio when I first came to NY - living in NY is really about being out and about in the city, especially when you're young. I would be less concerned with physical space (altho with 2 you'll want a one bedroom) and more concerned about being in a neighborhood where you feel at home, with shops, sidewalk cafes and most important, access to mass transit (preferably subway)so you can get around. You're going to want your $$ to do things, eat out, see plays, go to museums.
Coming from Oregon, it's going to feel congested and dirty in NY. But it has to be one of the most exciting cities in the world to spend some time.
The hard thing about apartment hunting in NY is everything is exclusive, so it's hard to find one agent to show you a bunch of things.
Do you have time/$$ to do a recon trip, pick 5 or 6 neighborhoods and check them out? See them at night and during the day? That would really help you the most.

i am originally from Chicago and i miss it so much. being here in oregon has been nice, but i want to be in a city where there are things to do with easy access.
Also, another reason i posted is because we have two offers, seattle and new york. so i am trying to get a feel for things. i went to seattle and we are going again next weekend but i wasnt impressed with it at first, but more and more opportunities were presented from seattle.
then this thing in NY just popped up and i was like WOW!
We would probably want a 2 bed if possible, any takes on that idea?
Also, any takes on the Seattle vs NY? Its a hard decision especially between 2 pretty cool cities. Any opinions or advice would be really helpful!

No - this is ot common in NY. Schools are ot that focussed on athletics but much more on academics and coaches are typically gym teachers.

In some case, if other teachers have a special interest or abiity they will coach the team - for instance, in my school the football coach was actualy the geometry teacher. (I beleive he received a small additional stipend for coaching - but not enough to be worth his time if he didn't love it.) And he wasn;t a "fake" geometry teacher - he had full credentials and taught the usual course load.

Sorry - not be clear - this was a relatively upscale district that spent a lot of money on extras. But not athletic extras.

Instead they hired teachers for extra academic subjects - they offered Italian, Ruassian, Greek and Hebrew as well as the usual languges - and you could take minors in journalism and psychology.

And teachers were expected to mentor various special clubs and activities (part of the reason they earned much more than NYC teachers).

You make no mention of possible income - but a 2 bedroom apartment - unless fairly far out in the suburbs - where apartements are quite rare - is probably not a realistic option.

my husband income is in negotiation right now but inbetween 70 and 80K is the goal more like inbetween 75-80K is the goal.
i dont plan on working right away, because i am finishing school, unless i work part time or something but i wont be done with school until next year so late next year i will start teaching, possibly.
in seattle his income will be 70K so in NY we are expecting the negotiation to be that or higher.
does this help, with the apt question?

another reason we are indecisive is because i want to feel comfortable, i dont know which city i will fit into. i want to teach, coach if the possibility is available, eat good and authentic food, be able to travel easy to chicago and italy, and just be able to travel easy if we wanted to go on vacation.
where we are right now its at least 3 stops before you can get anywhere. this past christmas we went to italy and we had 4 stops, it was too much, and not enjoyable.
i want a city that offers a lot in terms of food, museums, festivals, activities, jobs, night life ect. it seems that Seattle and NY have all of that, thats why its such a hard decision.

primo - not to burst your bubble, but the average rental in Manhattan for a one bedroom of around 700 square feet is approximately $3,500. per month - and a two bedroom easily runs to $4,000 and up.

oh believe me your not bursting my bubble. i knew manhattan would be much more expensive than long island. manhattan wasnt something i had my heart set on, so im not disappointed at all!

I would really encourage you to look at apartment listings on www.newyork.craigslist.com to get a sense of prices in each of the boroughs.

I just found a new apartment today (yay!) after my landlord increased my rent on my 1 BR apartment from $2600 to $3200. Jerk. He has every right to do this, but it still sucks to move!

wow thats a really high increase. most landlords increase like $50 a year. i have seen that apts in diff areas have diff prices.
i just dont want to move, and struggle to live! thanks for the help

That income will be a real issue in New York in terms of finding an apartment. If you want to live in Manhattan a one-bedroom in a decent neighborhood - $2500 is a steal - and that's not a "luxury" building - which you really couldn;t afford given federal, state and city income taxes.

And I don;t think a landlord will rent you a $2500
apartment with that income. You might find a studio in a gentrifying neighborhood in Manhattan - or one of the more pleasant areas in the outer boroughs.

Even on Long Island a one-bedroom might be problematic with that income.

Are you sure your husband is getting the local increments he should get - if this is a transfer - or a good offer if this is a move? (The deli man that slices lox at Zabar's earns like $80,000 a year - and last time we were interviewing for an experiencd admin no one would come for less than $50.)

And - I think you should count on having to work. It's quite standard for sigle people sarting out in NYC (unless in a highly recruited profession) to work 2 jobs for a couple of years until they get above entry salaries. And for 2 people - $75,000 is like 2 entry salaries.

we are not sure of the salary just yet, but he is not entry level and i will only work part time at first. we will see if the offer is reasonable. i would assume they would offer at least local increments. but thanks for the info about wage, that may make our decision easy! but he knows what he is worth so we are not worried, plus he has a job right now so its not like we are in dire need, just an opportunity, maybe

I'm sure you realize there are lots of cost of living calculators online.

http://www.cityrating.com/costofliving.asp

http://www.homefair.com/calc/salcalc.html

http://www.bestplaces.net/