Cost Of Owning A Car And Driving A Car In New York
Everyone in the US drives on the right. Driving in most parts of New York is a nightmare and fewer people use their cars for getting to work compared to most other US cities.
If youre moving to New York from within the US, youll be able to keep your license but need to update your address to your new one.
You can drive on a foreign license for up to 12 months as a tourist but after that you will need to get an American license. If you are working or studying in the US, you can drive on your foreign license for 30 days. If you want to exchange your foreign drivers license you have to follow the process here.
Here are some other sample costs of owning and operating a car in New York:
- Volkswagen Golf: $23,000
- 1 litre of gas : $0.67
- Other fees : The average cost of state and local taxes, license, title and registration fees is $665 per annum
Ways to save money driving in New York
- Car sharing or pooling is one way to save money. Try Car Pool World, New York Ride Share, Carpooling and Ridesharing, eRideshare and Commuter Link.
- Taxis can sometimes be a cheaper option, especially if you are going to have to park all day. Try UberPool, Lyft, Via, Gett.
Need your car/vehicle moved to NYC? Then read our guide to: Car Transport & Vehicle Shipping
Moving To New York Alone
Moving anywhere can be a lonely experience, but moving to a new city, especially one a large as New York, can be rather daunting. Here are a few tips about settling in New York.
- Meetups: New York has many Meetup groups covering a wide range of activities from quiz nights to flower arranging.
- Attend local events: There is always something going on in New York and many of the activities are free. Have a look at these sites to get inspiration on what to do during your free time Trip Adviser, Time Out and Travel US.
How I Finally Got On My Feet In A New Place
I got a job!
The entire time I temped I also went out for interviews for full-time positions. After a few close calls, I was finally given an offer at the incredibly generous hedge fund I eventually went to work for and I ended up working for them for almost 18 months.
I tracked my spending.
I did temp, but it took me about two weeks to begin getting paid for the gigs I took. Based on my savings from my pre-NYC days, I only gave myself about ten dollars to eat off of each day. So,I ate a lot of honey buns and Fritos from the bodega around the corner to stay on budget. Walking everywhere helped keep the weight off from my poor diet. If I had an interview I would treat myself to Subway or Chinese food.
Sound sad? It was. But thats the kind of grit and determination that gets you through those poor-as-a-mouse early 20s years.
I learned how to save.
In my So Money interview with Farnoosh, I talked about the moment I learned about money: it was when I was sitting at my desk at my new job while all my friends were out auditioning. I didnt want to be behind anymore because of my money decisions, so I had to train myself to get out of the paycheck-to-paycheck mindset.
I started reading Learnvest.com, which was in its infancy back in 2010/2011. I took their online course on setting up a budget, which is how I used the 50-30-20 method to split up my finances and start stacking away 20% of each paycheck toward my own apartment and a real bed.
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Brokers Charge Fees In New York
Buyers: Sellers pay a broker’s fee of 5 to 6 percent, divided 50-50 between the buyers broker and the seller’s broker. The good news is that it means buyers don’t pay a fee. The bad news: Those fees are baked into the seller’s asking price.
Tip: To reap substantial savings while retaining the most important services of an agent, work with a brokerage that offers a commission rebate if you do some of the legwork on your own. Prevu will handle pretty much everything, including sending you to listings that fit your needs, advising you on the right price to offer, preparing the offer, negotiating with the seller, and assembling the board package youll need to prove your worth to a co-op or condo board. As a participant in Prevus Smart Buyer program, youll pocket a rebate of two-thirds of the commission paid to the buyers broker at closing. On a $1 million condo with a 6 percent commission, the rebate equals 2 percent of the purchase pricea cool $20,000.
Renters: In New York City, renters pay broker fees too, and theyre steep. Brokers frequently charge 15 percent of the yearly rent as their fee, but that can sometimes be negotiated down to around 12 percent or even one month’s rent, especially if you’re willing to move fast on an apartment. In the past year, landlords have been willing to cover the broker fee, but as the rental market heats up, they are less inclined to do so.
Best Jobs And Industries
New York is a world city, which is a fancy way of saying that its just really good at quite a lot of things. Finance, fashion, retail, healthcare, advertising, tourism: you name it, New York does it well. However, it does certain things better than others, so weve taken a closer look at whats hot in New York right now, even in the midst of a global pandemic.
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I Was Unable To Get Another Job In Atlanta So I Had To Move Back Into My Parents House Because I Couldnt Make Rent Where I Was Living
Back at home and on unemployment, I remember getting $122.00 each week in unemployment checks. This was 2010 and after about 2 and a half months of being unable to find work, I called my best friend Jackie to cry to a listening ear.
Shed just taken her internship full time and was living the glamorous life in NYC.
Why dont you just move to New York? There are tons of jobs here. She asked.
Addicted to Sex and the City re-runs, moving to New York was something Id dreamed about doing my entire life. Being an actor, I knew Id move there eventually, but every time I thought about actually doing it, I always had an excuse.
Sometimes they were really good, and sometimes they werent.
Why You Might Move To Nyc Without Money
Lets face it
Making a big move to a new city or state without money or a job lined up isnt the ideal situation.
That being said, you may find yourself in this position under a few different circumstances.
Maybe you want to:
- Move out of your parents house?
- Leave behind your college town after graduation?
- Respond to an unplanned life event such as divorce or the poor health of a loved one?
- Escape from an unhealthy relationship?
- Enjoy a fresh start and change of scenery?
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How To Move To A New City With No Job
It isnt enough to simply move to a new city without any money. You need a plan in place for how youre going to thrive when you get there. For most people this means getting some form of income so they can support themselves.
As I prepared to move to New York I thought long and hard about what it was going to take to make a new life in a new placewith no money.
I knew Id that in order to stay in the city, Id have to get a job right away. Within my first two weeks of moving to New York I had a job offer. Heres what I did to make that happen.
Submit To Temp Agencies
NYC was rife with temp agencies looking for qualified new candidates for both short and long term assignments.
I browsed mainly on Craiglist for listings and started sending my resume off one week before I left.
Many replied to me that same day and wanted to meet before I arrived, but I was able to schedule out appointments for the next week without making it look like I wasnt an actual resident.
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How To Get A Job In A New City With No Prospects
As I prepared to move to New York I thought long and hard about what it was going to take to make a new life in a new placewith no money. I knew Id that in order to stay in the city, Id have to get a job right away. Taking inventory of my skill sets I knew I could do one of two things be an actor, or being an administrative assistant like I was all throughout school.
I polished up my resume for the type of job I had in mind.
I wrote a new resume I thought would be perfect for the type of admin roles I was looking for. It was tough putting my Actor self on the back burner, but that was what needed to be done.
I submitted to temp agencies.
NYC was rife with temp agencies looking for qualified new candidates for both short and long term assignments. I browsed mainly on Craiglist for listings and started sending my resume off a week before I left. Many replied to me that same day and wanted to meet before I arrived, but I was able to schedule out appointments for the next week without making it look like I wasnt an actual resident.
I had three screening interviews with agencies my first full day in New York thanks to me scheduling things out. It felt great to get up in a new city and have some place to be. I was sent on my first temp assignment a week after.
I used an NYC address .
It didnt really bother anyone that I was a newcomer. After all, its New York.
Moving To Nyc Alone: What Stories Should You Believe
Many TV shows like How I Met Your Mother, Sex and the City, or Friends have shown to the rest of the world what living in The Big Apple is like when youre young, but was that really the truth? Lets see what myths we can debunk and what your expectations should be.
- Myth: Youll get a huge beautiful apartment for the expensive rent youre paying. Heres the truth: Based on the experience of millennials who came to The Big Apple and rent their places, its rarely true. The cost of the rent and the size of the place are rarely equal. Most people that rent apartments set up the price high because of the location and spaciousness, but the rent here is high, no matter what.
- Another urban myth is that dating is super easy here, whether via dating apps or in-person. That happens to be the truth single people here are very open, and its not difficult to start a conversation and get somebodys attention, and eventually a phone number.
- Theres another myth thats transport-related: The easiest method of commuting is by train. Thats proven not to be true. Biking, walking, and skateboarding are faster than using a train.
- People usually say that this place never sleeps, and its 100% true. Any time of any day you can find some fun events going on and join them. The parties really last all night long, and the atmosphere is so uplifting.
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New Yorkers Are Known To Be Very Cool
The Big Apple is so diverse that approximately 800 languages are spoken. That means that coming here is like visiting the biggest mix of nationalities and races in only one place, and you can meet so many different personalities. Strangers are friendly, accepting, and helpful. Youll easily meet new neighbors and befriend folks it takes just one picnic in Central Park and you might meet a group of friends.
How I Moved To Nyc With No Money
I bartered services and saved.
I organized my Moms garage in exchange for my airline ticket to New York. I made a plan of when I wanted to fly up October 17th 2010- and squirreled away my scant unemployment checks for six weeks. After paying off credit card minimums each month, I had about $300 to my name when I moved to New York.
I couch surfed .
My best friend Jackie was already in New York working, and a few of my other friends from summer programs and college had migrated that way as well. So, I sucked up my pride and asked if I could stay with each of them for a week or two while I got on my feet. At one particular apartment, I fell in love with the three guys living there and they ended up inviting me to stay for the long term. We lived four people to a three bedroom apartment. Yes, it was tight, but it was so much fun in the way that only being young, broke, and new to an exciting city together can be.
Eventually I began contributing an equal share to the rent, but it took me about six weeks to get there.
Couch surfing is pretty common among NYC newcomers. I know in the time I lived in NYC in that apartment I shared with the roommates we had 4-5 people staying there for 2-3 weeks at a time until they moved on to the next place or found their own apartment. Usually it was a friend of a friend, and it was nice to pay the kindness that had been shown to me forward.
I had a back-up plan.
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How Much Money Should I Have Saved Before Moving To Nyc
Assuming you already have a job lined up that pays at least $85,000/year (pretty much the minimum youd need to qualify for the cheapest one-bedroom apartment in the farthest reaches of Upper Manhattan or far -flung Brooklyn or Queens without roommates which would be about $1,850 most landlords require you to provide
Not All Rentals Are In Rental Buildings
Renting an apartment in a rental building is not the same thing as renting an apartment in a co-op or condo building. The latter will probably be a bit nicer in terms of appliances, finishes, and amenities, but there is a lot more red tape involved , plus higher application fees, and frequently, restrictions on how long you may rent. For more information, see Brick Undergrounds tips for renting a non-rental.
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I Can Buy Freedom And Flexibility
For a long time, I thought of money only as a means to acquire things. Working was something I did to pay rent or buy food or entertainment. It wasnt until I started to think about leaving my job and making my next move that I realized having money meant not only that I could buy material things, but also that I could stop trading my time for money. I wanted a job at a startup, and most startups didnt have the resources to coordinate and fund my travel for an interview. I also wanted to shop around for a job at different companies, which is why I decided to buy a few months of blissful freedom or as some call it, unemployment.
About three months before I left my job, I started to save the majority of my paychecks for the move. I was privileged to have escaped any student loan debt from my undergraduate studies through a combination of in-state tuition, financial contributions from my parents, some hefty scholarships, and working while in school. I worked at a large tech company my first year out of college and stubbornly refused to buy a car . As a result, I was able to save up just over $10k to live on while I made my next move. I was very lucky to quit my job knowing I would be financially stable for a few months.
Secure A Place To Live
First and foremost- DO NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENTS TO ANYONE ONLINE BEFORE YOU HAVE SEEN THE SPACE OR MET THE ROOMMATES. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL TRY TO SCAM YOU.
Use your New York resources. Reach out to a family member or a friend that wouldnt mind you sleeping on their couch for a week. And if youre lucky they will help you navigate the city and steer you towards better areas. You should note that the renting process is extremely fast in New York and you can have a place secured within a couple days.
If you dont have any friends or family that you can use as a resource, move with a week or two left in the month and Airbnb while looking for roommates or a place to sublease. If the term subleasing is unfamiliar to you here is what you need to know. There are several Public Facebook Groups and roommate finding apps that you can join. My personal favorite Facebook group is Gypsy Housing. This group is perfect for anyone in the arts and people are constantly posting new rooms and apartment rentals on it.
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