Creative Living in NYC, or How In the World Do People Afford Apartments in NYC?

How do people find affordable apartments in NYC? When average rents approach $4k per month, how do these hardworking New Yorkers, the tech intern and the junior copywriter and the public school English teacher and that Uber driver/proofreader/Amazon overnight shift warehouse worker/busboy guy find a place to live? The words “side hustle” have become of part of the lexicon of millennials and beyond, especially in expensive cities like NYC and San Francisco where people spend waaaaay more than half their paychecks on rent.

If you take home a healthy paycheck or have additional funding in the form of familial support, you’ll be able to pay NYC’s hefty monthly rental costs. If your paycheck is a bit anemic and you don’t have anyone who can help supplement your income, you’ll have to come up with creatives ways of living in the city. NYC is a city of alternative living arrangements. Many people believe that it’s worth living in unconventional setups just to live here. Check out below for some of the most creative ways people are managing to live in NYC.

They Take Up House Sitting and/or Cat Sitting to Live for Free!

New Yorkers love their pets. Just because they live in a huge city doesn’t mean that they don’t crave the company of their fur babies. NYC’s parks are filled with pet parents smiling indulgently at their pups, while it’s hard to go a block without seeing master and charge trotting to the store or out for an evening walk.Folks with kitty kids are no less obsessed, creating Insta accounts for their feline friends and buying them little hats to go with their little suits.

It’s no wonder that these people panic and need help when they have to inevitably head out of town for work or holiday. They could board their animals while they’re away, but that’d be akin to boarding a human baby to them. No – situations where there pets can stay home are best for this breed of pet owner.

Enter professional pet sitters and house sitters. These are people who have taken house sitting and pet sitting to a whole new level. Savvy New Yorkers with flexible lifestyles have signed up with professional house sitting companies like House Sitters America (for all types of sitting) and Stay With Stella (for cats). Once they’ve been fully vetted, they’re available to stay in people’s homes for free while the owners out of town. New Yorkers are constantly in and out of town, so many, many of them make use of these services. For the sitters, especially the popular ones, this is a huuuuge opportunity. They stay rent free in amazing abodes across the city without having to pay a cent. The most popular sitters stay booked regularly. This setup works for someone who has a play to crash when no gigs are available.

They Check Out Apartment Review Sites

“Know before you go” is probably the best advice you can give a budding New Yorker. Renters shouldn’t just roll the dice when it comes to choosing an apartment. Arming themselves with knowledge before they sign a lease saves them beaucoup dollars! Checking out sites like GoHome NYC is a great way to vet the buildings they’re thinking of moving into. Knowing key info like what a landlord is like and how often rent raises happen can help prospective renters use their time wisely when searching. Knowing that a landlord raises prices exponentially year after year lets them avoid that space and save their money.

They Consider Co-living Spaces

The concept of co-living has taken hold of the city, and if the fact that more co-living companies and startups continue to sprout up every day, the trend shows no signs of abating.Co-living spaces are apartments where each resident has his or her own bedroom (and sometimes bath) but shares the communal living spaces in the home like the living room and the kitchen.

Startups have flooded the city with co-living space,and they’re targeting millennials due to the fact that many millenials are postponing marriage but are still open to sharing their homes with other people. Co-living spaces are set up in all types of buildings, with some set up in hi-rise buildings while others take over entire brownstones. Single  bedrooms are available to rent in apartments usually up to four bedrooms, but residents can also choose higher-priced studios within the same communities..

One of the key reasons people consider co-living is the price. Residents are only responsible for their portion of the rent, so if someone else in the apartment moves out, they’re not responsible for making up the lost rent or finding a new tenant. Huge benefit compared to a regular share! Pricing for single bedrooms can be had for as low as $1100 to $2000+ per month depending on the space. Studio spaces within a communal living building go for higher prices. The way they differ from regular apartments is with all of the amenities that are included.

Another aspect of co-living that makes it so attractive to renters is that the spaces often include premium  hotel-like amenities like housekeeping, wifi, cable, grocery shopping, laundry, etc. There are also events like get-togethers and party nights that help foster the idea of community. If residents prefer to be alone more often than not, there’ no pressure..

Finally, co-living spaces have flexible leases, with many of them allowing people to stay for as little as one month.

Popular co-living spaces include Alta+ by Ollie, welivewallstreet, and Common.

They Scan the Listings Project

The Listings Project, created by Stephanie Diamond, is a free email that’s sent out weekly to people in or connected to the creative community in NYC. The email gives a running list of all of the commercial and residential real estate listings available for artists around the city. It provides info on live/work spaces that can be extremely financially beneficial to struggling artists and creatives. It also lists apartment share opportunities and (if you’re lucky) low-cost

They Consider Going Full Hippy (Intentional Living)

Sort of a more hippie-style version of co-living spaces, old-school communal living spaces, also called intentional living spaces, have been making their way around the city for years.

Whereas modern-era co-living arrangements work for both residents who prefer their own company as well as people who are looking for a community vibe, intentional living spaces are for people who are looking for a true community to share every aspect of life with. In these communities, members work together on everything from housecleaning to creating house rules to cooking for the entire group. They often share a common belief system or lifestyle, like the Quaker-based Penington Friends House or the Jewish/Columbia-student-based Bayit in Harlem.  Intentional living communities are often multigenerational and multicultural, qualities that make them attractive to a wide range of people, including families with children and seniors. Other popular intentional living groups include Intentional Living NYC and Youtopia

They Barter Their Services for a Place to Stay

As per this Wall Street Journal article from a few years ago, some crafty New Yorkers have figured out that the secret to low-cost living in NYC is contained within their hands. These Handy Men and Handy Ma’ams have figured out a way to trade their skills for a place to stay.

Maybe a guy great at laying marble is contracted to work on an uninhabited brownstone for a few months laying down flooring and putting up tile. He may work out an arrangement where he gets to live in the house while the work is being done. Other folks help out their landlords by acting as the de facto super in the absence of a real one. This arrangement gets them free rent or a big discount on their rent.

They Go the Ye Olde Roommate Route

At the end of the day, having a roommate can help NYC residents live the life of their dreams, planting them in a Chelsea duplex or Park Slope brownstone of their dreams. Yes, you’ll probably have to share that duplex with five other people, but on those nights when everyone else happens to be out and you’re by yourself, sipping a glass of wine on your terrace as you take in your NYC view, you’ll (probably)  believe that it was all worth it.

The bottom line is if you’re determined to live in NYC, you’ll figure out a way to make it work. There’s no one way to live here. The city is all about innovation and creative thinking, so whatever ends up working for you is the right way to do it.