I moved to NYC back in 2010, then left for a few years in 2014, and then I moved back in 2019. I love New York City! It’s one of the greatest cities (if not the greatest city!) out there. I love its energy, its diversity, and the fact that it has so many things to offer. You could live there your entire life and not get bored. Moving to NYC alone is so exciting!
It’s a new beginning and you feel like you can do anything. Alicia Keys put it so well in her Empire State of Mind song: “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere”. I couldn’t think of a more perfect place for ambitious young professionals than the city.
But moving to a new city is also scary and overwhelming. Especially when you’re moving to the Big Apple. That’s why I put together this list of tips for moving solo to NYC. Hopefully this set of tips from a local will help you with the move and make your transition smoother.
How to rent an apartment in NYC
New York City is one of the most expensive cities in the world. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $3,741 according to apartments.com. Yikes! The high cost of living is definitely New York City’s biggest drawback.
Finding an apartment to rent in the city can be difficult. NYC has one of the fastest real estate markets out there. Which means that if you don’t decide on an apartment on the spot, it’s very likely someone else will snag it. So you have to be very fast with your decision to avoid disappointment.
Broker fee vs no fee apartments
New York City has both. If you go through a broker to help you with the apartment hunt, you will likely get a curated list of apartments that match your price point and desired amenities. However, this will cost you an extra month’s rent. The average broker’s fees in NYC are a month’s rent. Yes, it’s that expensive!
Moving to a new city is already expensive, so if you want to avoid the broker’s fees then you can opt for no fee apartment buildings. These tend to be newer buildings that are so-called luxury rentals and they work directly with the tenant.
If you pick a no fee building you will only have to pay the first month’s rent and a deposit fee. The deposit fee is usually $1-2K and you will get it back when you move out. So you basically save one month’s rent since you don’t have to pay the broker’s fee.
However, the rent for these no fee buildings tends to be higher since the apartments are newer and they offer more amenities. You have to decide what is the most important thing for you when choosing between a no fee vs a broker’s fee apartment for rent.
Amenities
Size of apartment
You have to mentally get used to the fact that you will live in a small apartment. Unless you’re a millionaire and can afford a large place, you will most likely live in a tiny apartment, and you might even have to live with roommates to reduce monthly expenses.
Most apartments in NYC can fit a queen size bed, but not a king. The queen bed will occupy the vast majority of the space in your bedroom. It will definitely be an adjustment if it’s your first time living in NYC and you move from a small town where you were able to afford more space.
Washer and dryer
Most NYC apartments do not have in-unit washer and dryer. This is definitely a culture shock for a lot of people who move to the city. The vast majority of building have a laundry room that you share with your neighbors. The laundry room is not free. You have to pay for each load, which costs about $3.25. You should definitely take into consideration the size of the laundry room relative to the number of neighbors you have to make sure you don’t have to wait for available washing machines when you need to do laundry.
Some buildings still don’t have a laundry room, so your options are to either go to a laundromat close to your apartment or to send your clothes to dry cleaning.
If you opt for a luxury rental, you can find units that come with a washer and dryer. Of course, this perk means that the building will charge even more for rent.
Other amenities
Brownstones and older apartment buildings will rarely have a lot of amenities. But you can find older buildings that have a doorman, a package room, and elevators.
The newer high rises luxury rentals usually have a gym, terraces, a common area where they serve coffee and breakfast in the mornings, and a rooftop with an amazing view of the city. Some of them even have an indoor pool. It depends how much money you can afford to pay for rent. If you have the extra cash, you can definitely find some fantastic rentals in New York City.
Location
Location is another big factor when it comes to rental prices. Manhattan tends to be the most expensive borough. Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island are usually cheaper. If you live outside of Manhattan then you have to be ok to commute to work (assuming you work in Manhattan) and also commute during the weekend since most entertainment activities happen in Manhattan.
Even within Manhattan there are different price ranges, depending on the neighborhood. And each neighborhood in Manhattan has its own vibe, so that’s another factor to consider when you choose where to live. For example, Lower Manhattan / Battery Park is a great choice if you work on Wall Street since you can walk to work. During the weekend this area is pretty quiet since offices are closed. You’ll only find some tourists there.
Lower East Side is a great choice for younger folks who like to party it up. Upper West Side and Upper East Side and two neighborhoods that feel more residential. You get that cozy, homey feeling when you live there. The midtown area is full of tourists, but it’s very convenient to live there if you work in midtown.
At the end of the day choosing the right neighborhood depends on what you prioritize. No matter where you end up living, there will be tradeoffs.
Tips for public transportation
Public transportation in New York City is behind what you get in Europe. And the subway is so filthy. But they are trying to modernize at least the payment methods. So I guess there’s progress.
Subway
For the longest time you had to buy those yellow Metro Cards to ride the NYC subway. You would then have to swipe them to enter. They were my biggest pet peeve because I would swipe, it would tell me to try again, but it would eat my money. A really annoying system.
But they finally started to modernize the payment methods and now you can use Omny, where you can use a credit card or digital wallet to pay per ride. You have to register your credit card online on the Omny website before you can pay with it though. In a lot of places in Europe you don’t need to register your card to pay for public transportation, but I’ll take the Omny win for now. Maybe in a few more years you won’t have to register your card before you can use it to pay for the subway.
There are a lot of subway lines in the city, so it’s very easy to get from one neighborhood or borough to another.
Buses
The same rules for riding the subway apply to riding the bus. You can pay with a credit card registered on Omny or you can pay with a Metro Card. The good thing about using Omny is that after paying for 12 rides in a week all other rides are free.
Cabs / Ride shares
NYC is notorious for traffic jams. Especially around rush hour. If you can avoid being in a car, you should.
If you do need a ride, it’s super easy to get a car. You can hail one of the iconic yellow cabs, or you can order a car on ride share apps like Uber, Lyft, or Revel.
My advice would be to not get a car if you move to NYC. There is way too much traffic, parking space is limited, and parking is expensive. If you need to escape the city for the weekend it’s much more convenient to rent a car or take the train.
How to make friends in NYC
New Yorkers tend to be very focused on their careers and their lives. That’s why a lot of people label them as rude. They don’t have time for chit chat and for small talk. They are too busy conquering the world.
Even though there are over 8 million people in NYC, it’s not that easy to make friends because everyone is so rushed and focused on themselves. Unless you make finding new friends a priority it’s less likely to happen organically.
However, there are ways to make friends even in this hectic big city. You can befriend people at work. You can join a club or volunteer. Joining a City Girls Who Walk weekly stroll to meet other women who want to find new friends in the city is another great option.
Hidden gems to explore in NYC
Pier 57 Rooftop Park
Pier 57 Rooftop Park opened only in 2022. It’s still not that busy, maybe because it’s not located at street level, so unless you know about it, you won’t see it.
The park is one of the largest in NYC and it has 360 views. As the name suggests it is located at Pier 57, which is very close to Chelsea Market and the Highline. Little Island is right across the street, so you’ll have a fabulous view of it from Pier 57 Rooftop Park. You can also see the Downtown Manhattan area, including the new World Trade Center building.
There are lots of benches where you can sit down with a snack from Pier 57 Market (my personal favorite is ice cream from Malai) and watch the view while catching up with a friend.
There are also multiple lawns where you can have a picnic or just lie in the sun. And it even has bleachers that can be used for movie screenings during the summer.
The park is open from 7am to 10pm every day and it’s definitely worth checking out.
Rain forest inside the Ford Foundation building
When you think of New York, one of the first things that probably comes to mind are skyscrapers. That’s because there’s over 7,000 of them in NYC. One of the last things that comes to mind is a rain forest.
So, what did the designers of the Ford Foundation building think? We can’t have a rainforest in the city, so we’ll put it in a skyscraper instead. A jungle in the middle of the concrete jungle, the Ford Foundation Garden is home to about 40 different species of plants. It also has a small, square, reflecting pool.
The Ford Foundation building has an art gallery next to the garden. Visiting both the garden and the art gallery is free.
The exact address is 320 East 43rd Street. The garden is open to the public from 11am to 6pm Monday-Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm only when the gallery has an exhibition on view.
A piece of the Berlin Wall
What if I told you that you don’t have to travel all the way to Berlin to see a piece of the Berlin Wall? It’s true! There’s a small piece of it on display in Manhattan.
You don’t even have to go to a museum to see it. It’s located in Kowsky Plaza in Battery Park City and it’s free to the public. It’s a very short walk from the 9/11 Memorial. The exact location is 393 South End Ave, New York, NY 10280.
The piece was gifted to the Battery Park City Authority by the German Consulate in 2004 as a thank you for their commitment to use street art as a means of education. It features one of Thierry Noir’s famous heads against a green background. It’s amazing to have such an important piece of history in New York City.
Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island is a small island between Manhattan and Queens named after the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt. Throughout its history the island was mainly used for hospitals, and it currently houses the ruins of a smallpox hospital from 1856. I recommend you visit it in the spring because it has a lot of cherry blossom trees and it’s gorgeous. While you’re there, get a drink at the Panorama Room, a rooftop bar with 360-degree views of New York City.
This little Island is a great spot to visit, but how you get there is equally as cool: the Roosevelt Island Tramway. It is the oldest urban tramway in the United States that’s still operating today. You can take it from the Upper East Side and in a few minutes, you’ll be on the island. The view is amazing, especially on the way back when you can see the Manhattan skyline in front of you. A ticket costs $2.90 one way, the same as taking the subway or bus in the city.
Greenacre Park
Greenacre Park is a small, urban park located in midtown Manhattan, close to Rockefeller Center and the Museum of Modern Art. The exact address is 217 E 51st St, New York, NY 10022.
The park was opened in 1971. It has a waterfall made of granite blocks, colorful flowers, and trees. There are chairs throughout the entire park where you can sit down and take in the serene atmosphere. This little park is such a tranquil spot in the middle of the busiest part of town. I highly recommend it if you need to recharge your batteries for a bit.
The park is open from 8am to 6pm every day.
Free things to do in NYC
NYC is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but it also offers so many free things to do. You should definitely check out NYC For Free to get all the updates on free things to do in the city.
Because NYC is so big and there are so many people living there, brands always organize pop-ups where they give away freebies. Plus, there will be parades, open streets events, block parties. You just need to find out the dates and locations and you won’t have to spend too much on entertainment. Tapping into the free events is a great way to meet people and save some money.
Birthday freebies
There are so many brands that offer a free treat on your birthday as long as you sign up for their rewards program. Some names that come to mind are Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, and Ole & Steen. You could literally spend an entire day just walking through the city and collecting free things on your birthday. NYC For Free has a comprehensive list of birthday freebies.
Pop-ups
There are so many days when I just take a walk and I bump into pop-ups. They usually set them up in locations with high foot traffic and give you a freebie if you visit the pop-up.
When Crumbs, an iconic NYC cupcake shop, re-opened after a few years of being closed they were parking their cupcake truck in different locations in the city and were giving away free cupcakes to people. It was an awesome way to advertise they are back in business, and everyone appreciated the sweet treat.
There are also flower shops, skincare, chocolate, fashion, movie pop-ups. NYC has everything and you’ll definitely find a pop-up you enjoy.
Parades
NYC has some iconic parades: Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, St. Patrick’s Parade, the Easter Parade, the Halloween Parade. They are all free and joining them at least once is a must-do activity in the city.
NYC Open Streets
Every summer NYC closes Park Avenue on a few Sundays from 7am to 1pm so people can walk, bike, and roller skate without car traffic. This is one of my favorite events in the city. I always enjoy walking in the middle of Park Avenue along fellow New Yorkers. The energy is amazing.
Need inspiration for your next trip? Check out some of my other articles.
Florence 4 day itinerary: the best guide for solo travelers
Solo female travel to London: the ultimate guide
Paris solo travel: everything you need to know
The best guide for solo travel to Amsterdam
Athens 4 day itinerary: ultimate guide for your first visit
Madrid in 5 days: the ultimate first visit itinerary
4 Day Dublin itinerary: everything you need to know