I never know why people trot these prices out. Literally nobody I know actually pays 3.5k a month for rent, and a majority of my friends are in the software field in one way or another.
The most that anyone pays is like 1.8k
The most that anyone pays is like 1.8k
I find generally fiscal rationality trumps not having a roommate.
If I need a roommate to make things work financially, I’m in the wrong job or the wrong city.
The reason for that is that places with a reasonable commute time to and from flatiron are really terrible below ~3k, by the standards of most places which are not NYC or SF.
I worked remotely for more than two years before that, so my tolerance for commute was quite low (my NYC commute is about 20 minutes on average, and when I first moved here, it was sooo long), and I was coming from a place where ~1K/mo can get you 3000 sq ft plus a basement and over half an acre.
If you would like a package room, that's extra. In unit washer dryer, that's extra. Doorman - extra. Reasonable commute - extra. AC - extra.
Even more money if you want to live in a fashionable neigborhood (Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen) or spitting distance from a university (Washington Square, Union Square, Morningside Heights) or both (St. Mark's)
Thats because rent numbers are based on the 1.34% rental vacancy supply on the market at that point in time, self-reported by landlords.
People very frequently move in with people and other arrangements. So less than half or even 1/4th of new renters any given year actually pay the "market rent".
I was talking to a guy the other day living in a sub400 sqft place in lower manhattan in a non-luxury unit paying $2.5k.