Living in New York on a Tiny Salary?

You are correct about low starting salaries and high rents in many areas of NYC.

Owning a car in NYC is hugely expensive: on top of the cost of the car, gas is very expensive- and don't expect to find gas stations on every corner; insurance is astronomical; and THEN you have the cost of parking or garaging which could be equal to the cost of a studio.

With that said. public transportation is very convenient and comparatively reasonably priced. Journalists often have a transportation allowance to cover taxi rides; columnists would not.

Bikes are good transportation choices; Manhattan is flat. A fold up bike negates the need for bike locks. They are not cheap, but easy to tote on a train and then you get to take off for a weekend ride, or just fold into a back pack and store under a desk in class or office,.

So, with all that as background, there are reasonable housing alternatives: rentals in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Staten Island.

Getting a roommate definitely makes life less expensive if less private. Your fellow students are good candidates for post-graduate roommates. Second jobs are common.

Often times people will get roommates, yes even in a studio, and a second job to support living in the Big Apple.

The cheapest places to live are in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Staten Island. GL.