You certainly have a choice. You can easily live in a decent part of Manhattan on 130k - you'll pay more for less space, but have more time (shorter commute) a

You certainly have a choice. You can easily live in a decent part of Manhattan on 130k - you'll pay more for less space, but have more time (shorter commute) and likely a better social life. If you're at a bank - the Financial District is actually a relatively cheap place to live. If you do decide to go that route, be very careful with real estate brokers, who are the scum of the earth and love taking advantage of immigrants. You can find some decent "no [broker] fee" listings on streeteasy.com.