Absolutely. While apartments are smaller and more expensive per square foot in NYC, the city itself calls you out. You spend time in a park; at a sidewalk cafe;

Absolutely. While apartments are smaller and more expensive per square foot in NYC, the city itself calls you out. You spend time in a park; at a sidewalk cafe; on a friend's (or your own) roof-deck. I guestimate that I spend 50% more time outdoors living here in the city than I did living in a suburb down in NC. I also spend a lot less in transportation costs, and go to a lot more concerts. While, according to this guy's statistics, NYC is the poorest.. well, that's not taking into account the culture, the convenience, and so forth. (I'm in a share with a couple friends; My monthly bills - including rent [utilities included], phone, and transportation - are about $900. If you consider that a job that would pay $30k elsewhere will pay $40 or $50k here, and that if you're smart you can live on the cheap - you'll be able to retire a lot sooner if you plan on retiring out of the city, because the money that doesn't go far here goes very far elsewhere..)