> I had no idea NYC was _that_ bad It's worse if you don't have time to deal with the ghettos of craigslist and zillow and hire a broker to help find you an ap

> I had no idea NYC was _that_ bad It's worse if you don't have time to deal with the ghettos of craigslist and zillow and hire a broker to help find you an apartment. Their fee is usually 10-15% of annual rent -- and that's on top of the three month deposit. Some places will allow without the 50x income requirement, but only if you have a qualified guarantor. Some places have a 70x requirement, others a 40x. 50x is pretty usual, though. If you have less than impeccable credit, you'll need a guarantor. A lot of that is because it is _really difficult_ to evict a tenant in NYC. NYC has some of the strongest tenants rights laws in the country. > But that seems impossible for a community to maintain a sustainable workforce. This is why there is rent stabilization (landlords are prevented, on stabilized units, from raising the rent more than a set -- small -- percent each year, unless vacant or substantial renovations are made). There are people living in units in my building that are very likely paying less than 20% of what I pay, because they've been there for years and years and years. And I'm fine with it, because if my rent increased at the same rate my building's value has appreciated, I'd be seeing 60%/yr increases in rent (my building was sold 3 years ago for 6M; last summer it was sold for 8M). > How do commuters even afford to cross the bridges and tunnels? Most commuters don't cross the bridges and tunnels - they pay a low-ish monthly fee ($112, though if you are older than 65 or have a qualifying disability, you get a reduced rate of $56) to use the subways at an unlimited rate.