Ladies and gentlemen!! It's good to be back - took a mini-hiatus but can't WAIT to get into the swing of things this summer and beyond. As per usual, I love to include one BTS comment that's almost like a journal entry on what I'm concentrating on. Over the past couple months, I've been battling with this idea of "branding" or "niching". After talking to a lot of creators it seems like there is a consensus: if you niche down hard, you'll grow the fastest. Imagine if every one of my videos was about NYC or dating apps, then I would attract that one audience really fast. The problem is, I've got many different curiosities and feel like I would be bogged down if I had to stay in strict boundaries for the sake of growing. After lots of reflection, I did come to this middle ground - every video may hit a different topic BUT will have a similar business-angle. Whether it's NYC or dating apps, my specialty is being able to go into their finances and numbers and extract a story out of there. This whole journey is one being experiment haha! Thanks for all of your ongoing support! See you all soon, real soon. - Tejas
Do not niche keep branding! Love your content I’ve had this same dilemma great things come to those that wait keep up the content the numbers will come 🙏
Native New Yorker born and raised - do not move here. This place is extremely dangerous, filthy and has so many issues that never end. I’m looking for a way out in the near future. Going to Florida 🎉
It’s wild to me that wanting a washer and dryer to clean your clothes is considered a luxury in New York. New York is like a whole different country compared to the rest of the USA
Haha a year ago I thought this as well. I use a laundry service now where I drop off my clothes and have them washed and folded and although the price of that is high compared to doing it myself, it's WAY less than finding an apartment with a washer dryer unit
There is super cheap wash and fold laundry service on every block. It's kinda amazing, you drop off a bag of clothes and get them washed for like $10-20.
Im not saying that NYC isn't expensive, but realistically people need to stop glamorizing and equating NYC as just Manhattan, there are other areas in other boroughs that you can live in for more than half the rent prices in those popular Manhattan areas with more living space. Theres also your local supermarkets and stores you can go to in each neighborhood that can save you money on groceries. Not trying to downplay the cost of living in NYC but for people who really do want to move here, don't limit yourself to just Manhattan.
@@TVDentouLiamnah bro. Bronx, queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan are one thing, and statten island is pushing it. But if you’re gonna live in New Jersey because of it’s proximity to NYC you might as well live In whatever other state lol
I usually don't comment on youtube vids but I lived in NYC for 6yrs and moved out. If you want to live in MANHATTAN or live alone in the other boros you need 6 figs. I lived with a roommate for all 6 years when my salary was pretty low. A lot of people in NYC are poor PoC and live on way less, no one talks to them. 2. It's fun when you're young but when other priorities take over - family, job opportunities, etc. I'm glad remote work is a thing because it allowed me to move out and have a better quality of life. You cannot get a w/d in unit without paying $1k extra in NYC. My bldg refused to install a w/d in the basement and I had to go outside for laundry - never again. 3. The city constantly raises prices on everything, more fares, more taxes, ConEd, food, and pay is stagnant. Hella corrupt city. Always seem to elect the dumbest mayors. 4. People refuse to believe Jersey City or Hoboken is an option, yet the rent jumps off a cliff once you cross the Hudson. 5. Subway service and safety has gone down post-covid. It also baffled me how much my co-workers were making (6 figs) but they pay $3k in rent every month. Like WHY LMAO. You're remote, you don't need to be here. NYC is fun for awhile, but when you think about your future, it's not great unless you're mega wealthy. It's great if you need to start your career but honestly after you get exp, get out of there.
I've lived here for 7 years and never got the chance to live in Manhattan :( But I also moved here in my 30s and not my 20s because I graduated during the 08/09 recession and literally had no money for the first few years after graduating. On the flip side it meant when I finally did move out here I had savings to fall back on and a more developed career as well. Honestly I didn't think I would stay so long in NYC. Always thought I'd move back home but honestly now I can't afford to live in SF. And I don't drive so the suburbs doesn't make sense for me in CA. NYC actually makes better sense because the transportation system is more vast and better connected. For the US, NYC is the best for public or mass transit. And rent options are still available once you move out of Manhattan into other boroughs. But I will say my cousin who lives in Hoboken def has a much better deal on her rent and she's in a safer neighborhood and honestly her commute time is about the same as mine in Brooklyn when we meet up in Manhattan! You don't need a ton of money to get by in NYC but you do need some money. That much is def true. And I did spend the first 4 years of my time here living with roommates but I got lucky. I loved my roommates, we're still friends, I lived in an actual townhouse in Astoria so our bedrooms were small but we had a full size living room, dining space and kitchen plus a front yard. This made going through Covid lockdown very manageable. But yeah, it IS crazy here and we're all crazy for staying. If the US wasn't built for cars, I'd consider moving elsewhere too but unfortunately I'm too much of an anxious driver and you don't want a bad driver on the road. So... I have to stick to cities with good transport. A lot of jobs are now forcing people back into the office. Remote jobs still exist but they're not as easy to get. Although I actually realized a hybrid work environment is better for me. All this to say, you don't need to be super wealthy to live here but you do need to be solidly middle class to make it here. I don't know how poor people do it!!!!!!!
NYC is definitely more expensive than California, but where I live in California you need 2M dollars to get a house above the size of 2,000 sqft (these houses usually don’t come with backyards)
Living in Manhattan, EATING OUT, and shopping at WHOLE FOODS is boujee AF. No wonder you have nothing left over. I live at a middle class area of the bronx, and shop at Stop and Shop Supermarket. If you moved out of Manhattan you could live by yourself, and stop eating out, that's not healthy.
100% baby I lived in Brooklyn for most of my adult life and rarely went to Manhattan outside of work.. I wasn’t balling but I was definitely comfortable.
I went on a solo trip to New York and I was really shocked how the gentrification is up there. I stayed in Chelsea and I was the only black person I feel like anywhere I went. One of the few times I felt like a monolift…HOWEVER when I went to visit Harlem it was a complete different surrounding and more DIVERSE specifically having more black ppl living there. I say all this to say your New York experience REALLY depends on the borough’s and neighborhoods you’re living and going to…. I found it interesting that the map that you are using cuts out all the predominantly black neighborhoods which are above the park…
I lived in east Harlem in a brownstone and Harlem is the only place I felt the safest and it has so much culture and delicious food. The deli workers were also the best I will miss them forever
This video is kinda crazy coming from a NYC native, like bro you mentioned theres 4.5 more boroughs to live in and that includes the worlds biggest metro system my guy. Like I'm from Brooklyn and people be raising their families here peacefully with no 5,000 dollar rent and like 30 mins from Manhattan on the train
Yeah even as someone that's never been to NYC I couldn't help but think how unfortunate it is that he ignores so much of the city in this video when it is very relevant to discuss the other boroughs when talking about cost of living in the city.
i don’t think it’s that hard to figure out that this video is for people who only view new york city as manhattan. those are usually the people who dream of moving here. they don’t care about any other borough. so while he can make a video about the rest of them, no one cares to know about the other boroughs, at least not the Gen Zers and their perception of nyc .
Living with roommates is cute and fun in your 20s but gets old when you’re pushing 40. And no amount of “omg NYC is so dope” will change that. At that point, if you aren’t earning enough to have your own place, it’s probably time to think about living somewhere else.
So many people who are older have roommates my friend who was 21 had roommates who were around 50 and 45 everybody is struggling in our city and this video is funny .
@@hotdog77189such an ignorant thing to say considering all the families born and raised in nyc. Believe it or not, it’s not just a fun city for twenty something year olds to move into for a few years. Ppl live there, and have whole communities there.
Yeah, “median asking rent” on StreetEasy is the least accurate metric to measure affordability. Most New Yorkers in a given year aren’t renting new apartments on StreetEasy. Over 40% of NYC apartments are rent stabilized, and even the ones that aren’t have restrictions on how much the rent can be raised on existing tenants, so people that actually live here vs. people who move from the outside and don’t know what they’re doing generally pay far less.
On the other hand.... It's a pretty poor look for the city and it's government that the median asking rent is as high as it is, ESPECIALLY in the outer boroughs. NYC is still not "affordable", by policy choice.
The difference is a single person renting verses stacking multiple incomes on rent. If you don’t have a significant other or no longer want to live with roomies in your thirties or forties, the income you need to live comfortably in NYC goes up significantly.
My entire life I have regretted not moving to a big city and sharing an apartment with my boys and following my dreams. Love to see you guys are doing that. What a great video.
Your storytelling skills are on another level! No matter what you choose to discuss, know that it's the way you explain it that keeps your audience so invested
you may have given up your in-unit washer drier, but you gained a Thai laundromat owner lady that you love and told her story so that we can love her too and created more space for new wholesome experiences
Key to living in NYC (relatively affordably): stop looking at only Midtown/Downtown Manhattan or gentrified Brooklyn!!!!! As a Bronx native now Jersey girl, I can't even begin to describe just how HUGE and sprawling the totality of NYC is. Each neighborhood is different due to history and culture but there are jewels out there if you really wanna live there.
Exactly. There's people making less than 40k surviving in NYC. If people had to be rich to live there it wouldn't have 8+ million people. Just like any other city, trendy neighborhoods will always be expensive
@@BoxTrap I would lean Chicago as well, but NYC has more "stuff happening" if that's what you're looking for. Chicago is still great though Both are walkable and have decent public transit, although NYC is slightly better in this regard. Crime is probably similar, not sure what the per capita difference is. Both are likely localized to specific neighborhoods for the most part Chicago is significantly more affordable. Check your stipend and use some of the cost of living calculators online to see the difference. From what I'm seeing, New York is DOUBLE the cost of living lol. Still a great city for all the reasons Tejas mentioned in the video, but having disposable income is nice.
just wanted to say love the editing and ur storytelling! this video was so entertaining especially for a topic that i wouldn’t expect to be entertaining?!?
I think the price in this video is overstated affff. I've lived in nyc all my life and while rent prices do get kinda crazy, Fidi, SoHo, and UWS or UES side are the specifically expensive neighborhoods in nyc and even if the rent prices are crazy, if you know how to budget as most New Yorkers are good at, you'll live. Also no one, unless if you're in upper-middle class or upper class really shops at whole foods even if there are a shit ton of them, it always the local markets or trader joes, which is all 30-40% cheaper for a lot of essential items.
Very happy your video popped up and somewhat put my mind at ease. I’m 50+ and just landed my dream job which will make me relocate from Miami to New York City and will be moving in July! Soscary at my age but somehow you put me at ease oh and your cinematography is off the chain so congrats!
About the lifestyle, you will thrive if you are extremely social & extroverted, but if you're introverted & have issues with your social skills its going to be much harder to make it worth it. You can definitely work through these things but a lot of people get ground out by the city if they're not making enough to live a comfortable life and if they struggle to make connections and meet people. I personally make an effort to socialize and join organizations & events to meet people, but on top of a busy job with long hours & lower pay, I sometimes feel that I can't afford to do many things, and I find myself too tired to get out and socialize and then I start to question if its actually worth all this money & effort.
Go anywhere except on the map and you’ll either see a massive amount of loons or be in a 3rd world country. Went to explore the other regions and literally saw 2 shopping carts full of SKINNED dogs get pushed into a restaurant. Atleast 30 dogs. Not to mention the multiple people I was not sure were alive. So Manhattan is nyc to sane people
This is a very short sighted take. Manhattan can be crazy too, and you just summarized 4 other way more massive boroughs to one experience that 99% of people never had living here.
@@Nawdog Here we have a MAGA Long Islander (aka non-NYC resident) who gets his 'knowledge' from Fox news. Meanwhile Long Island (and NJ!) is the real 3rd world country.
Your cinematic shots were amazing. My only problem with your experiment is that you didn't have controlled variables for the grocery store. Target would have been an easy thing, as every place has it. Whole Foods is known for its quality but is also more expensive. You also didn't emphasize enough how quickly New York can make things happen in your life. The people you meet could be anyone, and that anyone could be someone important who can help you achieve success. There's also the after party to a wedding, where everyone is having the time of their lives. You can see the aura of excitement from every person as you ride past them, realizing that you're in the city at night and how easy it is to access everything to get you to that moment in Little Italy. And then you remember that you took an edible before your bike ride, and it starts to kick in after that restaurant, but you still need to get to midtown. New York also offers higher wages/salaries. If you can secure a job there, you're set. I've only been to New York three times. The first time was in 2020, and it was deaddddd. I didn't like it, but a lady told me at a restaurant, "This isn't fair. Come back when people are back, and you'll understand." And I did. She was completely right. I understand why people live there. Will I live there? When I can afford the correct lifestyle without sacrificing.
When u guys talked about quality that was the one I checked off idc if the room looks acheticalsly bad and I wouldn’t mind living in Brooklyn or queens
Yeah that's not super typical. People who want cheaper groceries usually shop at Trader Joe's or Target, because they don't inflate prices. Prices at TJs in NYC is about the same as TJs anywhere else. Target didn't inflate prices at all as far as I could tell when I lived there in 2018, and had convenient delivery. Now all grocery stores have delivery and a ton of people use that, because lugging groceries around town is not fun. If you can afford it, you get everything delivered. The logistics of grocery delivery in NYC is absolutely crazy. I would see big box trucks full of groceries stop on my block in the morning and unload literally hundreds of boxes and bags of groceries each day, which would then be distributed to the blocks around.
I just want yall to know. In downtown Nashville, TN @ Whole Foods. I pay $8 for eggs, $6 for Greek yogurt, $1.50 for a green bell pepper, and $5 for a bag of chips. A movie? $25. Gas? $3-4/gallon. Gym membership $250-$350/month. AND Kroger is more expensive than Whole Foods.. HENCE why I shop at Whole Foods 😅
It can be funny to watch videos made by non-New Yorkers. The borders of the neighborhoods, for example, can slightly shift. To be fair, a lot of New Yorkers don’t know the is. But a real estate agent should.
NYC is the best! I moved from FL 13yrs ago but still spend time there and LA. The cost comparison between all 3 is quite interesting. Your storytelling and editing are great 👌 Keep up the good work and enjoy living with your friends. Time flies in NYC like nowhere else
i just think its so stupid how people like this classify manhattan and lower brooklyn as nyc like the rest of nyc dont exist and isnt way better to live in
I think it’s a matter of location in the city as well, if you go to queens or the Bronx you notice the drastic shift in prices from Manhattan, I think if you budget yourself and know to look in the local areas you can get by just fine
Everything in this video is so true man! I’m moving away for the next year to be close to my grandparents while I still have them (health issues), but it’s going to be so hard going a full year without living in the city. We’re moving back the second our lease is up and I’ve already planned like 6 flights back over the next few months. The city is worth every penny 😂
Fam, Whole Foods is NOT New York prices. try Food Town next time. Or just go to Whole Foods in each city. But Whole Foods is boogie not representative of a city.
My grocery bill doubled when I moved to the area, and I don’t even live in the city. My apartment is across the Hudson in Jersey. And don’t even get me started on trying to find much less get an apartment with all the competition.
Nobody makes that kind of money unless you are in a certain field of work. They should lower the income requirements for government assistance. This is ridiculous!
You know what's the main reason big cities are so expensive? Freehold properties. The landlords probably bought their properties many years ago and would not sell them unless price is high. And the price will only keep going up because there is no expiry date for these units. This will not only drive up your living rent, but also the business cost. Everyone is paying for these overpriced houses and the only winners are those old money.
NYC can be hit or miss in terms of costs. I live in Manhattan and my total monthly expenses don't usually surpass $2,000. Big part is luck on rent stabilization, but otherwise there's lots of normal places to spend your money on. Don't live below 59th st (for the most part), make your coffee at home, and definitely don't go to Whole Foods for your regular groceries. I never go to Starbucks, definitely not to McDonald's, and buy geoceries in a normal grocery store. About $58/mo on transportation, so no spending on new car, gas, insurance, mechanics, etc. Groceries about $150/mo. You can live fine in NYC, even in many parts of Manhattan. That's not to say it isn't expensive, only that there are many ways to avoid those expenses.
I scrolled too far down to see if anyone else noticed. Not watching the rest of the video after that tone deaf nonsense. Totally delegitimizes anything else he has to say. These transplant content creators think that they're knowledgable/qualified to tell a story just because they have the resources to tell the story.
i don’t think it’s that hard to figure out that this video is for people who only view new york city as manhattan. those are usually the people who dream of moving here. they don’t care about any other borough. so while he can make a video about the rest of them, no one cares to know about the life in queens.
I lived for 40 years in Washington DC and although it has become considerably more expensive than when I first arrived it is still probably the best alternative to New York City. One can actually live decently there. In NYC one is constantly making compromises that affect the quality of life.
@@kavesannaidoo4421to be fair starbucks wasnt an official BDS target, but yea this is still kinda disappointing. im sure theyre doing stuff behind the scenes that we dont see, but thats js me being optimistic, also ben is a part of creators for 🍉 so i think thats why there were no LA stats there lol
@@greedo7 From what I have found, the reason for the Starbucks boycott wasn't due to direct monetary funding to Israel but because of a lawsuit against their workers union who posted something pro-🍉. Personally I don't really care to police what people spend their money on. However it is disappointing to see him post both of these companies in a single video, given the current climate. The normalisation of these companies acts against the BDS movement because people will see their favourite creator featuring the products and assume it is okay to purchase them. I am happy we have people like Ben.
@@kavesannaidoo4421 yea i agree tbh, plus both boycotts have been relatively successful (especially starbucks losing ~11 billion dollars in revenue), despite the pushback & indifference i see most times it comes up. i hope there isnt too much hostile pushback to something like this since not everyone has the same feed & gets the same info, but ig that means we keep advocating & speaking up right? like js to do the bare minimum as consumers to show solidarity
No hate but this video is so inaccurate and it's extremely misleading when people say NYC is expensive. Its expensive when youre a transplant / new to the city only looking to live in the neighborhoods you drew out in the beginning... But expand your horizons just a little beyond and its instantly cheaper. That was just a fraction of nyc and even in lower Manhattan you cut out chinatown, not to mention you only drew half of Manhattan and the remaining boroughs... If youre just going to look in such a shallow area, dont even bother moving to new york anyways
i don’t think it’s that hard to figure out that this video is for people who only view new york city as manhattan. those are usually the people who dream of moving here. they don’t care about any other borough. so while he can make a video about the rest of them, no one cares to know about them, especially not the types of young Gen Zers who wish to move to nyc
going to show this to my boyfriend, i’ve been trying to explain to him WHY NY is expensive but that its not super different from other places… its how you deligate for
Nah man, grew up in NYC and luckily had the opportunity to state hop all around the last few years and NYC is INDEED very expensive 😂 even the surrounding boroughs are getting up there especially Brooklyn, queens and water front Bronx. To really enjoy NYC you have to make a good 8k+ a month imo. If not you're basically just getting by or have a roommate or two. Most new yorkers don't know how good it is elsewhere until they leave lol I had that same mentality that its NYC or nothing and once I left I realized I never wanna go back 😭
Great video! Definitely a good watch, but I can't help but see it as a bit out of touch. For privileged singles with moderate to high paying jobs it's easy to look at the high prices as a tax for the lifestyle and what's around. But for the immigrant trying to make a new life or the local watching the city grow, inflate, and leave them behind the prices are unreasonable and unmanageable. At the end of the day it's these people that create and provide the services that makes NYC so great to live in.
This was a fun and informative video. We were just there at NYC in Nov and you answered a lot of the questions I had. You guys all crack me up. Secretly I was hoping to run into you guys. If you ever need another IL Guinea pig, let me know.
I just found out your video and really like the DIY and minimalist concept of your video. It makes the video very entertaining to watch yet very informative and educative. Keep it up!
I would love it if you can do this same cross analysis comparing rent but using the same parameters for an apartment, such as the median cost of a 1 bedroom apartment at 700 sqft or something across all the boroughs and picking neighborhoods in each borough with similar features, demographics or amenities (just for as close of a baseline comparison as possible) and then doing the same cross analysis of food costs for a neighborhood grocery store, local or nearest McDs and Starbucks (or Dunkins). That will then also help anyone thinking about moving to NYC to consider other areas they could potentially move into once they can no longer afford the Manhattan dream. My one regret is that I never got a chance to live in Manhattan when it was still feasible. I only lived in Queens and Brooklyn and now prices in Manhattan have skyrocketed since I moved here 7 years ago and my income has not caught up to the rent increases. :( Nowadays I rely on having the occasional friend going out of town and letting me borrow their Manhattan apartment as a mini staycation to get that I live in Manhattan feeling. Oh well. Although I like Queens and Brooklyn. Still near things but way less chaotic than the city
Would have loved to see some price comparisons to more rural parts of America as well instead of just big cities. Great video overall I didn’t expect that you could live in NYC only many $70k or so
I'm from LA, and at first i thought Ben was going to go to Trader Joe's because i figured "Southern California staple grocery store", but then you said Erewhon i was like oh noooo we pushin' the envelope lmao
I feel like everyone I know in NYC shops at Trader Joes, KeyFoods, Wegmans, or a local grocer! But whole foods is sadly so close to my work... I end up shopping there from time to time
Ladies and gentlemen!! It's good to be back - took a mini-hiatus but can't WAIT to get into the swing of things this summer and beyond. As per usual, I love to include one BTS comment that's almost like a journal entry on what I'm concentrating on.
Over the past couple months, I've been battling with this idea of "branding" or "niching". After talking to a lot of creators it seems like there is a consensus: if you niche down hard, you'll grow the fastest. Imagine if every one of my videos was about NYC or dating apps, then I would attract that one audience really fast. The problem is, I've got many different curiosities and feel like I would be bogged down if I had to stay in strict boundaries for the sake of growing.
After lots of reflection, I did come to this middle ground - every video may hit a different topic BUT will have a similar business-angle. Whether it's NYC or dating apps, my specialty is being able to go into their finances and numbers and extract a story out of there. This whole journey is one being experiment haha!
Thanks for all of your ongoing support! See you all soon, real soon. - Tejas
great decision. one of my fav videos so far - can't wait to see what else you do!!
Do not niche keep branding! Love your content I’ve had this same dilemma great things come to those that wait keep up the content the numbers will come 🙏
I've loved your videos and have no doubt you'll make awesome things. Keep going!
Good quality video. Good job, high effort, relaxed vibe, creativity.
Great content bro keep up the videos
I watched the whole video and was ready to move to NYC until Colt changed my mind at the end.
He loves his life
Yoo I watch ur content but nyc is not worth it isn’t just costs its also livability
Good we need less people coming here 😅
Native New Yorker born and raised - do not move here. This place is extremely dangerous, filthy and has so many issues that never end. I’m looking for a way out in the near future. Going to Florida 🎉
He can afford food what more could you want ? 😂
It’s wild to me that wanting a washer and dryer to clean your clothes is considered a luxury in New York. New York is like a whole different country compared to the rest of the USA
Haha a year ago I thought this as well. I use a laundry service now where I drop off my clothes and have them washed and folded and although the price of that is high compared to doing it myself, it's WAY less than finding an apartment with a washer dryer unit
There is super cheap wash and fold laundry service on every block. It's kinda amazing, you drop off a bag of clothes and get them washed for like $10-20.
@@txsoccerstarwait til I tell you it’s less than $2 to wash your laundry in other parts of the country
@@stevechrollo8074 yeah but do they wash it for you and fold it???
@@txsoccerstar I can do that for free for myself
Im not saying that NYC isn't expensive, but realistically people need to stop glamorizing and equating NYC as just Manhattan, there are other areas in other boroughs that you can live in for more than half the rent prices in those popular Manhattan areas with more living space. Theres also your local supermarkets and stores you can go to in each neighborhood that can save you money on groceries. Not trying to downplay the cost of living in NYC but for people who really do want to move here, don't limit yourself to just Manhattan.
Like Queens? A shithole.
*Thankkkk youuuuuu*
also just move to north or central jersey
@@TVDentouLiamnah bro. Bronx, queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan are one thing, and statten island is pushing it. But if you’re gonna live in New Jersey because of it’s proximity to NYC you might as well live In whatever other state lol
@@Cancelable_ ahh no. Also fuck "work from home" bullshit
I usually don't comment on youtube vids but I lived in NYC for 6yrs and moved out. If you want to live in MANHATTAN or live alone in the other boros you need 6 figs. I lived with a roommate for all 6 years when my salary was pretty low. A lot of people in NYC are poor PoC and live on way less, no one talks to them. 2. It's fun when you're young but when other priorities take over - family, job opportunities, etc. I'm glad remote work is a thing because it allowed me to move out and have a better quality of life. You cannot get a w/d in unit without paying $1k extra in NYC. My bldg refused to install a w/d in the basement and I had to go outside for laundry - never again. 3. The city constantly raises prices on everything, more fares, more taxes, ConEd, food, and pay is stagnant. Hella corrupt city. Always seem to elect the dumbest mayors. 4. People refuse to believe Jersey City or Hoboken is an option, yet the rent jumps off a cliff once you cross the Hudson. 5. Subway service and safety has gone down post-covid.
It also baffled me how much my co-workers were making (6 figs) but they pay $3k in rent every month. Like WHY LMAO. You're remote, you don't need to be here. NYC is fun for awhile, but when you think about your future, it's not great unless you're mega wealthy. It's great if you need to start your career but honestly after you get exp, get out of there.
Well said, I just want to live in nyc when I’m young, when I’m in my 30s I am not settling down there, a good 1-3 year experience in nyc is good
I've lived here for 7 years and never got the chance to live in Manhattan :( But I also moved here in my 30s and not my 20s because I graduated during the 08/09 recession and literally had no money for the first few years after graduating. On the flip side it meant when I finally did move out here I had savings to fall back on and a more developed career as well. Honestly I didn't think I would stay so long in NYC. Always thought I'd move back home but honestly now I can't afford to live in SF. And I don't drive so the suburbs doesn't make sense for me in CA. NYC actually makes better sense because the transportation system is more vast and better connected. For the US, NYC is the best for public or mass transit. And rent options are still available once you move out of Manhattan into other boroughs. But I will say my cousin who lives in Hoboken def has a much better deal on her rent and she's in a safer neighborhood and honestly her commute time is about the same as mine in Brooklyn when we meet up in Manhattan! You don't need a ton of money to get by in NYC but you do need some money. That much is def true. And I did spend the first 4 years of my time here living with roommates but I got lucky. I loved my roommates, we're still friends, I lived in an actual townhouse in Astoria so our bedrooms were small but we had a full size living room, dining space and kitchen plus a front yard. This made going through Covid lockdown very manageable. But yeah, it IS crazy here and we're all crazy for staying. If the US wasn't built for cars, I'd consider moving elsewhere too but unfortunately I'm too much of an anxious driver and you don't want a bad driver on the road. So... I have to stick to cities with good transport. A lot of jobs are now forcing people back into the office. Remote jobs still exist but they're not as easy to get. Although I actually realized a hybrid work environment is better for me. All this to say, you don't need to be super wealthy to live here but you do need to be solidly middle class to make it here. I don't know how poor people do it!!!!!!!
fuck remote work its bad for the health of cities and life in general. staying in a car centric suburb in the middle of nowhere is stupid.
Wdym “no one talks to them”. Who is the group in question avoiding broke pocs living in nyc? Like ppl of influence and such?
NYC is definitely more expensive than California, but where I live in California you need 2M dollars to get a house above the size of 2,000 sqft (these houses usually don’t come with backyards)
I always feel smart watching these videos lol also love the sunset to night shots as the video was closing, nice touch
Living in Manhattan, EATING OUT, and shopping at WHOLE FOODS is boujee AF. No wonder you have nothing left over. I live at a middle class area of the bronx, and shop at Stop and Shop Supermarket. If you moved out of Manhattan you could live by yourself, and stop eating out, that's not healthy.
Thats a fact.
I live UES and shop at Key, C-town, and Amazon Fresh and have very reasonable grocery bills.
100% baby I lived in Brooklyn for most of my adult life and rarely went to Manhattan outside of work.. I wasn’t balling but I was definitely comfortable.
Teared me up 😢 moving to NYC at 22 is such a dream come true
Haha Shervin u are the best ❤
If you have money. Been here my entire life and it sucks if you are broke.
terrible decision. Cancel your trip and save yourself a couple of years
@@centipedekid9824being broke sucks everywhere
I went on a solo trip to New York and I was really shocked how the gentrification is up there. I stayed in Chelsea and I was the only black person I feel like anywhere I went. One of the few times I felt like a monolift…HOWEVER when I went to visit Harlem it was a complete different surrounding and more DIVERSE specifically having more black ppl living there. I say all this to say your New York experience REALLY depends on the borough’s and neighborhoods you’re living and going to….
I found it interesting that the map that you are using cuts out all the predominantly black neighborhoods which are above the park…
facts, as a native new yorker, that made me side eye the whole video
Facts
I lived in east Harlem in a brownstone and Harlem is the only place I felt the safest and it has so much culture and delicious food. The deli workers were also the best I will miss them forever
I've heard Harlem is gentrifying now.
Maybe he did because there might be gangs or something, don't try to make it racism.
This video is kinda crazy coming from a NYC native, like bro you mentioned theres 4.5 more boroughs to live in and that includes the worlds biggest metro system my guy. Like I'm from Brooklyn and people be raising their families here peacefully with no 5,000 dollar rent and like 30 mins from Manhattan on the train
Yeah even as someone that's never been to NYC I couldn't help but think how unfortunate it is that he ignores so much of the city in this video when it is very relevant to discuss the other boroughs when talking about cost of living in the city.
He's a model minority transplant with frat bro friends, what did you expect? These content creators think they're journalists these days.
It’s still expensive in Brooklyn and queens now, not sure how you’d be saving that much more on rent.
@@Ryan-cb1eiit’s a massive difference. $3000 rent in Brooklyn $2500 in queens vs $4000 and $5000 in Manhattan
i don’t think it’s that hard to figure out that this video is for people who only view new york city as manhattan. those are usually the people who dream of moving here. they don’t care about any other borough. so while he can make a video about the rest of them, no one cares to know about the other boroughs, at least not the Gen Zers and their perception of nyc .
Living with roommates is cute and fun in your 20s but gets old when you’re pushing 40. And no amount of “omg NYC is so dope” will change that. At that point, if you aren’t earning enough to have your own place, it’s probably time to think about living somewhere else.
So many people who are older have roommates my friend who was 21 had roommates who were around 50 and 45 everybody is struggling in our city and this video is funny .
well the ideal situation is to be living with a partner by the time your 40 and not a ragtag bunch of goober roommate buddies lol
if you are pushing 40, most of the opportunities that NYC can offer have already closed anyway so there is really no point for you staying there.
Yeah you’re supposed to get your bread up by the time you’re 40, or you’re booted bud
@@hotdog77189such an ignorant thing to say considering all the families born and raised in nyc. Believe it or not, it’s not just a fun city for twenty something year olds to move into for a few years. Ppl live there, and have whole communities there.
Yeah, “median asking rent” on StreetEasy is the least accurate metric to measure affordability. Most New Yorkers in a given year aren’t renting new apartments on StreetEasy. Over 40% of NYC apartments are rent stabilized, and even the ones that aren’t have restrictions on how much the rent can be raised on existing tenants, so people that actually live here vs. people who move from the outside and don’t know what they’re doing generally pay far less.
On the other hand.... It's a pretty poor look for the city and it's government that the median asking rent is as high as it is, ESPECIALLY in the outer boroughs.
NYC is still not "affordable", by policy choice.
The difference is a single person renting verses stacking multiple incomes on rent. If you don’t have a significant other or no longer want to live with roomies in your thirties or forties, the income you need to live comfortably in NYC goes up significantly.
Just wanted to say that I really like your style of video making! Informative but still fun to watch! Keep making great content!
That's the goal!
It is the same as Casey Neistat's style, especially with the whole writing on a paper thing
My entire life I have regretted not moving to a big city and sharing an apartment with my boys and following my dreams.
Love to see you guys are doing that. What a great video.
Your storytelling skills are on another level! No matter what you choose to discuss, know that it's the way you explain it that keeps your audience so invested
you may have given up your in-unit washer drier, but you gained a Thai laundromat owner lady that you love and told her story so that we can love her too and created more space for new wholesome experiences
Looking into living in the city rn and this is such a beautiful way of putting it
Saving the cost of a car is a factor in NYC’s favor. Makes a big difference!
Erewhon parts had me dead with the sound effects and cuts 😂 awesome video!!
Key to living in NYC (relatively affordably): stop looking at only Midtown/Downtown Manhattan or gentrified Brooklyn!!!!! As a Bronx native now Jersey girl, I can't even begin to describe just how HUGE and sprawling the totality of NYC is. Each neighborhood is different due to history and culture but there are jewels out there if you really wanna live there.
you said it sister
Exactly. There's people making less than 40k surviving in NYC. If people had to be rich to live there it wouldn't have 8+ million people. Just like any other city, trendy neighborhoods will always be expensive
@@mightguy3118 and Eric adams can give you free housing if your an illegal
@@mightguy3118 yeah plus Just move to North or central Jersey. A 10 to 60 minute by train isn't bad
Are you Honduran by chance?
literally the city is an accelerated place to make serendipity happen. we love increasing the chance of serendipity
My Chicago Nationalism started flaring up towards the end of this video after the Schulz clip 🤣🤣
Loooove Chicago, grew up in the burbs!
@@TejasHullur Any thoughts about Chicago vs NYC? Looking at law schools and currently learning towards Chicago!
Love me my Chicago ❤
@@BoxTrap I would lean Chicago as well, but NYC has more "stuff happening" if that's what you're looking for. Chicago is still great though
Both are walkable and have decent public transit, although NYC is slightly better in this regard. Crime is probably similar, not sure what the per capita difference is. Both are likely localized to specific neighborhoods for the most part
Chicago is significantly more affordable. Check your stipend and use some of the cost of living calculators online to see the difference. From what I'm seeing, New York is DOUBLE the cost of living lol. Still a great city for all the reasons Tejas mentioned in the video, but having disposable income is nice.
to anyone who’s reading this: stay out of Chicago. we’re full.
just wanted to say love the editing and ur storytelling! this video was so entertaining especially for a topic that i wouldn’t expect to be entertaining?!?
I think the price in this video is overstated affff. I've lived in nyc all my life and while rent prices do get kinda crazy, Fidi, SoHo, and UWS or UES side are the specifically expensive neighborhoods in nyc and even if the rent prices are crazy, if you know how to budget as most New Yorkers are good at, you'll live. Also no one, unless if you're in upper-middle class or upper class really shops at whole foods even if there are a shit ton of them, it always the local markets or trader joes, which is all 30-40% cheaper for a lot of essential items.
Very happy your video popped up and somewhat put my mind at ease. I’m 50+ and just landed my dream job which will make me relocate from Miami to New York City and will be moving in July! Soscary at my age but somehow you put me at ease oh and your cinematography is off the chain so congrats!
I feel like the whole cost comparison part of the video could be a video in itself.
Great video! Not sure why I wasn't subbed already! 🙌🏼
Thank you!
About the lifestyle, you will thrive if you are extremely social & extroverted, but if you're introverted & have issues with your social skills its going to be much harder to make it worth it.
You can definitely work through these things but a lot of people get ground out by the city if they're not making enough to live a comfortable life and if they struggle to make connections and meet people.
I personally make an effort to socialize and join organizations & events to meet people, but on top of a busy job with long hours & lower pay, I sometimes feel that I can't afford to do many things, and I find myself too tired to get out and socialize and then I start to question if its actually worth all this money & effort.
NYC is not just Manhattan
Go anywhere except on the map and you’ll either see a massive amount of loons or be in a 3rd world country. Went to explore the other regions and literally saw 2 shopping carts full of SKINNED dogs get pushed into a restaurant. Atleast 30 dogs. Not to mention the multiple people I was not sure were alive. So Manhattan is nyc to sane people
This is a very short sighted take. Manhattan can be crazy too, and you just summarized 4 other way more massive boroughs to one experience that 99% of people never had living here.
@@Nawdoglol this is such a stupid comment you’re obviously not a new yorker
@@Nawdog *Dude is talking bout a day he stepped out in nyc circa 1970💀*
@@Nawdog Here we have a MAGA Long Islander (aka non-NYC resident) who gets his 'knowledge' from Fox news. Meanwhile Long Island (and NJ!) is the real 3rd world country.
Your cinematic shots were amazing. My only problem with your experiment is that you didn't have controlled variables for the grocery store. Target would have been an easy thing, as every place has it. Whole Foods is known for its quality but is also more expensive.
You also didn't emphasize enough how quickly New York can make things happen in your life. The people you meet could be anyone, and that anyone could be someone important who can help you achieve success. There's also the after party to a wedding, where everyone is having the time of their lives. You can see the aura of excitement from every person as you ride past them, realizing that you're in the city at night and how easy it is to access everything to get you to that moment in Little Italy. And then you remember that you took an edible before your bike ride, and it starts to kick in after that restaurant, but you still need to get to midtown.
New York also offers higher wages/salaries. If you can secure a job there, you're set.
I've only been to New York three times. The first time was in 2020, and it was deaddddd. I didn't like it, but a lady told me at a restaurant, "This isn't fair. Come back when people are back, and you'll understand." And I did. She was completely right. I understand why people live there. Will I live there? When I can afford the correct lifestyle without sacrificing.
Video quality is exceptional bro.
Do you eat beef 🐄 meat or drink their pee😂😂
When u guys talked about quality that was the one I checked off idc if the room looks acheticalsly bad and I wouldn’t mind living in Brooklyn or queens
“New York city staple”. Goes to WHOLE FOODS?!?!
Yeah that's not super typical. People who want cheaper groceries usually shop at Trader Joe's or Target, because they don't inflate prices. Prices at TJs in NYC is about the same as TJs anywhere else. Target didn't inflate prices at all as far as I could tell when I lived there in 2018, and had convenient delivery.
Now all grocery stores have delivery and a ton of people use that, because lugging groceries around town is not fun. If you can afford it, you get everything delivered.
The logistics of grocery delivery in NYC is absolutely crazy. I would see big box trucks full of groceries stop on my block in the morning and unload literally hundreds of boxes and bags of groceries each day, which would then be distributed to the blocks around.
I just want yall to know. In downtown Nashville, TN @ Whole Foods. I pay $8 for eggs, $6 for Greek yogurt, $1.50 for a green bell pepper, and $5 for a bag of chips. A movie? $25. Gas? $3-4/gallon. Gym membership $250-$350/month.
AND Kroger is more expensive than Whole Foods.. HENCE why I shop at Whole Foods 😅
dude your wide shots and cinematography is amazing
It can be funny to watch videos made by non-New Yorkers. The borders of the neighborhoods, for example, can slightly shift. To be fair, a lot of New Yorkers don’t know the is. But a real estate agent should.
amazing video man!!! loved the style and flow, and the editing was great. keep it up
I need to say that loved the editing and and shots of this video! It was fun (and of course interesting) to watch!
love this video bro! The research and data that you find to back the story youre telling has been amazing these last few videos! much love!
Glad you enjoyed!
NYC is the best! I moved from FL 13yrs ago but still spend time there and LA. The cost comparison between all 3 is quite interesting. Your storytelling and editing are great 👌 Keep up the good work and enjoy living with your friends. Time flies in NYC like nowhere else
The Quality of the video is crazy, 1 mil incoming ❤
You know when you look at some people together and you think "dang, they were just DESTINED to meet and become friends"? 💫💯
i just think its so stupid how people like this classify manhattan and lower brooklyn as nyc like the rest of nyc dont exist and isnt way better to live in
Watched tens of these 'cost of living in NYC' videos now and this is by far the best! Not even close.
I think it’s a matter of location in the city as well, if you go to queens or the Bronx you notice the drastic shift in prices from Manhattan, I think if you budget yourself and know to look in the local areas you can get by just fine
Exactly what I've been saying. Get some roommates, move to Queens and you'll be fine
This is such a great approach to showing the price difference!! Such a great video
This is extremely well made, love the composition of these shots. just subbed!
cant believe you're on my recommended feed now. keep up the grind bro
Everything in this video is so true man!
I’m moving away for the next year to be close to my grandparents while I still have them (health issues), but it’s going to be so hard going a full year without living in the city.
We’re moving back the second our lease is up and I’ve already planned like 6 flights back over the next few months. The city is worth every penny 😂
Different type of video but rlly good for teens and young adults and well edited by the way!
This video is so well put together!!! thank you for showing us the insights and can’t wait for the next ❤️
Closed out the video perfectly and the andrew schulz clip fit perfectly! Great video as always!
Serendipity 👐
Fam, Whole Foods is NOT New York prices. try Food Town next time. Or just go to Whole Foods in each city. But Whole Foods is boogie not representative of a city.
My grocery bill doubled when I moved to the area, and I don’t even live in the city. My apartment is across the Hudson in Jersey.
And don’t even get me started on trying to find much less get an apartment with all the competition.
This is one of the best made videos this year by far
This guys detication to lighting is fantastic. Wanted to let you know, I NOTICED the good lighting.
was fully expecting to see you have at least 100k subs, you're def gonna blow up soon. good stuff
😂😂19.99 for a gallon of milk, he put that back 😂😂 👏 👏👏
Great video Tejas! Really interesting for someone outside the states. Keep up the quality content!
Nobody makes that kind of money unless you are in a certain field of work. They should lower the income requirements for government assistance. This is ridiculous!
Dude.. this was good vibes all through. I’ve wanted to move to NYC for a minute, but I settled for Toronto - perhaps one day
Subbed
You know what's the main reason big cities are so expensive? Freehold properties.
The landlords probably bought their properties many years ago and would not sell them unless price is high. And the price will only keep going up because there is no expiry date for these units. This will not only drive up your living rent, but also the business cost. Everyone is paying for these overpriced houses and the only winners are those old money.
great video quality, your time in coming Tejas keep up the great work!
This vid and the channel is Just Underrated AF
thank you!
NYC can be hit or miss in terms of costs. I live in Manhattan and my total monthly expenses don't usually surpass $2,000. Big part is luck on rent stabilization, but otherwise there's lots of normal places to spend your money on. Don't live below 59th st (for the most part), make your coffee at home, and definitely don't go to Whole Foods for your regular groceries. I never go to Starbucks, definitely not to McDonald's, and buy geoceries in a normal grocery store. About $58/mo on transportation, so no spending on new car, gas, insurance, mechanics, etc. Groceries about $150/mo. You can live fine in NYC, even in many parts of Manhattan. That's not to say it isn't expensive, only that there are many ways to avoid those expenses.
FREAKING LOVE THIS MAN!!! So awesome...was in NYC for almost 5 years and its truly what kickstarted my life
your style of video is the best on the net. so good, love from UK!
2:13 “we have a map of nyc”…. Proceeds to only show a map of lower manhattan as if the rest of the city doesn’t exist 🤦🏽♂️
Everytime it pisses me off LMFAO
*I mean thats how the transplants who's favorite show is probably Friends see it lmaoo*
I scrolled too far down to see if anyone else noticed. Not watching the rest of the video after that tone deaf nonsense. Totally delegitimizes anything else he has to say. These transplant content creators think that they're knowledgable/qualified to tell a story just because they have the resources to tell the story.
i don’t think it’s that hard to figure out that this video is for people who only view new york city as manhattan. those are usually the people who dream of moving here. they don’t care about any other borough. so while he can make a video about the rest of them, no one cares to know about the life in queens.
I just wanna say , youre really good at this, just now coming across your channel
Wonder how much realistic LA groceries cost, same with McDonalds and Starbucks
That is an answer Id like for me
Muchhhh cheaper. Moved from NYC to LA about 2 weeks ago and can tell you that I’m significantly spending much less in groceries.
Such a good video! I love how you deliver financial information through amazing storytelling!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome video! Very informative!!
Bro i doom scroll, but you got me watching this without scrolling. Props
I lived for 40 years in Washington DC and although it has become considerably more expensive than when I first arrived it is still probably the best alternative to New York City. One can actually live decently there. In NYC one is constantly making compromises that affect the quality of life.
Dude, i loved your creativity and style in this video! Actually motivated me to think wider! Keep smashing it!
Starbucks and McDonald's in one video?? Crazy
thats our everyday...
@@TejasHullur It isn't so much about buying them everyday and more about supporting the two main targets of the BDS movement.
@@kavesannaidoo4421to be fair starbucks wasnt an official BDS target, but yea this is still kinda disappointing. im sure theyre doing stuff behind the scenes that we dont see, but thats js me being optimistic, also ben is a part of creators for 🍉 so i think thats why there were no LA stats there lol
@@greedo7 From what I have found, the reason for the Starbucks boycott wasn't due to direct monetary funding to Israel but because of a lawsuit against their workers union who posted something pro-🍉. Personally I don't really care to police what people spend their money on. However it is disappointing to see him post both of these companies in a single video, given the current climate. The normalisation of these companies acts against the BDS movement because people will see their favourite creator featuring the products and assume it is okay to purchase them. I am happy we have people like Ben.
@@kavesannaidoo4421 yea i agree tbh, plus both boycotts have been relatively successful (especially starbucks losing ~11 billion dollars in revenue), despite the pushback & indifference i see most times it comes up. i hope there isnt too much hostile pushback to something like this since not everyone has the same feed & gets the same info, but ig that means we keep advocating & speaking up right? like js to do the bare minimum as consumers to show solidarity
Omg i loved this video!! From the creativity to the ideas, it’s all well made!
This dude is criminally underrated
This video was insane, but man those prices are CRAZY if you compare it to europe
This is an eye opining video. Well put together appreciate your work on it. I agree with you on the opportunities NYC offer.
No hate but this video is so inaccurate and it's extremely misleading when people say NYC is expensive. Its expensive when youre a transplant / new to the city only looking to live in the neighborhoods you drew out in the beginning... But expand your horizons just a little beyond and its instantly cheaper. That was just a fraction of nyc and even in lower Manhattan you cut out chinatown, not to mention you only drew half of Manhattan and the remaining boroughs... If youre just going to look in such a shallow area, dont even bother moving to new york anyways
i don’t think it’s that hard to figure out that this video is for people who only view new york city as manhattan. those are usually the people who dream of moving here. they don’t care about any other borough. so while he can make a video about the rest of them, no one cares to know about them, especially not the types of young Gen Zers who wish to move to nyc
This is an insane video, loved every minute of it. Keep it coming man
going to show this to my boyfriend, i’ve been trying to explain to him WHY NY is expensive but that its not super different from other places… its how you deligate for
Nah man, grew up in NYC and luckily had the opportunity to state hop all around the last few years and NYC is INDEED very expensive 😂 even the surrounding boroughs are getting up there especially Brooklyn, queens and water front Bronx.
To really enjoy NYC you have to make a good 8k+ a month imo. If not you're basically just getting by or have a roommate or two.
Most new yorkers don't know how good it is elsewhere until they leave lol I had that same mentality that its NYC or nothing and once I left I realized I never wanna go back 😭
Really, liked this video. I live in the bay area now, but would love to live in NYC some day. Hopefully soon.
Very professionally done. Subscribed!
Love the vid except Starbucks
Great video! Definitely a good watch, but I can't help but see it as a bit out of touch. For privileged singles with moderate to high paying jobs it's easy to look at the high prices as a tax for the lifestyle and what's around. But for the immigrant trying to make a new life or the local watching the city grow, inflate, and leave them behind the prices are unreasonable and unmanageable. At the end of the day it's these people that create and provide the services that makes NYC so great to live in.
This was a fun and informative video. We were just there at NYC in Nov and you answered a lot of the questions I had. You guys all crack me up. Secretly I was hoping to run into you guys. If you ever need another IL Guinea pig, let me know.
This was beautifully made. Good job sir 👍🏾
Subscribed cause of this vid I’m looking to move to nyc in a year or two and found it very inspiring
I just found out your video and really like the DIY and minimalist concept of your video. It makes the video very entertaining to watch yet very informative and educative. Keep it up!
Thanks so much!
I love how you added the map in the background while you were talking about a different subject
Really nice video, very peaceful to watch.
I would love it if you can do this same cross analysis comparing rent but using the same parameters for an apartment, such as the median cost of a 1 bedroom apartment at 700 sqft or something across all the boroughs and picking neighborhoods in each borough with similar features, demographics or amenities (just for as close of a baseline comparison as possible) and then doing the same cross analysis of food costs for a neighborhood grocery store, local or nearest McDs and Starbucks (or Dunkins). That will then also help anyone thinking about moving to NYC to consider other areas they could potentially move into once they can no longer afford the Manhattan dream. My one regret is that I never got a chance to live in Manhattan when it was still feasible. I only lived in Queens and Brooklyn and now prices in Manhattan have skyrocketed since I moved here 7 years ago and my income has not caught up to the rent increases. :( Nowadays I rely on having the occasional friend going out of town and letting me borrow their Manhattan apartment as a mini staycation to get that I live in Manhattan feeling. Oh well. Although I like Queens and Brooklyn. Still near things but way less chaotic than the city
Would have loved to see some price comparisons to more rural parts of America as well instead of just big cities. Great video overall I didn’t expect that you could live in NYC only many $70k or so
I'm from LA, and at first i thought Ben was going to go to Trader Joe's because i figured "Southern California staple grocery store", but then you said Erewhon i was like oh noooo we pushin' the envelope lmao
I feel like everyone I know in NYC shops at Trader Joes, KeyFoods, Wegmans, or a local grocer! But whole foods is sadly so close to my work... I end up shopping there from time to time
ANOTHA BANGER!
My man!
I’m thinking about moving to NYC and really liked your video. Thanks a lot🙏🏼
Bro forgot about the other boroughs 💀
And half of Manhattan
Na let the newcomers stay in Manhattan!!! LOL