Is NYC still worth it if you're single and mid-30s? Between being frugal throughout my 20s, living in cheaper cities, and some investments that have done well, I'm pretty financially well-off on paper, but I don't earn a super high wage (TC is ~$225K). I feel like my youth is running away from me and I'm intrigued by the idea of living in NYC, but am worried about the COL. Are there good middle grounds between Manhattan and a commute that still are fun for single 30-somethings? TIA!

Might be a bit of a contrarian take, but it totally depends on your personality.

What makes NYC great is the sheer diversity of cuisines, bars, people, and arts in a small space. However, for that to matter you need to be the kind of person that actually likes to often eat and go out or visit museums, plays, etc.

You’re also paying a considerable premium to enjoy that in NYC, so if you’re the type of person who doesn’t like to go out, cooks daily, doesn’t often visit museums / Broadway shows. enjoys their space, or is a big nature / outdoorsy type of person, not sure you’re going to get good value in NYC vs other big but cheaper U.S. cities like a Chicago.

You only live once. I asked myself at 28 if I should go be a ski bum for a couple years. But what about my career!? The answer was yes, zero regrets. In my early 20's I wondered whether I should keep the job I hated or go follow the Grateful Dead around for a while. I chose the latter. Zero regrets. In my 40's I wondered if I should take a job that allowed me to surf every day or take more money but move into the heart of Silicon Valley. I chose the former. Zero regrets. After a divorce in my 40's, I had a house, a great job, and tons of potential to accumulate more stock and get promotions. I'd always wanted to travel but thought selling everything and taking off seemed a bit risky. After about 10 minutes of thinking about it and weighing my options and having lunch with a friend who made a ton of money and had a wife and kids and a great house and was miserable, I bought a one way ticket to Mexico (and then kept going south). Most of the stuff I got rid of I didn't need anyway and didn't miss any of it. zero regrets. 18 months later I came back and found a pretty good job. Then an opportunity came up to move to Amsterdam to try and make a go of a relationship with a Dutch woman I met while traveling. No job, no idea what I was going to do. But what about my career!? I moved, zero regrets. When we decided to part ways I thought about returning to the US because I had a couple warm leads on jobs. I thought it was prudent to pursue them. Or I could stay in Europe and travel for a few months. I chose the latter. Zero regrets. Now I'm 60 with another great job that I'm using to stuff my retirement accounts (because I also never had any debt). So you do you. But you only live once. Retirement is boring. Travel and live in cool places when you're young. Work when you're old, and have zero regrets.

Why not have the best of both worlds; live close enough to the city ​and commute to it? Affordable rent is right across the border in New Jersey, or a subway ride away in one of the boroughs of Manhattan.

Don't move unless you want to live in a socialist, islamic caliphate.

30M here and similar income, also debating the same thing moving from Chicago.

My experience working in NYC was that I had a long commute. I was not single and could not make do with a shared apartment in Brooklyn. iMO the only reasons to live and work in NYC are that you are 20 something and find a shared apartment not much different from a shared college dorm, you landed a huge salary that pays enough for living there, you are a performer in the arts and you constantly have gigs all around the city (and even then you are probably in NJ to save money).

If you are single you should live in NYC. Upper west side near Columbia is not too bad. Lots of Delis and close enough to Central Park. No wife to nag you about bills. You shoulkd have a good time. If you are looking to save money then move to CT and ride the train in.

Businesses—particularly in finance and tech—have been shifting headcount or outright moving to places like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte. This isn't a myth.

With Mayor Mamdani’s progressive platform (which includes pushing for a 2% tax on earners making over $1 million and aggressive rent freezes), corporate boards and ultra-high-net-worth individuals are understandably nervous. However, for a mid-30s professional making $225K, you sit in a specific sweet spot:You are well below his proposed million-dollar tax bracket.

You actually stand to benefit from city-wide infrastructure focuses, like his push for fare-free transit and expanded middle-income housing initiatives. While marquee headquarters are moving, satellite offices and core operations remain heavily anchored in Manhattan. The job pool is shifting, but it is far from dry.

Crime is on the rise and it is a massive talking point right now, but the actual data tells a more nuanced story. According to the mid-year NYPD data released this month (July 2026): Major crime is actually down nearly 6% citywide compared to last year. Murders plummeted by 24.7%, and robberies and burglaries are down double digits, reaching historic mid-year lows.

Where your concern should be is the rise of felony assaults, which have remained stubbornly high and are up significantly from pre-pandemic levels. So, is it a war zone? No. But are people feeling the friction of property crime and street-level disorder more than they did ten years ago? Absolutely.

It requires a level of urban awareness that you don't need in North Carolina.The Reality for the Job SeekerAt the end of the day, moving to NYC in your 30s right now is a calculation of lifestyle vs. pure optimization.If your goal is to maximize every single dollar, avoid progressive political experiments, and buy a large house, Texas or North Carolina wins by a landslide. But if you want the specific culture, density, and networking environment that only New York offers, a $225K income still buys an incredibly comfortable, safe life in a neighborhood like Astoria or Long Island City. It’s a calculated risk, but for many, it's still a risk worth taking for a year or two.

Try Philly instead. Cost is 1/3 fo NYC or less. Same food. Better actually now. Lots of townish areas in the Philly neighborhoods. People are happier. Sports teams have won more. Traffic is better. Violence is lower. No rats. PA as a state has a lot to offer. NYC was cool back in 90's. Well, now you see who is leading NYC....and the people that voted for him just aren't what America wants to be around.

Yes! I moved here late 20s and never left (25 years later, now married with a kid). You can always go back if it’s not for you.

NY was never worth it. 10 ft piles of trash, crazy people at every park, drugs users strewn about Central Park, weirdos approach you every 10 seconds to buy something from them, horrendous traffic, horrendous taxes, and horrendous cost of living. The only benefit you have is you get to say ever so proudly that you’re in New York to people who don’t know any better and think it’s anything like the movies.

NO, Its NOT worth it. Unless you have a indifferent anti-human personality seeking thrills a minute and likes a nasty environment without regard to life expectancy and constantly have huge amounts of money to draw on. NYC is #1 Biggest, Deadliest , Most Waste Littered US City. see Litterscorecard for details

My experience working in NYC was that I had a long commute. I was not single and could not make do with a shared apartment in Brooklyn. iMO the only reasons to live and work in NYC are that you are 20 something and find a shared apartment not much different from a shared college dorm, you landed a huge salary that pays enough for living there, you are a performer in the arts and you constantly have gigs all around the city (and even then you are probably in NJ to save money).

Depends on your life goals. If its career and hedonism, yes! I lived there for 8 years in my 20's and it was great for my career, short-term social fun and taking on different hobbies. Terrible for dating and finding people who want to give someone enough of a chance to really know if they are a potential life partner. It's a very 'me' centric city so just be clear with your goals of wanting to be there and have an exit plan if it's not helping your further your life goals.

Absolutely! Go for it! NYC is such a diverse, and interesting place to live. So many different things to experience and do. Culture, arts, music, food, history, museums, and more. It is always worth a shot to LIVE!

Do it. I did it in my late 20s. No regrets. I still try and visit often. It was the time of my life.

Living in Jersey City is very nice! Slightly lower col and a little less intense than much of manhattan. Still just a few mins commute to the city by PATH. Otherwise check out Harlem, Wash heights or outer boroughs as well to see if they suit your needs - interestingly enough, Jersey City is actually a closer commute to some parts of Manhattan then the affordable areas of other boroughs!

New york city is good to visit, as a tourist, even if you live in another state. Living here, however, is something else. It's expensive, not as clean and feels like you are living much faster than you should.

There’s a lot to NYC outside of Manhattan. My favorite spot is Park Slope, Brooklyn.

NYC is never worth it. Stuck in the renter cycle, pervasive cigarette and urine stench, neverending noise etc.

All of the things EY-Parthenon 1 touts are available in lots of other places.

If u want a to share the costs, Ive alwaya wanted to live there for a year as well (single female college grad)

Well, things are different than when I was working in NYC 95 - 2008; but I was living first in Hoboken, Jersey City and then in East Rutherford right by the train station. I never wanted to pay $4k a month to have a studio -- I ended up paying $1k a month for a house that I could then have a drum set in the basement etc -- but I could still get into the city via PATH train at any time. That seemed like a good middle ground -- I could go to bars, see shows and then take the path home at any point since they were going every 20 minutes if I recall.