Even bottled water or a carton of milk from a local bodega is often more expensive in Manhattan. Supermarkets too, vary tremendously from area to area. On the south side of Union Square, in Manhattan, is a particularly good Whole Foods supermarket - prices tend to be a little higher than other Whole Foods stores in other boroughs though.

Another excellent chain for some of the widest selection of foods available in the city [including a section devoted to particularly British foods [Branston Pickle, Marmite, brown sauce, etc], serving the huge number of Brits in Brooklyn], is Fairway markets. The store in Red Hook, Brooklyn has a fabulous location in a huge, renovated civil war warehouse, right on the water. It overlooks Manhattan and has its own water taxi connecting you to downtown. Whereas the Fairway market on the upper west side of Manhattan, whilst having pretty much the same wide selection, is more expensive.

Remembering when I first moved to London from my provincial town, I discovered that, wow, everything was now on my doorstep. The museums, the galleries, the gigs, even the sightseeing, were all within a short Tube ride away. The only problem was, I didn't earn enough when I first moved, to visit and enjoy all those delights on my doorstep - most of my income going on rent and the essentials. By the time I was earning a decent salary, I was ready to leave it, some 12 years later.

Whether that'd be the same for newly-arrived Brits in Manhattan, it's hard to say. I'm no longer in my twenties, which is the period when we'll put up with the odd beans-on-toast night in order live in the current hip neighbourhood [as shallow as that seems now, I know I did]. The Lower East Side is one such neighbourhood, close enough to New York University so the area is full of students, near some of the coolest bars [sadly there's no more CBGB's on the Bowery to check out] and some great places to eat, even if you don't include Chinatown to the south, that has some spectacular eateries.

New York is an incredibly large and ethnically diverse metropolitan area, and it's home to almost 20 million people - whilst the city's population itself is 8.1 million. The city's size is roughly equivalent to the combined populations of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia—America's second, third, and fifth most populous cities, respectively [the fourth largest would be Brooklyn, if it were still a separate city].

Throughout its history, it's been the major point of entry for immigrants from all over the world. According to some estimates as many as one in four Americans can trace their roots to Brooklyn - which until the vote to incorporate into New York City in 1898, was a city in its own right and is currently home to over 2.6 million New Yorkers. In 2000, 36% of the city's population was foreign-born.

Coming next: Hipster Central, and it ain't in Manhattan and it might - just - still be affordable.

Click image to view larger - then N for next, C for close.

by Charlie Fellowes, NewYorkBrits

The lower east side: a vibrant, trendy area, a little careworn around the edges, but good places to eat and - on the surface - looks affordable, right? Err, not so much.

For instance, a tiny 400 sq ft, 1-bed apartment, in a five floor walk-up building around the Second Avenue area will cost anywhere between $1800-$2200 per month. Ouch!, I hear you say. And this is an area that around 10 years ago, was a centre of drug use and dealing, but long since cleaned up. The city also has an extremely high population density of 26,400/sq.ml, with Manhattan crushingly higher, at 67,000/sq.ml... which certainly contributes to keeping demand high. [London has a population density of 11,750/sq.ml.]

On the earnings side of the equation - as in, how much am I likely to earn - the median income in New York City varies from area to area - just like London. Median household income in New York [in 2004, adjusted] was $47,350, while Manhattan alone is higher than the other boroughs in the city [at $50,730]. Of course, if you work in a legal profession you're near the top of the heap [$100,000+] and if you work in food preparation or wait-on, you're pretty much at the bottom [$20,000 or less].

If your preference is for a house with a garden, I'd forget Manhattan. There are very few and those are expensive townhouse-type homes - the area around 60th-65th streets on the east side [where there are some fabulous three and four-storey homes - one owned by the editor of Vanity Fair for example], however, most are in the farthest flung reaches of the island - usually uptown. If a house and garden is your thing, then the boroughs are for you... think Brooklyn, Queens or possibly Staten Island.

There are many neighbourhoods in those boroughs that fit this requirement. The other bonus is, you will almost certainly get more living space for your dollar than Manhattan can offer - and who knows, maybe even a garage for that car you'll want.

Of course, take the biggest single cost [housing], out of the equation and NYC becomes an affordable city - as long as you don't get sick too often. Getting around on the subway system for example, is hugely cheaper than London's Underground and it operates 24 hours too. [See related article on the NYC subway - and more to come.] As a result it's easy to explore those far-flung neighbourhoods, such as Bay Ridge in Brooklyn [by the outer harbour and the magnificent Verrazano-Narrows Bridge], or Pelham Bay in the Bronx [overlooking Long Island Sound].

It's also considerably cheaper than London to eat out - but again, that can depend on where you decide to pitch your tent. There are superb award-winning restaurants in Brooklyn for example [and most, including Michelin-rated ones], have cheaper prix-fixe menus than Manhattan restaurants.

home | features | living in nyc | visas | columns | sport | photos | contact us • All material ©2007 newyorkbrits.com. All rights reserved.