Living alone in New York City certainly isn't cheap. In fact, according to the most recent rental market reports, it'll cost you around $2,700 month to live in a Manhattan studio, $2,500 to live in a Brooklyn studio, and $2,250 to live in one in Queens.
But plenty of people are making it work here. According to U.S. census data, over a quarter of households consist of just one person, and in Manhattan, that number jumps to about half the population.
A recent episode of WNYC's Death, Sex & Money podcast called "Living Alone, One Year Later" features people discussing the pros and cons of living alone 12 months after they decided to go solo.
Among the pros—being able to decorate as they damn well please, being able to eat a glazed doughnut in the shower (one recently single man described that particular experience as "bliss"), and, of course, having some much-needed time to yourself: "Quietness, solitude and the ability to reboot yourself," is how a divorced dad with shared custody describes it.
But it's not all rainbows, roses and fried pastries in the shower. One caller says at first it felt like wearing your mom's pumps when you're a kid and they just don't fit. And people who live alone—men and women alike—worry about their security and what could happen in the case of an emergency (if they fall and hit their heads or choke on something, for instance).
Loneliness is an issue, too, callers note, but cats and dogs certainly help with that. And some mentioned the financial challenges—namely that there's no one to split the bills (not just rent, there are also all the utilities to think of ), and how it makes other people think you've got it made in the shade. "It says how much you make without saying how much you make," one woman says. (Certainly in NYC, we make those assumptions.) As with most things related to real estate, it's a trade-off.
Listen to the full podcast here:
Related:
Alone in New York at last: The joy of a neighbor-free existence
Want to live alone in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens? You'll need to make at least $96K a year
