How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It\u2019s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion.<\/p>\n
We surveyed hundreds of New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save. We found that many people \u2014 rich, poor or somewhere in between \u2014 live life as a series of small calculations that add up to one big question: What makes living in New York worth it?<\/a><\/p>\n Karen Jeanne Radley has experienced the highs and lows of securing affordable housing in New York City, changing apartments more than once before finding her current home in a senior living community in Far Rockaway.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all about being able to survive,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd what I\u2019ve come to learn through this is that I\u2019m a much stronger person than I thought I was, having to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Radley, a 51-year-old freelance website developer and consultant, lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for almost 20 years before a rent increase in 2020 forced her out.<\/p>\n She moved in with her mother, who lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side. When the rent increased on that unit, they downsized to another apartment in the same building. Then came another rent increase, and another search for a place to live.<\/p>\n \u201cIt presented us with the opportunity to find a new neighborhood, explore new things,\u201d Ms. Radley said. \u201cWe started saying, \u2018OK, these boroughs that we\u2019ve never considered, why don\u2019t we start considering Queens? Why don\u2019t we start looking in the Bronx?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The mother-daughter duo moved to Far Rockaway, a Queens beachfront neighborhood, last year with their two dogs \u2014 Alistair, a Havanese, and Winston, a Portuguese water dog.<\/p>\n Living in a building for older adults is far from ideal for Ms. Radley, who made about $45,000 last year. She said she has limited social opportunities because her neighbors are much older than her, but a bigger apartment by the beach with reasonable rent is a win. For $941 per month, she shares a one-bedroom apartment with her mother, who is 83 and secured their current arrangement through the Jewish Association Serving the Aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ms. Radley created a makeshift bedroom for herself in the living area. The dining room table doubles as her desk, where she works on websites and digital ad campaigns.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really bother me,\u201d Ms. Radley said. \u201cRight after you\u2019re done watching TV at night, you don\u2019t have to go far to go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking Outside New York<\/p>\n Ms. Radley started her career in marketing after graduating from Bard College in 1997, and shifted to consulting about 10 years ago when she lost her job. Her income and clientele grew during her first few years as a consultant, but when the pandemic hit, she started earning less.<\/p>\n She thought about leaving New York for better employment opportunities and sought jobs in Boston, Atlanta and San Francisco, but nothing worked out. So Ms. Radley stayed in the city, where she still has clients \u2014 some of whom trade their services for hers. For example, Ms. Radley does web design and maintenance for a salon in exchange for getting her hair done.<\/p>\n Time and again, the city she describes as \u201ca place of discovery\u201d has compelled her to adjust to the high cost of living, but she has found ways to enjoy life without straining her finances.<\/p>\n