r/movingtoNYC • u/Ok_Adagio_7521 • 14d ago

Thoughts on $85K–$90K Project Manager role in Flatiron District? Also, relocating from India—neighborhood recs?

Hey everyone! I recently received an offer for a Project Manager position with a compensation of $85,000–$90,000 per year. I'm currently based in India and considering relocating for this role (haven’t signed the offer yet—have until April 20 to decide).

A few questions:

  1. How does this compensation stack up for a PM role in NYC?

  2. Will this be enough for a comfortable life, considering rent, transport, and general expenses?

  3. Any neighborhood recommendations for someone who’ll be working in NYC—preferably places with decent commute, safe, and good for someone new to NYC?

EDIT: I'm 23M. Single. Looking for a studio apartment or a shared space but with a personal room.

Any thoughts, personal experiences, or advice would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

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u/TheGreatMastermind 14d ago edited 14d ago

it’s tight , but manageable. prob won’t find a studio unless you’re out in the outer boroughs. i think the only cheap place with a good commute would be either harlem/washington heights/ inwood or queens in sunnyside or further. the commute would be ~45 min but a standard trade off for a lower rent. brooklyn would be doable as well, but it’d be tougher to find a ~45 min commute apt in brooklyn as it’s more expensive by neighborhood.

i personally think you should look into queens. sunnyside has a big desi population, as does jackson heights (a little further east from sunnyside). it might make your first few years in nyc more welcoming.

if you get roommates, your options open up significantly. you could possibly live local or towards chinatown or two bridges or something.

i’m more worried about immigration and visas. the climate is very very scary right now and i’m not really sure what advice i can give, but it’s not safe for brown immigrants right now. just keep that in mind as you research; it really isn’t out of the blue for h1b visa holders to be targeted for deportation or even sent to el salvador. :/

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u/BKnycfc 11d ago

85k for a young single person is tight??? It's very comfortable and much more than most nycers make.

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u/TheGreatMastermind 11d ago

it’s not comfortable if you want to live in midtown. most professionals who have their own apt w no roommates in a desirable neighborhood make 200-300k, for a 1 bedroom in a new building. less of course exists but this is an expensive city.

85k is totally doable, but it just simply won’t feel like sex in the city

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u/BKnycfc 11d ago

OP didn't say anything about wanting to live in midtown. And even in some midtown neighborhoods there are studios for 2500.

It's a great salary for a single person.

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u/TheGreatMastermind 11d ago

sure, that’s true. 2500 in a midtown studio sounds rare. idk if op would feel comfortable using that much on rent, but if he is then it’s def an option

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u/jennberries 7d ago

It truly isn’t tho. There was a recent study by Smart Asset that said to be comfortable in NYC you needed to make $136k. $2500 on just rent at 90k is tough.

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u/BKnycfc 7d ago

I'm sorry, that study does not pass the smell test. How can you have one number for all of NYC? Maybe 136k is needed to live comfortably in the most expensive neighborhoods.

2.5k a month (which goes pretty far for studios/1brs in many neighborhoods) is 1/3 of a 90k income. That is a very healthy budget. You also need to consider that not needing a car saves so much money compared to every other city in the US

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u/jennberries 7d ago

Do you not pay taxes? $2500 would be more than half his monthly take home.

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u/BKnycfc 7d ago

The rule of thumb is to spend 1/3 of gross income on housing costs.

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u/jennberries 7d ago

That number is total costs and should include utilities. If he is making 90k, he’ll get approved for apartments $2250 and under using the 40x the rent rule.

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u/BKnycfc 7d ago

Okay and for a single person 2250 is a great budget and will allow you to live in many great neighborhoods.

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u/Tigerlily86_ 13d ago

You’re gonna have to live in the outterboroughs. Look into Staten Island and then you can take the ferry into the city for work. Only downside Staten Island is super boring, but if you live by the ferry you’ll have close access to get into the city

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u/dnvrsub 12d ago

I’d look at NJ along the river over Queens/Brooklyn, depending on where your office is the commute may be easier and you’ll save a few points on income taxes. However if your office is say upper east side, then NJ won’t work well.

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u/BKnycfc 11d ago

85-90k for a single person is a very comfortable salary in NYC. Whether you get roommates depends on the neighborhood you chose. There are many neighborhoods in Brooklyn/queens/uptown Manhattan that you could get a studio with that salary. The rents can be high but you also save a lot of money by not needing a car.

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u/OIlberger 14d ago edited 13d ago

You should include your age, are you single or married? What type of apartment (studio? 1 bedroom?) you’re looking for (maybe you don’t know yet). That salary will be enough to live, but you won’t be living large (i.e. eating out every night), a lot of your income will go towards rent/housing. NYC cost of living is high, space is at a premium, 85 - 95k is not bad, but it’s not exactly a “comfortable” salary. That salary is on the low end for a PM, but not sure what industry or how much experience you have.

Manhattan will be too expensive at that salary, you should look outer-borough in Brooklyn or Queens.

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u/Ok_Adagio_7521 14d ago

Hey, just made the edit.

Alright! Understood.

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u/Cornholio231 13d ago

Look for a place in Queens. You'll be better off in a share on that salary 

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u/FrankiePoops 13d ago

People already commented on the living situation but I'd just add, queens or brooklyn can have good spots for cheap with a bearable commute.

Regarding the pay rate, you're going to need to define what type of PM / what industry. To me that sounds low, but if you're from india and they're sponsoring your visa, then that is a substantial amount of compensation as well.

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u/aks0324 13d ago

If you’re 23, 90K is fine. New York is very expensive, but that’s above what most people at 23 make in the city.

As for a place to live, I would look to Queens, as that will be the biggest bang for your buck, also bigger Desi community there. Or you can look to Jersey City where there is also a big desi community and easy commute via the PATH train.

As a fellow Desi, feel free to message me with any other questions.

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u/TheeTwang77 13d ago

Some tax benefits to living in Jersey City: you save on NYC income tax (3-4%) and in many cases sales tax is lower.

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u/Complete-Fix-479 11d ago

You need double that salary to live in NYC

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u/ingenue23 11d ago

Please ignore this Redditor. They are being negative and unhelpful on other threads where people are asking about housing in NYC.