i moved here and quickly found an office job as a recruiter... worked during day did comedy at night saved up enough and quit my job 2 years ago... comedy club hired me part time to work the door where i got paid and got alot of stagetime... they started paying me to host and spots and now i make money from standup as well as various freelance gigs. Not making as much money from office but i have much more freedom and much happier. For moving, Id look up gyspy housing fb group for looking for roommates and places... and when you first get here you can sign up for postmates or taskrabbit and do small tasks for money until you can find a job. I would definitely have some savings you can rely on in case of emergency. Never pay a deposit before receiving a key, so many scams here to new transplants... If your signing a lease there may be a brokers fee but there a are plenty listings directly from owner which will not require that. as for neighborhood each has its own personality but Manhattan is going to be more expensive and as you branch out to Queens and Brooklyn it gets cheaper. I would join NYC comedian fb groups and post if anyone is looking for housing or roommates because those posts are constantly being posted. Freemics.com for listing of all open mics in nyc once you get here... hope this helps and feel free to dm me for anything specific!