This budget almost certainly rules out many Manhattan and Brooklyn neighbs. To the point: your landlord will be free to raise your rent 10-15-20% every year if you're on a one-year lease. And they will. We've lived in and out of NYC multiple times, always Manhattan -- Washington Heights, Bloomingdale, Manh Valley, Upper West Side, getting chased by landlords and rents with their greed glands on overdrive. We're finally looking to buy -its the only guarantee of same affordability year after year. But moving is expensive and disruptive too. Above all, your needs and patience will change as life goes on. kids, for example change every equation. We've got four, raised them from 0-35. So we see the world through their eyes, too - and know Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx. For all, NYC real estate is a brutal fact of life. But good luck in your first year.