Although it is notoriously expensive to live in NYC, Manhattan especially, I've found that living in Brooklyn provides a balance between (relatively) cheaper living and access to a slew of food, culture, and a variety of activities. However, it must be said that not all of Brooklyn is moderately priced. In fact, some neighborhoods are equally, or MORE, expensive than some neighborhoods in Manhattan.

I live in what is essentially central Brooklyn at the cross-section of three neighborhoods: Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. These neighborhoods, to varying degrees, each boast histories painted in a somewhat rough-hue, though, for better or worse, each is becoming more and more gentrified as more and more people find it difficult to afford the prices in Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn. Having only lived in the city for little over a year, I don't claim any sense of authority with regard to the social dynamics of who lives where and why, but it seems that the racial/ethnic segregation of "old New York," is currently being usurped by a class-driven divide.

Sociological speculations aside, here is what I pay to live in my neighborhood:

-Rent: 658, for a bedroom in a moderately-sized three bedroom which I share with two roommates. Second-floor in a three-floor walk-up.

-Utilities: roughly 30-50 a month. I just pay for gas (my roommates and each pay for one facet of the utilities, so i can't speak for the rest...we each just pay our portion and don't confer...this is probably not a typical situation, though. fair warning.)

-Transportation: 40 every two months. i mainly commute by bike, so my subway cost is roughly half of what it would be if I were to purchase an unlimited monthly subway pass, which is 81 a month.

-Food: This is so very variable depending on how much you eat out versus how much you eat in, and (maybe unique to New York) it is arguable that eating out might actually be cheaper than eating in...but again, all so dependent on your lifestyle. I probably spend 75-100 a week at the grocery store, and about the same eating out. Let's say 500-800/month for food.

There is no doubt the cost of living in the city is expensive, but when you factor this against the average pay, the equation seems to balance out. I would argue that the the same general economic strata exist here as in anywhere in the US, but the whole scale is just bumped up a bit. Bottom line: no need for fear, the city is easier to make work (once you've made the commitment) than it might seem form the outside looking in.