Where best to look for cheap short-term accommodation in NYC?

February 12, 2011 12:35 PM

I want to rent a room in NYC for 3 months between June - August, pay a maximum of $700 monthly, where should I look?

I am doing some short courses in New York for a few months, and would like somewhere decent and safe to stay during my studies. Preferably not too far from the city centre (max half an hour travelling) and bigger than a box room. I can pay a maximum of $700 a month, I have found roomorama.com, but I was wondering if anyone knew of anything similar (and cheaper)?

I'm from London so am really unfamiliar with the processes of looking and applying for short term rent in the US.

Thanks for reading!

posted by mushuu to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (27 answers total)

Craigslist is the place for this sort of thing. Your budget is very low, so you'll want to look at shares in the outer boroughs (Queens, Brooklyn, maybe the Bronx). Look at where in Manhattan you need to be and what subway lines are there, and then trace those lines into the other boroughs.

(I tend to think that it's going to be impossible to find a room bigger than a small box within 30 minutes of Manhattan for $700 a month, but if it is possible to find, that's how you'll find it.)
posted by decathecting at 12:40 PM on February 12, 2011

I've always had luck with Craigslist, but to be honest, $700/mo isn't going to get you much. Definitely outer boroughs, possibly something like Astoria, Queens. (Are you also factoring in cost for utilities?)

I think it might be over a half hour of travel time if you include the walking time to the subway stops, and that's assuming all the trains are running on schedule.
posted by rachaelfaith at 12:40 PM on February 12, 2011

Definitely short term sublets on craiglist, and $700 will be tricky UNLESS you are willing to live with other people's roommates and/or further out as mentioned above. I have also heard you can stay in the NYU dorms in the summer but you have to book them wayy in advance (ie now?)and I don't know the contact information for that. Good luck! NYC is fun, you will love it.
posted by bquarters at 12:51 PM on February 12, 2011

Search through the Craigslist sublet section or rooms & shares section or post an ad in the housing wanted section. Craigslist is very active here in New York. A lot of apartments won't open up until the month before they are available.

Also check Airbnb, which is mostly for day rates but some places also have monthly rates. If you're coming here for school, I would also ask the program administrator if there is a student mailing list that has these sorts of postings.
posted by hooray at 12:54 PM on February 12, 2011

You want the Craigslist sublet listings.

Knowing where your classes will be held will make it easier to recommend a neighborhood.

If you'll be at NYU, The New School, or anywhere south of 14th Street in Manhattan, you should look into Brooklyn. There are two broad areas to look at, Williamsburg (along the L subway line) or "Brownstone Brooklyn", AKA neighborhoods like Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace, Gowanus, or Cobble Hill. Park Slope is a keyword to look for, though that neighborhood proper is most likely out of your price range. These neighborhoods tend to be along the C, 2, 3, 4, 5, and F subways. These neighborhoods are also close to schools in Brooklyn, especially "downtown Brooklyn" (though you might have complications commuting from, say, Williamsburg to Brooklyn College, which is in a less central part of Brooklyn).

If you'll be at Hunter or anywhere on the East Side of Manhattan (or most of Midtown), Astoria and Long Island City in Queens will be your best bets.

If you'll be at Columbia, City College, or anywhere in Upper Manhattan, Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood are where you should look.

Unfortunately, you're going to be fighting a losing battle between price, room size, and proximity to Manhattan, especially if you'll be commuting to lower Manhattan from Brooklyn.
posted by Sara C. at 1:14 PM on February 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

Oh, and yes, you have absolutely no chance of a $700 apartment for one person. You will be having roommates. Which is probably for the best, anyway, if you're new to the city and won't know anyone here.
posted by Sara C. at 1:16 PM on February 12, 2011

I'm going to assume that by city center you mean somewhere in Manhattan - which can be almost anywhere. More specifics, please!

I'm going out on a limb here and suggest that depending where you may be taking classes, somewhere in NJ might be perfect and in your price range. I'm sure you will still be sharing, but you may have an easier/quicker commute on the Path Train than you might have from Brooklyn or Queens.

Your decision should be almost entirely based upon commute.

Also, look into shares along the border of New York and Connecticut - Rye, Cos Cob, etc. - the Metro North Train is surprisingly quick and convenient and drops you at either 125th Street or Grand Central Station.

I'm going to give bonus points to certain towns in NJ on the Hudson River because there are also a few ferries - and those are fun! (although they don't run as often if memory serves...)

Speaking of ferries, I think Staten Island could be cool, too. But once on Staten Island I think it's all about buses, which again, I think are kinda a PITA.

Whatever you do, consult maps and commuting options before taking any share. Too many transfers can cost you hours in commuting time. For real.
posted by jbenben at 1:32 PM on February 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hoboken and Jersey City are also a possibility using the PATH train which runs up to 34th street.
posted by R. Mutt at 1:56 PM on February 12, 2011

Yeah, if you're going to NYU, The New School, or maybe Pace, definitely look into somewhere in New Jersey on the PATH train.

With the usual New York chauvinist caveat that Living In New Jersey Is Not The Same As Living In New York City. But your money will definitely go further, and as a Brit it's still going to be a very different experience than living in London.
posted by Sara C. at 1:58 PM on February 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Check with the academic program; they should have contacts for you. Unfortunately, yes, you will have a roommate.
posted by lesli212 at 1:58 PM on February 12, 2011

Sorry to keep hogging the thread, but the main problem with Westchester and Connecticut is that they're difficult if not impossible to navigate without a car. An apartment in walking distance to the Metro North station will be almost as expensive as just living in the city, and it's more difficult to find a good share there. It'll also be difficult to do mundane stuff like get groceries, fill a prescription, etc because those communities aren't as walkable as New York neighborhoods. Which is another reason to use caution when you consider New Jersey.

Staten Island is going to be a gigantic pain in the ass unless you live in St. George and your course is at Pace in lower Manhattan, and you could walk from home to ferry to school. Though, like the other outer suburban areas (NJ, CT, Westchester), it can be hard to find a share and not as walkable as the more central parts of the city.
posted by Sara C. at 2:13 PM on February 12, 2011

Around 10 years ago it was possible to rent an NYU dorm during the summer for very good prices. I'm not sure if this is still an option but it's worth looking into.
posted by Alabaster at 4:47 PM on February 12, 2011

Response by poster: Thank you guys so much for your quick responses!

Sorry I meant that I am looking for a room in a shared apartment, though I don't want to share an actual room with somebody. I'm going to be doing short courses at the School of Visual Arts on 209 E 23rd St and the Arts Student League on 215 West 57th Street.

I've checked out craigslist (thanks for the recommendation) and used this website: http://tripplanner.mta.info/_customPlanner/customPlanner.aspx to try and figure commutes between some advertised rooms and the SVA etc. There does seem to be some rooms for rent going for around $700/800, and according to that trip planner website it looks like a 35 min commute roughly. I was wondering if you guys could recommend an area? Astoria, Crown Heights, Greenpoint, Park Slope, East Williamsburg...I have no idea how they differ. I'm 23, I would like to live somewhere with a more lively atmosphere, with more things going on then if I were to live in the suburbs.

I've also found a couple rooms in a shared apartment on roomorama.com, which cost $900 monthly for a bedroom in Park Slope and I think it includes utilities, internet etc. do you reckon thats a good deal?

Also, thanks for the NYU dorm recommendation, I'll definitely consider applying to their summer housing program!
posted by mushuu at 5:51 PM on February 12, 2011

Doesn't SVA have dorms?
posted by R. Mutt at 5:58 PM on February 12, 2011

Don't live in Connecticut, Westchester, Staten Island, or any of these places. That's insane, no offense to those who live there. Definitely not what you want if you're 23 and enjoy having any fun at all.

Astoria (near the N/Q or M/R trains) and Williamsburg (near the L train) are the most convenient of the ones you mentioned and full of cheap shares. That's where I'd live if I were you (I'm 25 and I have lived in both.)

$700 is plenty in either place for a small, not-exciting room with fun roommates. Most roommate arrangements are month-to-month.

Bear in mind that "Williamsburg" is expanded as a term to refer to almost anyplace due to the unscrupulous ways of Craigslist. Astoria does not have this problem.

Jersey City was mentioned above -- that's not bad if you're close to PATH, but yeah, there is a weird stigma about it among NYers. Still fun, not as fun as Brooklyn.

Feel free to MeFi Mail if you like. I've been in your situation many, many times.
posted by zvs at 6:35 PM on February 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Some more neighborhood details (I can't help myself):

- Astoria: nice, old-fashioned neighborhood, a lot of young people and a lot of old people. Very safe, pleasant. Kind of filthy (like, literally filthy), but otherwise it's a cool place to live. A lot of weird Euro-flavor.

- Crown Heights: pretty houses, sketchy environment. Girlfriend lived there for awhile and while it's reasonably safe, it's not very welcoming. Fast train access. Terrible grocery stores (except the Foodtown on Fulton St near Nostrand)

- Greenpoint: my favorite neighborhood in NYC and my home for years. Old, established Polish community, plus hipsters. Not visually appealing. Very safe. OK grocery stores. Your commute won't be great unless you can walk to the L train -- the G train is slow and doesn't run often.

- Park Slope: very nice, very expensive. Where young rich people go to have kids. Bear in mind the term "Park Slope" extends south for a very long time these days, and the neighborhood to the south is not as nice and has less amenities -- however, it depends where you are. A lot of the South Slope is quite pleasant and cheap.

- East Williamsburg: This can mean several things. Near the Lorimer/Graham/Grand stops is a bar-heavy, hipster-heavy, fun neighborhood with some old-timers. Past Grand is really Bushwick, which is also the hipster neighborhood du choice -- but it's not as nice and there are some relatively sketchy parts. Bushwick is huge and it's block-by-block.
posted by zvs at 6:39 PM on February 12, 2011

Response by poster: SVA does have summer housing but its way out of my budget at $1500 per month
posted by mushuu at 6:40 PM on February 12, 2011

Agree with Astoria, Greenpoint, and Bushwick/Williamsburg, definitely.

I live in Crown Heights near the Franklin Avenue 2/3/4/5 stop and like it a lot - I commute once a week to the area near SVA via the 4/5 and it takes like no time at all. This part of the neighborhood is becoming increasingly "welcoming" to young creative types (ugh, such a euphemism, but welcome to the politics of Brooklyn), and there's more and more interesting stuff to do nearby all the time. It's also really close to the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Prospect Park. I would fully recommend it as a place you should look, and it will definitely be in your price range.

Park Slope: I wouldn't consider it. Way outside your price range, an older/family vibe, and not all that convenient to SVA anyhow.
posted by Sara C. at 6:53 PM on February 12, 2011

Yeah, apologies for "welcoming", but it must be noted that as a white person in Crown Heights, people glare at you. Not saying whether it's right or wrong to do so, but it's true.

However I was being unfair, because if you're not Polish in Greenpoint, you'll get just as many glares. The 'gentrifier' stigma applies across the board, regardless of your individual situation.
posted by zvs at 7:15 PM on February 12, 2011

Oh, zvs, that was in no way a slight against you. It really is the most PC way of saying, "this particular corner of Crown Heights has a lot more white people than other parts of the neigborhood." Which is messed up. But there you go.

And re Greenpoint - if you're white and have a complexion/coloring that could be at all described as "fair", people will walk up to you and start speaking Polish.

This stuff is probably one of the most striking thing about life in New York, and one of the first lessons you'll learn, mushuu. Virtually every New York neighborhood is the "turf" of some ethnicity or social class, and your degree of looking the part will be an important aspect of how you feel about the neighborhood. Which shouldn't necessarily affect which neighborhood you choose to live in, but it's going to be an aspect of your day to day life no matter which part of the city you choose.
posted by Sara C. at 8:36 PM on February 12, 2011

Just wanted to stress the fact that the neighborhood labels people put on apartments on craigslist are frequently, uh, euphemistic. So it's important to set out some geographic boundaries.

As a general rule of thumb, for someone new to NYC and looking for a relatively fun, convenient and safe neighborhood in Brooklyn, I would look at a map and stay within the following boundaries: for south Brooklyn, stay north of Prospect Avenue, west of Washington Avenue, and south of Park Avenue. This advice may be a little bit politically incorrect, but, generally, anything in that big swath will be an easy commute, and fairly gentrified, meaning access to pretty good restaurants, shopping, nightlife, etc. I'm not super familiar with Williamsburg/north Brooklyn but my hunch there would be, generally, Grand Street as a southern boundary and the area around the Graham Avenue L stop to the east. (Someone else could speak more authoritatively about this area; I think this is pretty conservative.)

There are certainly lots of okay areas outside those boundaries (e.g., Sara C. by Franklin Avenue), and neighborhoods that are championed by many, and rightfully so. But generally outside that area, things can either get dodgy on a block by block basis, or there just isn't that much to do. If I had a friend moving here for the summer, these are the guidelines I would give them.

Also, Queens, NJ, all good options.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 11:26 PM on February 12, 2011

i have a friend of a friend who is in williamsburg (frost & humboldt) looking to rent a room in her apartment for $800/mo. unsure if she is interested in a short-term rental but you could ask. she's a law student. her apartment is cute. here is her description:

Room for rent in my apartment is amazing and a great share. Huge 1950's kitchen, beautiful bathroom!, a study/studio, and a livingroom. The bedrooms are on opposite sides of the apartment and are quite small - but totally fine! Lots of light!

memail if you are interested.
posted by violetk at 10:28 AM on February 13, 2011

It's probably a little above your price range but I stayed at The Webster in mid-Manhattan while doing an internship years ago. They have a sliding scale of prices and the weekly cost includes your own room and two meals a day. It's also a great place to meet other women to hang out with who are also doing internships in the city.
posted by JuliaKM at 10:52 AM on February 13, 2011

someone new to NYC and looking for a relatively fun, convenient and safe neighborhood in Brooklyn, I would look at a map and stay within the following boundaries: for south Brooklyn, stay north of Prospect Avenue, west of Washington Avenue, and south of Park Avenue.

This information is a little outdated.

I currently live slightly outside those boundaries (I'm a couple blocks west of Washington), and, while things are a teensy bit more wild and woolly than they were when I lived in the heart of Clinton Hill, it's really not a big deal. If you've lived in a city before, you can handle it.

I have a lot of friends living in Kensington (which is well south of dixiecupdrinking's zone) and while it's not the hippest part of the city, it's very safe and friendly and generally an awesome place to live. I've spent time hanging out in Greenwood Heights, south of Prospect Ave around the cemetery, and it's really lovely - I'd move there in a heartbeat. Prospect Lefferts Gardens is starting to blossom, as are parts of Bedford Stuyvesant (be careful with that, though).

Frankly, I would question whether you could afford to live within the zone described above - a room in Clinton Hill (for instance) will run you $800+. Though if you CAN find something within those bounds, you should take it. It's definitely the most fun part of southern Brooklyn.

Also, I'll add that, if you are looking at an apartment that is outside that zone, you probably are going to want to be within a few blocks of a subway station. Subway stops, especially express stops or major hubs connecting different lines, tend to be centers of foot traffic and neighborhood infrastructure. This makes them safer areas than the outlying blocks are likely to be, as well as more convenient.
posted by Sara C. at 12:33 PM on February 13, 2011

Response by poster: Hi guys, thank you so much for your thorough responses.

I really appreciate the heads up on these areas, I did notice there was a lot of mention on ethnicity when I was looking up these areas, even on wikipedia. I am a British born Chinese girl so I guess I've always been a bit of a minority, but I'd prefer not to be stared at too. I know different areas in London are more dominant with different ethnicities but I wouldn't say it would majorly impact your time their, its a pretty multicultural city and I thought New York was the same?

I've been checking out craigslist and I'll get a map of NY soon to start refining my searches. Are all the subway stops and lines smooth running? I didn't think it would be a major factor which subway stop you lived near. Thanks again for all the help and advice!
posted by mushuu at 4:46 PM on February 17, 2011

You won't be stared at anywhere you chose to live. The ethnic dynamics are more subtle than that. For instance the dominant forces in my neighborhood are Caribbean-American and African-American, with a significant Hasidic Jewish presence, and some Panamanians. It's important to be aware of, not in the sense that if you're not one of those groups, you'll be stared at. But more in the sense of that if you go to a Community Board meeting and try to take over, as a white or Asian person, you'll get a lot of pressure from Black and Latino groups. Because they were there first, and they feel like the neighborhood belongs to them.

Or less politically, in things like what kinds of restaurants there are in the area, or whether you can find a salon that knows what to do with your hair, and the like. It's not malevolent, it's just always there.

Being British and Chinese, you might either love or hate predominantly Asian neighborhoods. I have no idea. It's a total crapshoot. I will say, though, that my British Indian best friend generally eschews the local South Asian neighborhoods, at least as a place to live.
posted by Sara C. at 10:18 PM on February 17, 2011

Oh, and the only subway lines to be concerned about in terms of schedules and whether they run smoothly are the G and J/M/Z lines (wait, did they get rid of the Z or not? I forget). The G is great at rush hour, but horrible late at night and on the weekends. All my memories of the J/M/Z are horrid, but then I've never actually lived on those subway lines.
posted by Sara C. at 10:20 PM on February 17, 2011