NLIC.org

Ruben Said:

I may be moving to NYC in a couple of months. Couple of questions...?

We Answered:

First off, don't listen to Answer Man, his numbers are way off.

I'm a lifelong NYCer so I'll tell you how it is.

As you know, NYC is made up of the 5 boros. Manhattan is very expensive but you can get a nice one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn or Queens (not far from Manhattan) for $1,200 a month. The same apartment in Manhattan would run about $2,000.

As for transportation, it's $2.00 a ride but you can by various different MetroCards that can get it down as low as $1.25 a ride. If you plan on living in Manhattan you will have to garage your car (about $300 a month) because street parking on a regular basis is almost impossible.

Bottom line, you need to make about $70,000 a year to live in Manhattan, about $50,000 to live in the other boros. Long Island is very expensive too.

Good Luck

Allen Said:

In New York City, why are peddie cabs more expensive than taxis?

We Answered:

1. Sure its cheaper, but instead of pressing the gas peddling you have to run up slow inclines with cars wizzing by, pedistrians randomly appearing and delivery bikes. And on top of that you have to pull along 1-2 people + bags. Each person is AT LEAST 150 pounds.

2. They are so uncommon and cabs are much more realible, nobody goes out of their house and looks for a peddie cab to wave down.

3. They are weather dependent, if it's raining REALLY hard, or snowing they cant work, and they have to make up for it.

4. Think of the horse rides in central park. They are extremely expensive, not so much because of the horse care, but because they are a touristy thing, and "a thing" to do, and tourists are willing to pay that much to say they've been on one.

Eileen Said:

Why are taxis so damn expensive?????

We Answered:

This is tough because we don't have all the information. For $120, how far did you go, how long did it take?

One thing to consider is that taxis have to pay for a medallion to be a registered taxi. They are very expensive and are paid off over time, like a mortgage. They have to put that cost into their computations as well.

Also, for $120, it sounds like you went a long way. So don't forget that you have to consider the return trip for the taxi driver (they may not be able to pick someone up until they return to your departure point). So you have to double all the estimated costs in this case. That would make your costs seem reasonable, wouldn't it?