Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Indian woman shares NYC cost-of-living budget breakdown in viral video
A woman named Trisha made a video to help people understand what it costs to live in New York City.
She has lived there for eight years and wanted to share what she learned so others could avoid her mistakes.
The most expensive part is a place to live, especially in the neighborhood called Manhattan.
Living alone there can cost about as much as $5,000 every month.
If you share a place with roommates in other neighborhoods, it can cost much less.
Food is another big cost, and she says cooking at home is the smartest way to save money.
Riding the subway is a good deal because each ride costs about $3, and the price stops adding up after 12 rides in a week.
Going out to eat and drink often, or trying to live a fancy Instagram-style life, makes the bill get very high very fast.
She wants people to think about what they are willing to give up to afford living in New York.
Indian woman Trisha shared a viral Instagram video breaking down her eight years of financial learnings about living in New York City.
A Manhattan studio or one-bedroom apartment costs $3,500 to $5,000 a month, while roommate arrangements elsewhere can cost $1,800 to $2,800 per person.
Cooking most meals at home costs $500 to $700 a month in groceries, versus $900 to $1,400 a month for eating and drinking out multiple times weekly.
Subway rides cost $3 each with a weekly cap of 12 charged rides, putting total monthly transit between $150 and $300 including occasional late-night Ubers.
Trisha says the real question for prospective residents is not 'Can I afford it?' but 'What am I willing to give up to afford it?'
Discretionary lifestyle spending ranges from $100 to $500 monthly for a balanced social life, but an aesthetic-driven, consumer-heavy lifestyle can destabilise a budget.
- Who
- Trisha (also referred to as Trish), an Indian woman and Instagram creator who has lived in New York City for eight years.
- What
- She shared a viral Instagram video breaking down the real monthly cost of living in New York, covering rent, groceries, dining, transit, and lifestyle spending.
- When
- The exact date is not stated in the article.
- Where
- New York City, with specific focus on Manhattan and other boroughs such as Brooklyn.
- Why
- To help people in their 20s planning to move to NYC navigate the city's high costs by sharing the mistakes she made and the strategies she learned.
- Manhattan solo rent
- $3,500 to over $5,000 per month
- Roommate rent (other boroughs)
- $1,800 to $2,800 per person per month
- Monthly groceries (home cooking)
- $500 to $700
- Monthly dining out and drinks
- $900 to $1,400
- Subway fare
- $3 per ride, capped at 12 charged rides per week
- Total monthly transit
- $150 to $300 (including occasional Uber)
- Discretionary lifestyle spending
- $100 to $500 per month
- Trisha's NYC residency
- 8 years