๐บ๐ธ United States
Moving to New York
New York does not really have a housing search problem for newcomers โ it has a qualification problem. Buildings want to see income of forty times the monthly rent, a credit history, and a guarantor, and someone who has just landed from abroad has none of the three. Solving that before you look saves more time than any amount of browsing.
- Visit
- โฌ49
- Starter
- โฌ899
- Premium
- โฌ1,900
The apartment is the easy part. The application package is what decides it.
Where to live
Neighbourhoods in New York
Astoria, Queens
First movers, value seekersN and W trains to Midtown in about twenty-five minutes, genuinely good food, and one-beds well below Manhattan's. Walk-ups beside the elevated tracks are noisy.
Williamsburg & Greenpoint
Young professionalsThe L and G trains and the East River ferry. Priced close to Manhattan now, but the waterfront new-builds keep supply moving.
Upper East Side
Families, quieter moversThe best space for the money in Manhattan, near Central Park and the museums. The Q on Second Avenue eased the old crush on the 4, 5 and 6.
Park Slope & Prospect Heights
Families, couplesBrownstone Brooklyn beside Prospect Park, with sought-after zoned elementary schools. Family demand keeps rents high and the good flats go fast.
Jersey City
Commuters, familiesOne PATH stop from the Financial District, in newer towers with more room. A different state: no New York City income tax, and its own tenancy rules.
What it costs to rent
Indicative rents
Monthly, unfurnished, excluding utilities. Since June 2025 a broker the landlord hired is the landlord's to pay; guarantor services are separate.
- One-bed, Manhattan$3,800 โ $5,500
- One-bed, outer borough$2,500 โ $3,800
- Room in a share$1,400 โ $2,200
Indicative only ยท last checked ยท your Insider confirms before you commit.
What catches people out
The wire transfer that ends the conversation
Listings that do not exist, posted to harvest deposits, are a permanent fixture of the New York market. If you are asked to wire money to see a place or hold it, walk.
A broker fee that should not be yours
Under the FARE Act, in force since 11 June 2025, whoever hires the broker pays them, so a landlord's listing agent cannot bill you. Fees used to reach 15% of the annual rent, and some of that cost has moved into asking rents. If you are invoiced anyway, ask in writing who hired the broker and report it to the city's consumer protection department.
40x income, and no credit file
Most buildings want annual income of forty times the monthly rent, verified. Newcomers have no US credit history at all, which reads as a decline. Institutional guarantor services exist and cost a percentage of the annual rent โ budget for one.
After the keys
The admin that follows a move
On Premium, your Insider does this with you rather than sending you a checklist.
How long a move to New York takes. Four to six weeks. Leases turn on the 1st and the paperwork is the slow part.
- Step 1
Social Security number
Apply as soon as you are eligible. Almost every financial product asks for it, and building applications often do too.
- Step 2
A guarantor, or a substitute
Either a US-based guarantor earning 80x the monthly rent, or a paid guarantor service. Arrange this before you start viewing, not after you find something.
- Step 3
Utilities
Con Edison for electricity and gas in most of the city. Set up before move-in; transfers can take several days.
- Step 4
Renter's insurance
Increasingly required by the lease rather than optional. Cheap, and worth having regardless.
LanguageEnglish throughout. Your Insider works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.
Relocation tools
Plan the move to New York
Small tools built on this guide: what a month costs, the steps in order, what to pack and what to do when you land. Indicative figures, in the local currency.
- Cost calculatorA month in the city, three ways, in the local currency.Open
- Visa timelineYour route, step by step, with how long each part takes.Open
- Neighbourhood matchmakerFour questions, one neighbourhood, and what a one-bed costs there.Open
- Packing listA checklist for this city and the season you land in.Open
- First 48 hoursWhat to do first after landing, in the order that works.Open
- Local appsThe phone setup that runs daily life, and what each replaces.Open
- Dish finderWhat to order, by time of day, and what it is called.Open
- Weekend getawaysEasy escapes, by travel time and how you get there.Open
Pricing for New York
What a move to New York costs
These are the fees in New York, published before you start, in euros. No commission on your rent, no percentage of the lease, no success fee.
Visit
Your Insider visits for youโฌ49single ยท โฌ99 pack of 3- In-person visit by a local Insider
- Video walkthrough
- Area report
- Scam check
- Most popular
Starter
Full home searchโฌ899flat fee ยท New York- Personal shortlist
- Viewings with video
- Lease negotiation & review
- Handover & keys
- 50% to start, 50% at the keys
Premium
Home search + full setupโฌ1,900flat fee ยท New York- Everything in Starter
- Bank, SIM & registration
- Utilities & internet
- Healthcare & school search
- First-week orientation
The full guide
Five deep dives for someone arriving, not visiting
- Housing Finding the flat takes days; qualifying for it takes weeks. The application package, not the search, is what decides whether you get keys.
- Paperwork A Social Security number, a credit file built from nothing, and three layers of income tax โ city, state and federal.
- Healthcare Employer insurance is the system, and the plan document โ deductible, network, out-of-pocket maximum โ is what actually determines what you pay.
- Schools A free public system where your address gives you a zoned school and a portal decides the rest, alongside independent schools that admit almost a year in advance.
- Getting around A 24-hour subway you tap into with a bank card, weekly fare capping that has replaced the old passes, and a congestion charge that has changed the maths on driving.
On the ground
Alfred, Antoine, Capu, Eva, Nico โ the people behind Insidoor.
Every Insider lives in their city and holds a verified ID. We match you on language and on who is coming with you.
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