New York City rental guide - where to start

Before you start your search for a room or apartment the first thing you'll need to do is figure out what you want and what you can realistically afford (the two rarely go together).

An old adage in New York real estate is that you can have two of three 'goods':

• A good location
• Good space
• A good price

The one thing on that list that's usually fixed is the price you can afford - your budget is set by how much you earn so there's not a lot you can do about it. That means the things you're most likely to compromise on are space and location. If you want to live in your favorite location with a good amount of space (and bear in mind 'a good amount of space' means something very different in New York than it does anywhere else), you'd better be prepared to pay top dollar. Current rents are the highest in the city's history and even small, dingy studios in desirable areas can start at around $1,800 per month.

However, if you're willing to compromise on space or location you should be able to find something in your range. SpareRoom has rooms to rent all over New York City (and the surrounding area) and, unlike some sites, we make it easy for you to find exactly what you need.

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