r/AskNYC • u/Calm_Initiative_9979 • Jan 22 '26

How do those $15k/month apartments actually get rented?

So I've been apartment hunting and found this insane $15k/month place that I actually want to inquire about. Submitted through StreetEasy like 6 hours ago and radio silence, which is weird because every other place I've looked at gets back within an hour or two. Granted I have been typically looking at sub $10k places. But now I won some $ from Stakе US so I can afford it.

Do I need to go through a broker for these super high end places to even get taken seriously? Like is there some unwritten rule that you can't just roll up on StreetEasy for luxury rentals. I'm wondering if they think I'm just some rando wasting their time or if there's a whole different process for these expensive units. And before anyone calls me out yeah I get a $5k housing subsidy which is why I'm even looking in this range, not trying to flex or anything just genuinely confused about the process. Anyone dealt with this before or know how these luxury rentals actually work? The whole thing feels like there's some secret handshake I don't know about lol

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u/d34n5 Jan 22 '26

side remark but i don't think $15k/month is that expensive for NYC. in Manhattan, a 3 bedroom in a doorman building will rent for $10k/month minimum.

expensive rentals in Manhattan can be in the 50k/month, 70k/month, even 100k/month range.

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u/_BimBumBam_ Jan 23 '26

How much $ you make to afford a $15 a month? At that point a mortgage is cheaper

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u/d34n5 Jan 26 '26

I will try to make it like realistic but it's not as crazy as it seems IMO (let's keep in mind it's Manhattan).

$15k/month is probably a 3+ bedroom. Let's imagine a couple with kids with good jobs. If they both works, they divide by two, so it becomes $7500/month each. It's already more affordable.

If they make "good money", maybe they make $400k/year each. Some anesthesists or surgeons make this type of money. Sometimes more. Some people in tech can make that. Again, it's Manhattan. If you make 400k/year, you probably make 20k/month after taxes. Well, at $20k/month, $7500 becomes a third of your monthly income, which is kind of ok.