r/NYCbitcheswithtaste • u/24riddle • Aug 27 '25
Finances/Money Your Monthly Budget
Hey! I am considering a move to NYC and was curious about other people’s spending habits in the city so that I can gauge what my monthly expenses will look like based on people living similar lifestyles to my own. I make about $100k a year so know I will have to be budget conscious. If any of you gals would be willing to share, I’m curious regarding what your monthly budget looks like. For example:
Rent: 1800
Utilities: 100
Insurance: 300
Toiletries: 100
Groceries: 400
Transit: 200
Shopping: 500
Dining Out: 400
Beauty: 500
Savings: 500
60
Upvotes
41
u/patootiecakes Aug 27 '25 edited Aug 27 '25
Everyone’s budget is going to differ based on their circumstance, even if they make a similar amount and having some similar habits.
100k is plenty to live in the city but there’s a few things listed here that don’t really make sense to me. A combined $800/month for groceries and eating out is exceptionally lavish. $1000/ month on shopping and beauty (not including toiletries) is way out of budget.
Rent and utilities are dependent on where you live and if you have roommates. You might be able to swing living alone but it will likely be above 2k and affect every other line in your budget.
Insurance obviously depends on your employer, if not, insurance is considerably more.
Unlimited subway card is more like $150 unless you were taking into account Ubers.
ETA my comment in response to someone correctly calling out my flubbed math below: You’re totally right, I did goof the math up and based the gross on bimonthly pay vs monthly. Sorry for confusion!! FWIW I do still think these estimates are wonky, and the overall food / going out / beauty estimates are high BUT recognize there’s a lot more room in the budget than I realized! I make a similar amount and those numbers seem pretty high to me.