<prompt> Human: Hey rpersonalfinance, Im making a pretty big move here in August, going from a small college town in Ohio to NYC. Ill be attending grad school there and will be living off-campus. I have some money saved up now, but will also be working over the summer months to save up. By then, Ill hopefully have around 3k.I was wondering if there were any tips that people could give me. Housing, cost-of-living, tips and tricks. Really anything to help an otherwise relatively unaware twenty-something-year-old get by in the big city. Thanks a lot! Im willing to answer any questions that might help you help me! Edit: thanks for all the great advice everyone. Its been wonderful hearing from all of you. Assistant: 3k really wont get you far. Will you have a stipend?Live with roommates in Brooklyn or Queens; thatll save you some money. But also weigh that against how long your commute will be... Public transportation will likely be your mode of transport - monthly passes are about 120. Avoid the temptation to eat out all the time, because it is very easy to spend a lot of money on food without thinking about it. Human: Stipend: yes, small but yes. Plus financial aide. With those I should be closer to 10k. I forgot to factor those in, honestly. So Queens and Brooklyn are relatively cheaper? Thats great information. The school Im attending is in lower Manhattan for perspective on the commute. Parking in NYC is horrible, yes? So I was considering public transportation. Do you know what motorcycle life is like? Considerably the same? Unfortunately and embarrassingly, eating out is one of my worst habits. What percentage would you say of my weekly income should go to food?Edit: a thank you for the help :Assistant: You dont need a car here. I see almost no motorcycles around either. It can be pretty surprising at first I moved from Missouri to NYC, so similar to you but with the metro system you dont need another form of motorized transportation. Plenty of people ride bikes or walk too.Eating out here will wreck your income if youre not careful. It can be very expensive. Go check out some cost of living calculatorsestimators like Numbeo the Earth Awaits and so on.My biggest tip: Dont eat out and get your groceries in Chinatown. Get one of those cart things for 15-20 to haul your groceries around theyre waterproof windproof too.Human: Ahhh! I love it. Wonderful, wonderful advice. Groceries in Chinatown are less expensive? I really need to up my cookbook game I guess. I have a really nice road bike so Ill rock that I think. Maybe I can sell my car and use that for the move.  <response>: Groceries in Chinatown are way less expensive. As a quick example stem tomatoes are 3.99lb at a place like Westside Market in lower Manhattan but 0.79lb in Chinatown. You can get a dozen eggs for 0.99 and a rack of baby back ribs for 5.Advice on learning how to cook is probably out of the scope of rpersonalfinance, but Im sure there are other subreddits that can help with that!If your road bike is really nice make sure you get a good lock and chain. Dont just secure your frame, also secure your wheels esp. if theyre quick release and try not to leave your bike outside overnight if you can avoid it. Bike theft is super common in this city. 