30 Tips When Moving From Boston to NYC

BOSTON TO NYC MOVING
Boston and NYC - both pretty awesome cities but so, so different.  We have moved over 6,000 students and families from Boston to NYC - here are our top tips for anyone moving from Boston to NYC!

Moving From Boston to NYC

• Find a job before moving to NYC.  This will make everything much easier knowing money will be coming in especially when considering NYC living is more expensive than Boston.

• NYC has many neighborhoods within neighborhoods and all are different.  Boston has larger areas where one street over in NYC will drastically change your quality of life

• Subway accessible apartments are the best and go quickly - seize the moment

• Living near Times Square is a mistake

• Craigslist is a great tool to find average rents  

• Rent prices and moving company prices  are the highest for moving into a new apartment in the summer, so if you can, move in the fall or winter

• Using a real estate broker is almost always needed when trying to find a perfect apartment and use Movers Near Me for any moving services.

• Be aware of the cost of living adjustment from Boston to NYC - things definitely are more expensive in NYC

• Know that you probably will spend more eating out and going out for drinks because restaurants and bars are everywhere and it's so easy to go out plus many more office meetings happen at bars/restaurants.  Most people in NYC never use their kitchen.

• Some people may disagree, but i preferred to move everything from my old apartment in Boston to NYC (i used a moving service that loaded up a truck with everything from my old apartment, it was around $2k). I thought that was much easier, considering I liked all my furniture and would've had to pack a few suitcases of clothes, computers, and other things anyway if i didn't use a moving service. You could buy all new stuff after moving here, but that takes time too to find everything, and then most likely not having a car in the city it's a hassle if you have to rent a car or ask a friend, or try and get everything delivered

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• The least important part of your apartment in NYC will be the kitchen. Don't worry about the size.

• Don't sign more than a 1 year lease. You may be offered a two year lease. Don't do it unless you're absolutely sure you know the apartment and neighborhood well

•  Be weary of buildings that look poorly maintained, are right above a loud bar or restaurant, are more than 3 or 4 street (not avenue) blocks from a subway station

• Visit the neighborhood you plan on living in at different times: during morning/evening rush hours, during a normal work day, during the weekend and late at night. You'll be very surprised at how much the neighborhood can change at these different times

• You'll have to change your team - NYC teams - I choose the Mets and the Jets - good bye to the Pats and the Sox

• Pick up local papers and blogs to find out what is going on in your neighborhood

• Instacart is your friend.  Delivery in NYC is crucial to your happiness. 

• Don't ever, ever, ever pay a broker's fee in finding an apartment - the landlord pays the broker

• If you want to know what a neighborhood is like, check out the produce and meat section of the local grocery store. Good, fresh produce means that even if a neighborhood isn't ritzy, it's a decent enough area, and probably up-and-coming if it hasn't already arrived

• Everything costs more than you thought it would. Before you move in, figure on having three months worth of rent available up front. Even without the broker's fee, you'll need first month, security, and sometimes, last month's rent. If you don't need to pay last month's rent, trust me, that money will come in handy for SOME expense. (Remember that everything costs more than you thought it would.)

• That said, don't worry—it's plenty possible to drink, eat and entertain yourself cheaply in NYC, even Manhattan. In Manhattan (aka "the city,") the further east or west you get, the more likely you'll be to find something that's good, cheap, and not packed to the rafters.You just have to walk a few blocks further away from the center.

If you are actually physically moving your furniture to NYC - Here are some helpful tips:

• Don't Wait Until the Last Minute to Find Movers in NYC

With any move, it’s crucial to pay extra attention to the planning process. Make sure that you start preparing at least six weeks prior to your moving date. Movers Near Me is a private local moving company that has locations in both downtown Boston and Manhattan. You can find Movers Near Me or you can view each location here:
BOSTON MOVERS
NYC MOVERS
Pro Tip: Many movers in NYC charge fees for shuttle and lack of elevator -- make sure you tell them everything

•  Pack Tight

Use a heavy duty box and pack it tight -- the tighter the better!
Pro Tip: Don't use banana boxes.  

•  Purge

Throw away any items you don't use anymore

• Label

You will save hours if you label your boxes for your movers or yourself.  

• Hire Movers

You will find that most people hire movers when moving from Boston to NYC - driving a moving truck in both locations is very difficult and frankly totally scary.  Both Boston and NYC also have lots of walk-up apartments making moves very hard.

• Boston to NYC Movers that Don't Suck

There are a ton of Boston to NYC movers that are horrible - unlicensed and unable to communicate.  Do yourself a favor and hire Monster Movers - ask for flat rates for your move!