The Cost of Moving to NYC: What You Pay Up Front

What You Pay at Signing

• First month’s rent.
• Security deposit: no more than one month’s rent. The same limit covers any rent paid in advance, so a landlord cannot also ask for the last month.
• Application fee: the cost of the credit and screening report, capped at $20.
• Broker fee: nothing to a broker who works for the landlord or posted the listing, under the city’s FARE Act. If you hired your own broker, you owe the fee in your written agreement with them.

• NYC Security Deposit Rules
• NYC Broker Fees and the FARE Act

Worked Example: A Studio

StreetEasy’s median asking rent, October 2026, for a studio was $3,420 citywide.

• First month: $3,420.
• Security deposit, at the cap: $3,420.
• Application fee: up to $20.
• Total at signing: $3,420 + $3,420 + $20 = $6,860.
• By borough, the first month plus deposit comes to $7,490 in Manhattan ($3,745 x 2), $6,360 in Brooklyn ($3,180 x 2) and $5,550 in Queens ($2,775 x 2).

Worked Example: A Room in a Shared Apartment

There is no published median for a single room, so this is calculated: the median asking rent for the whole apartment divided by its bedrooms. A Brooklyn three-bedroom at $4,775 divided by 3 is about $1,592 a room. A Queens two-bedroom at $3,615 divided by 2 is about $1,808.

• Room in a Brooklyn three-bedroom: first month $1,592 + deposit $1,592 = $3,184.
• Room in a Queens two-bedroom: first month $1,808 + deposit $1,808 = $3,616.
• Each person applying may pay their own application fee of up to $20.

An even split is a simplification. Rooms in the same apartment rarely cost the same, and real listings vary widely around the median.

• Splitting Rent with Roommates

Getting Your Things Here

Moving costs depend on how much you own and how far it travels, so get written quotes instead of trusting an average. The cheapest move is two suitcases and a furnished room. The next is a rented van and friends. Full-service movers cost the most and save a day.

Ask your building about move-in rules before you book: some require a time slot, an elevator reservation, or proof of the movers’ insurance.

The First Week’s Basics

• A bed and bedding, if the place is unfurnished.
• Curtains or blinds, a shower curtain, basic kitchen things, cleaning supplies.
• Internet installation, and possibly a deposit to the electric or gas utility if you have no US credit history.
• Renters insurance, if your lease requires it. The state insurance regulator puts a basic policy at about $300 a year.
• An air conditioner, if you arrive in summer and the unit has none.
• A transit budget for the subway and buses.

• Setting Up Utilities
• Renters Insurance in NYC

Keep a Cushion

Your first paycheck may arrive two to four weeks after you start, and the second month’s rent is due on the 1st regardless. A common plan is to arrive with the signing costs plus one more month of rent and living costs set aside.

On the Brooklyn room example, that is $3,184 at signing plus $1,592 for the next month’s rent, $4,776 before food and transit.

A Lower-Cost Way to Start

A furnished sublet for the first month or few removes the furniture and often the movers from the list, and lets you look for a lease in person. What you pay up front in a sublet is set by whoever you rent from, so ask for the full list in writing, see the place, and ask for the landlord’s written approval of the sublet before you pay anything.

• Monthly Rentals in NYC
• Find a Place