There is no one-size-fits-all budget, as creating a budget is based on your personal style of living, your needs, and your income. As you begin your housing search, these questions may help you figure out where you want to prioritize your money:

• Will I pay for my housing in advance or month-to-month?

• Do I want to live with roommates?

• Are utilities & WiFi included in the cost of my apartment?

• How will I navigate NYC? Will I walk, use the subway, or take cabs?

• What cell phone plan will I use? Does my plan currently allow for data in the US?

• How much am I willing to spend each week or each month on food & groceries? If I have roommates, how will we divide up those costs?

• How often do I plan to go out? 

• How much should I plan to spend on toiletries and other personal items?

There are a few well-known grocery chains in NYC:

Low price:

• $: ALDI (see locations)

• $: Lidl (see locations)

Middle price:

• $$: Trader Joe's (see locations)

High price:

• $$$: Whole Foods (see locations)

• $$$: Key Food (see locations)*

• $$$: C-Town (see locations)*

• $$$: Associated (see locations)*

NYC also has a network of open air markets where you can buy fresh produce directly from farmers & growers. Find a map here.

*Key Food, C-Town, and Associated tend to have items that are priced higher than other grocery stores at the same or lower quality. Our recommendation -- shop at Trader Joe's for the best bang for your buck!

Many museums in NYC are free or pay-what-you-wish (meaning that, while there is a suggested donation amount, you are not required to pay that. For example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a suggested donation amount of $17 for students who are NY residents, however as a Pace University student (and NYC resident) you are not required to pay this amount. You can pay as little as $.01 if you wish!)

A list of selected museums that are always free or pay-what-you-wish (PWYW) is below (find a complete list here, incuding museums that are free only during certain hours or on certain days):

• PWYW: American Museum of Natural History (location)

• PWYW: The Cloisters (location)

• PWYW: Metropolitan Museum of Art (location)

• Free: American Folk Art Museum (location)

• PWYW: Brooklyn Museum (location)

• Free for NYC residents/PWYW: P.S.1-MoMA (location)

• PWYW: El Museo del Barrio (location)

• Free: Socrates Sculpture Park (location)

• Free: National Museum of the American Indian (location)

Looking for free and cheap things to do in NYC? Check out these websites for the best ways to take advantage of NYC on a budget:

• The Skint (weekly list of free & cheap events in NYC)

• SecretNYC (updated weekly with free events, plus other ways to take advantage of what the city has to offer)

• TimeOut New York (travel magazine which is frequently updated with free & cheap events in the city)

• TodayTix (lower-cost Broadway tickets)

• TKTS (lower-cost Broadway tickets)

• Broadway Direct (lottery system for winning last-minute low-cost Broadway tickets)

• @nyc_forfree (Instagram account with ideas of ways to see NYC for free or cheap)

• @got2gonyc (Instagram account with a map of free public bathrooms across NYC)

• Too Good to Go (Apple Store & Google Play Store -- app which offers low-cost meals from restaurants at the end of the day)