Believe it or not in the Big Apple 

Ah, New York City in summer (here people relaxing in Bryant Park). Real estate firm Houlihan Lawrence wants you to know August is a great time to experience the Big Apple.

In the hard-to-believe-it department, Workyard”¯experts analyzed data from”¯20 cities”¯to determine where people earn good money but don’t have to spend too much on cost of living and came to the conclusion that New York ”“ yes, New York City ”“ is the third most affordable place behind Zurich and Geneva, with San Francisco, Boston, London, Copenhagen, Sydney, Singapore and Oslo rounding out the top 10. High earners make, according to this study, $4,205 a month in New York but only have to spend $1,448 in living expenses.  

How can this be? We at Wake Up With Westfair (WWW) wondered, so we emailed a spokesperson and got this reply: 

“The cost of living calculations do not include rent. Maybe this was a complication.” (You think?) The spokesperson referred us to  numbeo.com for an “estimator tool”¯where you can have your specific criteria and see the final cost of living”¦.”  

According to renthop.com, the August cost of a studio rental in New York City is $3,543, which added to other living expenses of $1,448 is $4,991 or $786 more per month than those so-called high earners are taking in.  

In comparing cities on its list, the Workyard study did note:  “Surprisingly,”¯New York”¯has the toughest challenge of balancing income and living costs. The average New Yorker only brings home about”¯$4,205”¯each month yet spends a steep”¯$1,448 on”¯living costs.” 

Bottom line:  Unless you have a lot of money and no worries about savings, it”™s tough to live in New York City. 

Regardless of income, however, Houlihan Lawrence ”“ a top metro-area real estate company — wants you to know that August ”“ yes, hot, steamy August ”“ is a great month to visit the Baked Apple, uh, Big Apple and has 55 great things for you to do there. 

Don”™t get us wrong:  Summer in the city can be enchanting, as HL”™s imaginative list demonstrates. But for those who don”™t love “hot time, summer in the city” (apologies to The Lovin Spoonful), hang on, because we are coming up on New York”™s best season and its best month, October.