I'm from Brooklyn, but I can't really help on the apartment aspect. Times are crazy for places to live in NY. I know people who have moved out of NY already and others who want to move out of NY because of the crazy rents. There are some people charging rents for 1 br or studios for the same amount you can rent 2 or 3 nice sized whole houses in other states.
Ridiculous rent is exactly the problem right now!!
@bluefairy My brother was paying $900 a month for a tiny basement that wasn't even registered. Literally a kitchen and a bathroom with one other room that could barely fit a mattress. They have apartments near me with like 1 or 2 bedrooms and they want to charge $2,000 a month. I have seen studios going for no less than $1,200 a month here. I'm sure there are a few gems where they don't cost too much, but it's a rough search.