Oh hey, did you guys know that New York is an expensive place to live? Like, really expensive? Were you hanging on to some shred of hope that somehow, the cost of living here would become reasonable? Well, sorry, you poor, sweet thing: it's not happening anytime soon. more ›

It's not just your imagination; like everything else in this town, freaking electricity costs more than pretty much anywhere else in America. The US Energy Information Administration recently released a report comparing electricity costs across the country, and according to their analysis, New Yorkers on average paid 9.6 percent more for electricity last year, while national electricity rates were mostly flat. Con Ed in particular charges customers, on average, higher rates than anywhere else in the country: 25.85 cents per kilowatt hour, which is more than twice the national average of 11.54 cents. But at least you're paying more to watch Seinfeld reruns in an apartment in THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD! more ›

Those buzzkills at CNNMoney created a Google Map that shows what it really means to have $250K/year—which the White House says is a mark that someone is wealthy. Since cost of living is different in various cities, however, that is a sweeping generalization. In some parts of Texas and Florida it may be accurate, but here in New York City (and more specifically, in Manhattan) the local equivalent is $545K. Meaning that is how much you'd have to make to maintain the same lifestyle as someone living in, say, Missoula, Montana. On the upside, you don't live in Missoula; their fresh air is so overrated anyway. more ›

While most city agencies have been asked to cut 8 percent from their budgets, City Council voted to raise its operating budget by 4.6 percent—a $2.3 million hike that brings the sum to $52.9 million. Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) defended the budget increase, arguing it only went up because City Council employees have been given cost of living raises. "I would argue our budget is the same as it was last year," Quinn told the Observer. "We made a decision to treat City Council workers the same as other workers. Therefore, we gave everyone a cost of living increase." That said, the new budget breaks down to $1,036,920 for each of the 51 Council members, compared to $990,896 last year, the Daily News reports. more ›

The City Council will give 550 council aides and central staffers approximately $3.9 million in raises for this year’s salaries and, retroactively, for last year’s salaries. The decision, which was not bogged down by any annoying "voting," was framed by Council speaker Christine Quinn's spokesperson as a "cost of living increase." Charles Meara, the Council's chief of staff and top paid employee, will see his salary go up to $209,973 from $194,132, a gain of $15,841. And his deputy chief of staff, Ramon Martinez III, got a nice bump too, from $191,664 to $207,303. (The Wonkster has a nice top 10 list of the Council's highest paid staffers.) The salary increases, which do not apply to council members, come on the heels of Mayor Bloomberg's $45 million in raises for his staff. And the city's district attorneys and borough presidents have given or are expected to give similar raises. Bucking the trend, City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., a cash-starved Democratic candidate for mayor, has frozen the salaries of all his employees who make over $90,000 a year. But how will they afford the cost of living?! more ›

The NY Sun has an alarming headline today: "40,000 New Yorkers Flee State for Atlanta," a fact that may be harshing the "southern hospitality" vibe Georgia had going for it. The newcomers are calling their new hometown a "second-tier city," and one woman declared: "If my kids have a Southern accent, I will kill myself." Unsurprisingly, the ex-NYers stick together down there, going so far as to start their own MySpace group -- while one keeps a blog called Voted Off the Island. As for the Atlanta locals, they seem welcoming, as the director of the Gone With the Wind Museum noted: "Since 9/11, everybody in the country has bonded with New York." The upsides to the move come off as few and far between in the article, perhaps the only one being that you can buy a 4-bdrm house there, with a yard, for $275K. The downsides: no good pizza, bagels, and no Central Park. more ›

Charitable food banks are also suffering from the recent increases in the cost of food. Last year food banks were being squeezed by the increased demand from the city's hungry, who were finding that rising rents, fuel costs, and transportation costs were limiting the income they had to devote to food. More and more people were turning to New York's charitable food organizations to make ends meet. more ›

Responding to the siren call of higher salaries and a lower cost of living, about 200 cops showed up to take the four hour written exam to join the Seattle Police Department yesterday. Of the 200 who sat for the exam, it was estimated that the vast majority were from New York's police department. The New York Post reports that 148 of the test takers had at least one year experience in law enforcement already and the Daily News said that 72 of the test takers had at least two years on the job. more ›