My NYC Apartment Tour. $1,460 a Month in Astoria, Queens

I give a tour of my apartment located in Astoria, Queens of New York City. I pay $1,460 a month for my affordable space (at least for NYC). Electricity, utilities and Wi-Fi are covered with my monthly rent. I also share the pros and cons of living in my apartment.
Instagram: jamesandrew...
Food Instagram: foodalwaysw...
About Me:
I live in NYC and I’m about food, travel and work.

[@henryluo9380]

Really love this video, not only your book shelf, your lifestyle, but also your optimism, and how you view the life. This video does give me some courage to face the uncertain life.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much! That makes me happy to hear! I really appreciate the kind words!

[@markpriest589]

I always appreciate how you are able to express both blessings and banes in your experiences. I like the honesty of this channel. Keeps me coming back (besides the wonderful food). Let me know if you ever plan a Sonoma/Napa County visit. Would love to introduce you to Wine Country fare. And as always, thank you for the delicious glimpse at your library!

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! I don't enjoy bashing anything, but I've got to keep it honest and I always try to look on the bright side with my perspective and opinions. I'm sure I'll get around to Sonoma/Napa County sometime. Thanks for the offer and always thanks for watching!

[@s_przybylowicz]

Constant ringing of fire alarms will at least guarantee that you never oversleep!

[@Jamesnu]

That's true! One must always look at the positives!

[@Fufski]

The books I read are like the food I eat, I don’t remember all of them, but they made me. Man I feel that describes you more than well! I hope I can read as much as you but I’ll never able to compare to your reading achievements.

[@Jamesnu]

That's a good way to put it! Books are like food for the mind. I never used to read as much as I do now. It just takes time. I know people who read almost double the amount of books I do a year.

[@KireaLaero]

☾🌸👍🏻🔔The way you do the work gracefully - I am very proud of you. Thanks for going through the trouble and it's worth it. I’ve never witnessed such awesome editing as this one. You have the absolute power to rise above any situation or struggle and transform yourself into the strongest and most beautiful version of yourself ever. The secret to happiness is doing what you love and learning to love what you have to do to get it. Congratulations and best of luck for your promising future. Keep doing the best work. Great job, you are amazing, you are important, you are special, you are unique, and you are valuable! Never give up, go ahead, fight for your dreams, everything will get better for you, I wish you good luck. I truly love your channel. You have my full supportt . Best regards, Relax Forest💨

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much for the very kind words! I really appreciate the support! Your comment really made me happy reading it! It's words like yours that really motivate me! Thank you once again!

[@marygrabowski5777]

I, too love New York!!! Lucky that you’re able to live your dream while being so young. Your apartment is rather nice considering what I’ve heard about some of the other buildings. Have fun and enjoy New York!

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Yeah, there are some pretty sketchy apartments in the city. Even with the negatives, I'm lucky to have the place that I live in now.

[@thecrimedog8424]

We will be in NYC again first week of December this year. We would love to treat you to lunch if you have time. Thank you for sharing your NYC experience with all of us.

[@Jamesnu]

That's a very kind offer and I really appreciate the generosity! I may be going to Boston at the start of the month for a brief trip, but we'll see.

[@borispeper6981]

In Germany we call these kind of window-balconies "french balcony" ... sounds extra fancy😉

[@Jamesnu]

I like it! It sounds much better than the way I described it!

[@renesagahon4477]

Ou La la 😙!

[@thecrimedog8424]

My fiancee and I have been watching you from the beginning. Love your videos.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that and it makes me happy to hear!

[@tomahern8967]

Nice tour of the apartment. It would be tough sharing the bathroom with others.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Indeed! The bathroom sharing is a daily challenge.

[@lindajohnson1873]

That kitchen is fabulous!!❤

[@Jamesnu]

It's pretty nice. The amount of space in it is the best part. I just wish I actually cooked more to get a better use out of it.

[@TuckerSP2011]

Your drawings are so good James! Smart not keeping your dental care items in the bathroom.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much! Yeah, drawing is one of my favorite hobbies.

[@zeldak718]

Can you have parties on the rooftop? It would be nice to add some string lights and some outdoor patio seating.

[@Jamesnu]

I think so. I've never had a party up there, but it would be a good spot if I just had some chairs and such.

[@lemababi3]

Wowww you're an amazing artist... keep it up! so you're right by some food areas over there on Steinway lol Astoria has many good eats. I need to explore more. Right now I am loving food at Smorgasburg foodlet on the weekends. TRY IT if you haven't. I've got to make it to Astoria more. I've only had Thai food there and Mexican food.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Yeah, I've got to get to Smorgasburg more often, the food selection there is great! Indeed, Astoria has a lot of great restaurant options. I'm a bit biased, but I love the neighborhood!

[@armandollewellyn1521]

Having a Keuric Machine next to your bedside is actually a great motivational tool to get out of bed. I'll start doing that myself, to get my lazy butt out of bed. By the way, how do you take your coffee? Black with two sugars?

[@Jamesnu]

It's indeed great motivation! I always go straight black. There's nothing wrong with a little milk and sugar, but I like my coffee strong.

[@brodypilcher3643]

This is a nice lookin place…it’s hard to think NYC is that expensive to live there but there are some cool advantages to living there…we live out in the country in Louisiana and it’s a little different living around here lol…keep it up my man!!

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Yeah, whenever I get stressed with how much things cost here, I pause and consider everything this city brings. The positives of course, NYC isn't perfect.

[@feleciawallace8420]

Your apartment is adorable but sharing the toilet room is tough to handle.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Yeah, it's probably the toughest part of having roommates.

[@jpbanksnj]

Nice art dude! I had no idea since I've only seen your restaurant review video's.

[@Jamesnu]

Thanks! It's definitely something I like doing in my free time.

[@johwa9680]

you have read so many books O_O truly amazing. Respect!

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Reading is definitely one of my favorite activities!

[@mindyourbizok]

Have you considered going to the NYC Housing Connect website and applying for brand new apartment buildings? If you create a profile and apply to as many lotteries as possible there's a high chance that you will be contacted. That's how I got my apartment. I'm still getting contacted even though I live in a brand new building. I've been living here since 2021 and my rent is a little bit more than $1,500 a month for one bedroom apartment in the Bronx. Again, it is newly constructed. It is income based and it is rent controlled.

[@Jamesnu]

Nice! Yeah, I have actually tried it with a couple of places in Long Island City. No luck, but I'll keep trying. That's a good suggestion!

[@mindyourbizok]

@@Jamesnu 👍👍

[@joechung3985]

NYC should hire You as their head spokesperson/ travel and tourism dept. . Keep up good work . I Enjoy your honest to the point content . You give just enough side notes in your video without drowning out the main meat of the video . Good work

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate it!

[@biancamuldrow2268]

aw i love how your video is realistic

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much!

[@alfredoalvarez3401]

Nice, very nice. Congrats. I wish the best for U.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much!

[@timg3504]

Awesome art work. Very talented. Treat yourself to a nice chair. You deserve it.

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! Luckily I have gotten a much better chair since I filmed this video.

[@fumeokid]

Haha….you say you’re kidding about the bottle for bathroom relief…but I had to use a Gatorade bottle once…not proud of that but sometimes when you have to go.. you gotta go! :)

[@Jamesnu]

Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do.

[@SenpaiKai9000]

How do you like living Astoria?!

[@Jamesnu]

I love it here! I think it's not only one of the best neighborhoods in Queens, I think it's one of the best in NYC!

[@rosariovalderrama1107]

@@Jamesnu I agree with you 100 % , I love Astoria, it is super quiet and has nice very places, to live. Greetings....

[@Jamesnu]

@@rosariovalderrama1107 It's definitely a wonderful neighborhood!

[@rosariovalderrama1107]

@@Jamesnu That's what I live there.....

[@pizzareviewsonthego]

Very cool idea to make a video like this, I am very minimalist and live similarly. I just can't seem to get anything less than $1600 a month in Staten Island. Do you and your roommates pay $1460 each or is that the total for all of you?

[@Jamesnu]

Thanks! Yeah, it's just so expensive out there. Me and my roommates each pay different amounts each month based on our room size. My one roommate, who has the largest room with his own bathroom, pays the most. While my other roommate, whose room is smaller than mine, pays $100 less than me.

[@curly6619]

When you first said you pay $1460 for this place I was like: woah! That's not bad! And then you said you have THREE roommates! 😭

[@Jamesnu]

Yeah, that's the bad part.

[@countalucard4226]

Have you done a review of Rao’s?

[@Jamesnu]

No. Unfortunately, I haven't eaten there yet. It's one of my bucket list restaurants. If I do get a chance to visit, I'll definitely make a review of it!

[@robertk2007]

Wish i was young again!

[@KrialVR]

Another great video! Very interesting view into an average "day in the life of James Andrews!". My one recommendation, James, tone down the harsh language! You're better than that!

[@Jamesnu]

Haha! Thank you!

[@KEMET1971]

I freely admit that I would have busted in the door to that upstairs apartment and dealt with that alarm.

[@Jamesnu]

Haha! I was almost at that point.

[@PalmBeachDog]

Geezo. That’s my car payment.

[@Jamesnu]

Yeah, it's a lot.

[@donnajaemoon]

Candyman Candyman Candyman Candyman. That’s as far as I’m going. 😂😂😂

[@Jamesnu]

Haha!

[@ovh992]

How big is this apartment? 1 bedroom? 3 bedroom?

[@Jamesnu]

It's a four bedroom apartment with two bathrooms.

[@FreeSpeechTravelArtWrestling]

What do you do for work? That must be a really good paying job to afford $1500 a month

[@Jamesnu]

This would sadly be considered an “affordable” apartment. The median rental price in Manhattan surpassed $5,000 a couple of months ago. I work for a stock photography website and I’m also a contributor. For me, money is still a struggle. NYC is extremely expensive, but I’m getting by.

[@FreeSpeechTravelArtWrestling]

@@Jamesnu hopefully you get money from your food videos. I understand if you have to do a little bit more work to get a lot of subscribers. I live with my brother so I pay $300 a month in rent but it’s embarrassing being 35 years old and not having my own place. The other thing is that you and I work at a hospital, stuff is way too expensive and it’s sad that our generation, some people will never live in a house outside of their childhood

[@Jamesnu]

@@FreeSpeechTravelArtWrestling There's nothing wrong or embarrassing about sharing a place with someone else. It's indeed tough these days with the high cost of seemingly everything. Certainly in some respects a generation ago had things easier, but at the same time we also have a lot of advantages.

[@bconover55]

Very nice, Are you from NYC ?

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you! I'm originally from Chicago, but I've been living here in NYC for the past 3 years.

[@borispeper6981]

So did I get it right? 1460 for your space or 1460 for whole appartement? Well that`s a whole lotta money either way... I pay 1000 for a house....but I admit: my house is not in NYC🤣

[@Jamesnu]

Unfortunately, I pay $1,460 just for my room. The high prices are my least favorite part of NYC.

[@johnsimoney2035]

Wow bud. You are getting royally ripped off, while making that landlord rich af

[@johnlukach4091]

$1460 each person? Or all together

[@Jamesnu]

I personally pay $1460, but my other 3 roommates pay a little more or less depending on the size of their room.

[@eprohoda]

‘sup~ breathtaking ~😇

[@Jamesnu]

Thank you so much!

[@NoahEats]

Everyone #getjamesandrewsanewchair

[@Jamesnu]

Haha! My parents actually offered to buy me a new chair after watching this video.

[@NoahEats]

@@Jamesnu lol

[@sweatyboner69hoobastank51]

Wow you're basically staying in an Airbnb

[@Jamesnu]

It's extremely similar to it, but everyone is required to stay for a much longer term. It's actually called co-living, which I'm upset, because I forgot to mention that in the video.

[@Cjparv1]

Your title is deceiving, it is not $1460 for the entire apartment is just one room.You should make that more clearer.

[@renaudli5834]

$1460 in NYC all included is a deal.

[@Jamesnu]

It's not bad, but my rent did rise a bit since I made this video.

[@gabrielgama2841]

Vc é americano?

[@Jamesnu]

I am!

[@gabrielgama2841]

@@Jamesnu grato

[@NoahEats]

#candymancandymancandyman

[@Jamesnu]

Haha!

[@user-tm5pn3fz9y]

Have a crush on u

[@Jamesnu]

I'm flattered! Thank you!

[@GoodfellasNYC]

I'm sorry but your apartment and the amount you are paying for is a JOKE! I'm originally from NYC and lived there for over 40 years and have seen better times. What you pay for I can rent a house or larger apartment with parking and swimming pool, etc. Be smart and escape from NYC. Take it from an old timer like me and guys before me before it's to late.

[@Jamesnu]

I know what you're saying, it's expensive for sure! But I've been to a lot of places and my favorite city is NYC and I love living here! Still, I wish it was more affordable.

[@GoodfellasNYC]

@@Jamesnu You have no idea what you are saying. If it was over 20 years ago, you got a point. But if you don't listen now, you will regret it. I guarantee. There's alot about nyc that only older generations know that the new generation don't know.

[@GoodfellasNYC]

@@Jamesnu I was NYC through outh the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000 and then we started eating and taking a bullet every day till I escaped

[@Jamesnu]

@@GoodfellasNYC I respect and appreciate your opinion, but NYC is the city for me.

[@GoodfellasNYC]

@@Jamesnu suit yourself, just be careful when the Hudson River Tunnel collapses and another attack like 911 or COV19 happens. Do your research and you will see what I'm talking about. Good luck

[@JosePerez-zr4sp]

Pretty cheap for that area

[@Jamesnu]

Yeah, it's not bad.

[@NancyRemling]

Honestly you wonder why you’re still single? Marriage is more than a legal compact. It’s committing to know and love each other through time and sorrows unimaginable. Just sayin…

[@johnsimoney2035]

Couldn’t pay me to live in the city…and I grew up there 😂

[@Ulexcool]

Imagine living poverty-like style because you want to...