Making it in NYC: An Account Director making $140,000 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

The second edition anonymously profiling NYC readers' rent and salary histories

It’s time for the second edition of Making it in NYC! In this series, I profile people living in NYC (including their rent and salary history) in an effort to make the city feel a little less daunting, empower us to negotiate our salaries (and rent!), and showcase some of the best things about New York.

If you missed the first edition, check it out here. And if you’re interested in being featured (anonymously!), drop your name here. Subscribe for free so you don’t miss future editions.

Today’s edition is from an Account Director (PR/Marketing) living on $140,000/year in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

How long have you lived in NYC? If you moved here, where did you move from? Why did you move here?

I’ve lived here for just over 7 years! (Crazy.) I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania but moved here right from college. Growing up, we came into the city one or two times a year for a show or museum, and going into comms/marketing I knew that New York would be a perfect place to start building my career. 

If you moved to NYC, what was your job history like before moving? How did your salary before compare since moving to NYC?

Prior to moving here, I had worked as a cashier at Wegmans all through high school, held paid internships in Cincinnati, Dallas and DC during summers in college, and worked as a student assistant for my college. My salary went from minimum wage to… slightly higher, ha. The entry level PR firm salary was a tough reality to stomach. 

Did you attend college? If so, what did you study and did it set you up for your career path?

I did! I attended a big southern state school, studying public relations & Spanish with a certificate in global studies. I got a lot of hands-on experience working in the student-run PR firm on campus and involvement in other professionally-focused student orgs. (And, honestly, my sorority involvement helped me prepare for professional networking, business dinners, etc., too.)

Salary History:

Job 1: Assistant Account Executive, Public Relations Firm (large/global)

Dates: June 2017-June 2018

Salary: $40,000 + overtime

Did you negotiate for the starting salary or a raise? I had asked about whether I could negotiate and they said no for entry level. 

Other notes: I was overtime eligible which ended up being vital for my income. I would say I was paid fairly for the title/level/company type—any of our peer firms would have had the same offer, if not slightly lower. For the numbers of hours and level of stress, I would say it was definitely low. I was billing 60-80 hours/week and it was a bit deflating. I wish I’d negotiated a few more PTO days. 

Job 2: Associate, and then Senior Associate I and II, Corporate Communications - Large Financial Services Firm

Dates: June 2018-April 2022

Salary: Started at $65,000, increased to $68,000, increased to $75,000, increased to $87,750

Additional income: 10% bonus target that was generally awarded closer to 12%

Did you negotiate for the starting salary or a raise? I negotiated 2 PTO days when I first joined the firm.

Other notes: I also received a pension in addition to regular benefits, and this employer paid for my master’s degree. HUGE fan of the “traditional” company compensation package; it was literally life-changing.

Job 3: Account Director, mid-size/independent PR and marketing agency

Dates: April 2022-present

Salary: Started at $125,000, then increased to $135,000 and $140,000 currently

Additional income: 15% bonus target which wasn’t fully paid out due to smaller annual bonus pool (was paid out at about 75%)

Did you negotiate for the starting salary or a raise? I negotiated heavily for this salary and bonus target, as well as title (I was on the cusp between two levels). 

Other notes: The benefits at this company are not as good overall; I’m paying much more for health insurance and prescriptions than before with a lower 401k match. This is partially why I negotiated so hard to account for this trade-off.

Rent History:

Apartment 1: 

Time frame: May 2017-May 2018

Rent: $2,650 total; $1,325 for my half

Apartment setup: A classic pre-war, fifth-floor walkup without A/C or any amenities. A two-bedroom with one of my college friends (best first roomie!!!). Pretty spacious, recently renovated, gorgeous brick walls. 

Neighborhood: Upper East Side - Yorkville

Broker fees? About $1,800 for my half 

Other Notes: The shock factor of moving to New York: lease signing day required about $5,000 cash between first month, security, broker’s fees, application fees. Being 2 weeks post-grad, this was a TERRIFYING number to me; I am very lucky that my parents graciously treated everything except the actual first month of rent as a graduation gift. I recognize this is not the norm and was a huge gift. We moved out as our landlord wasn’t great and we both had solid openings in other apartments with mutual friends. This was hard to find—I went into the city for 2 days and had to leave with a signed lease. We didn’t know much about actually living/moving to the city so had to make some gut decisions, quickly. 

Apartment 2:

Time frame: May 2018-April 2021

Rent: $4,550, then $4,600, then $4,640. My third ranged between $1,460 to $1,560 as the lease changed

Apartment setup: 1 bedroom with an office, fashioned as a 3 bedroom (yay flex wall). I had half of the ‘primary’ bedroom, and it was the width of my full-size bed, but long enough I could squeeze a tiny desk and dresser in, with a makeshift closet. The two ‘flex wall’ rooms also shared a hall closet. This was a doorman building with an elevator and laundry room in the basement; the basement gym had a steep membership fee so we did not use.

Neighborhood: Turtle Bay, right by the UN

Broker fees? Nope… learned that lesson

Other Notes: The PERFECT apartment for 3 early 20s girls pre-pandemic when the only time we were really home was for dinner, watching The Bachelor, and going to sleep. (The olden days!) One of my other friends from college lived here and her 2 roommates were moving out, so this was a great way to get air conditioning, an elevator, laundry and a walking commute to my job at the time. We moved out as my two roommates both moved out of the city post-COVID and I opted to snag a “deal” during the COVID renting environment to live alone. 

Apartment 3:

Time frame: April 2021-October 2023

Rent: $1,720 and one free month, then bumped to $1,800, then to $1920. (COVID deal and then adjusting back)

Apartment setup: 1 bedroom, just for me! (with real walls!) No doorman/amenities, but did have an elevator.

Neighborhood: Upper East Side - Lenox Hill 

Broker fees? Covered by building

Other Notes: Great, old-school family-owned apartment building—I found it on StreetEasy and had a great experience with the listing broker. I had been able to negotiate my last lease renewal to include an early lease break if I gave them 60 days written notice, and then was able to recommend a friend to my landlord so she could benefit from the great rent stabilized spot. (All about paying it forward!)

Apartment 4:

Time frame: October 2023-now

Rent: $3,800 total; $1,900 for my half (and we just renewed with rent remaining flat!)

Apartment setup: A 2-bedroom I share with my boyfriend; 4th floor walk-up

Neighborhood: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Broker fees? $1,500 for my half

Other Notes: We found this building on StreetEasy/Nooklyn! Our building here has a gym and one washer/dryer in the basement and a beautiful roof deck, no additional amenity charges. Newer build. Weirdly, the broker let us “offer” a rent price when we submitted our applications, so we asked for $200 under asking and they accepted. It’s small but works for us and is a great location. 

Other Questions:

How do you budget (if you do)?

I use Copilot and track in an Excel sheet. I love copilot because I can see at a glance where I am at any given point in the month and actually SEE where my money is going. And the ability to track Venmos, which carries a large amount of meals/activities, and see where that money is going is huge. I also have my direct deposit split into three accounts: long-term/emergency savings high yield, short/medium-term savings in a separate high yield, and then my checking account for rent, etc. Having this automated has helped me adjust my spending to only be based off of the portion of my paycheck that hits my checking account. 

Do you have other large expenses outside of rent (ex. car payment, student loans, family support)?

Weddings! I wish I had been saving before 10+ of my friends got engaged because the showers, travel, bachelorettes, hotels, etc. add up! And I really try not to be stressed or salty when I think about how much of my money that could be going toward savings has gone toward weddings in the last 7 years (more than $20k) and just remember all the fun and memories. 

Do you receive any financial support from your family? Did you in the past?

My parents paid my first apartment’s broker fee and deposit, and I stayed on my parents’ health insurance until I was 24. Once my new job had great benefits it was easy to shift it to me. I am also extremely fortunate that they paid for my undergraduate degree, helping me start out in the city debt-free. 

What’s something that’s way too expensive in NYC?

Housing! I feel like transit, even many meals, are fairly priced for the city here (aside from those random $80 brunches that don’t feel worth it), but the fact that you can pay brokers fees, movers fees, deposits, etc. to move and not have a dishwasher or laundry is just so annoying to me. Over the last 7 years, rent/housing has really gotten outrageous. 

What’s something expensive in NYC that you think is totally worth it?

Existing! Where else can you have a fully open day, start walking and still end up having an amazing day? Picking up a coffee ($8 these days), maybe a bagel, meeting a friend at the subway, finding a free concert, entering the Broadway lottery, sitting in Washington Square Park. Grabbing a night cap or a late night show at the Comedy Cellar. Some of the best days happen purely by accident. 

Do you think the high cost of living in NYC is worth it?

I think it’s definitely worth it—if you find the joys in it. Living here isn’t for the faint of heart; it’s expensive, can be hard to make friends, hard to feel settled here. But once you do—that makes the subway delays and re-routes, mornings at the laundromat, schlepping (so much schlepping!), worthwhile. It’s made me tough but also feel so in control of my life as a young adult; the ability to learn the subway, tips and tricks for which grocery store has better prices, being able to interview and work at some of the best companies in my industry, all adds up to feel very much in the ‘drivers’ seat’ of life during such a formative time. It’s also forced me to network and join book clubs, alumni groups, kickball teams, etc. to meet people and put myself out there.

Do you find it hard to “keep up” in NYC? (with friends who make more money, coworkers, influencers, etc.)

When I first moved here, BIG TIME. To the point where, to feel like I was enjoying life here amidst having a crazy job and low income, I ended up accruing nearly $10k in credit card debt, which I paid off as soon as possible once I started my second job. There was a point where I realized I was living the same way as my friends who knew they wanted to spend 1-2 years in the city and then move somewhere more low key/cheaper. Because I knew I wanted to be here for a while, I had to reel it into something more sustainable. Now, I feel more settled in my career and community here so am better able to mix and match activities, travel, food, tickets for shows, etc. around my salary and budget. It’s a slippery slope, though, as there are constantly amazing food options, stunning cocktail bars, concerts, trending clothes, etc., and will always be a friend who is down for it. 

One thing that has been interesting in the last few years is realizing how many people I was trying to keep up with who… definitely had credit card debt, weren’t budgeting, OR had family funding for their lifestyles. Once this registered with me, it was easier to make the best decisions for ME with my finances. And, after I’d had some credit card debt, I’m very careful to not go down that road again. If I had to learn that lesson the hard way, I’m glad it was early on and before it turned into an insurmountable amount. 

How long do you plan to continue living in NYC? How often do you think about leaving (if ever)?

I think I have 3-5 years here left in me. Eventually I’d love to have some extra space for visitors, an outdoor space to get a dog, and a little bit simpler/easier of a day to day lifestyle. But right now, I don’t think I’d be ready to let go of the car-less life and ability to just mosey and explore the best hidden gems here—especially after getting over the hump of living here: building a community. Hard to let that go just yet!

What’s something you’re trying to cut down on spending in your budget?

I’m really trying to reduce shopping (testing a rental membership currently!) and meals out during the week. In the summer it can be an expensive slippery slope where there’s a dinner or happy hour every night of the week, so I’m working really hard to be mindful in my calendar. I rarely buy coffee, breakfast or lunch during the week but dinner and drinks have historically been my weakness! 

Any NYC recs (bars, restaurants, shows, parks, museums)? Cool things you’ve done recently!

Bernie’s in Williamsburg, JG Melon on the Upper East Side, Radio Bakery in Greenpoint, Aurora in Williamsburg—sit in the garden at brunch!, Sedutto ice cream on UES, Thep Thai on UES. Reading a book on Sheep’s Meadow or running the reservoir in Central Park. Pasta Louise near Prospect Park. Mini Golf on the waterfront in Williamsburg. Broadway lotteries!! Afternoons with friends at Happy Medium (crafting!). Ride the ferry with a canned cocktail on a beautiful evening. I recently signed up for an adult ballet class; there really is something here for everyone! 

Want to be featured in a future Making it in NYC edition? Submit the form here or send me a DM on Substack.

I post weekly about personal finance and lifestyle in NYC. I also post a monthly reset on the 1st of each month sharing everything I spent money on the previous month and goals for the next month. Subscribe so you don’t miss it!

Submit a question to my financial advice column here (I’m not a financial advisor, this is fun advice like how to split the bill on a group trip)!

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