- Living in New York City requires more than money, says longtime Indian resident
- The city’s fast pace can cause isolation if one’s energy doesn’t match it
- High cost of living includes lunches costing $100 to $150 in good restaurants
New York City is often seen as a place of opportunity and success, but an Indian man who has lived there for a decade has shared why he believes surviving in the city requires much more than money. In a video shared by Indian tourist Kunal Dutt, the resident spoke about the city's fast-paced lifestyle and the challenges that come with it.
The conversation began when Dutt asked the longtime resident whether people could feel isolated if their energy did not match that of New York.
The man replied that this was completely true. He said that if people were not able to feel happy about themselves and what they were doing, the city was going to consume them.
Watch Video Here:
The resident explained that people in New York constantly see others growing, working and moving forward at an extremely fast pace. He said this could make someone feel they were letting themselves down by not competing. He also pointed to the city's high cost of living.
Dutt added that even a random lunch at a good restaurant could cost at least $100 (Rs 9,533) to $150 (Rs 14,299). He said the city's energy could devour people once they started doubting themselves, especially when jobs, money, and opportunities appeared to be moving rapidly around them.
The resident said people generally move to New York during the phase of life when they are prepared to work relentlessly. He added that a person needs to be a hustler to sustain in New York and said his own high-energy phase was between the ages of 23 and 35 or 36.
The two also discussed why many people eventually leave the city. Dutt observed that once people begin thinking about marriage, children, and buying a home, they often look towards the suburbs or other states.
Responding to this, the resident said people could not do that in New York. He added that after living in New York City for five to six years, many people move to the suburbs because they want larger homes, gardens, and better schools.
He further said that Florida and Texas were popular alternatives because residents only paid federal tax and not state income tax. He also said that Central American cities were considerably cheaper than New York, San Francisco, California or Boston.
