IB Associate raising a family in NYC

Hi all,

I created a new account to maintain anonymity, but I am a 2nd year post-MBA associate working in a non-NYC office. I have the opportunity to join a bank in NY and am have some questions relating to IB Associate lifestyle in NYC.

I am married and my wife and I are expecting with our first kid on the way. Where do married IB associates with kids live? I have lived in NY as a single guy right out of college, but a lot has changed since then. My office would be downtown rather than midtown. Do IB associates pay >$5 per month to rent a 2 bedroom in the city, and if so where? Or do you see associates with a wife and kids buying places in Jersey and other places outside of Manhattan? Obviously will still be long hours for another couple years, so it would be nice to be reasonably close to the office. We would plan on being in NYC for at least 3 years if we made this move, and would have one/maybe two kids during this time.

Curious to see what other IB Associates have done regarding raising young kids while working long hours in NYC.

10 Comments
 

my best friend and former roomate did this...rented a 2-bed apt in brooklyn, in park slope...you'll have a ~30 min commute and pay ~3500+/month

you can get a 2-bed in manhattan for 4200+ (Stuyvesant Town and other places)....but living in ParkSlope is great for new moms, and not a bad commute

just google it...you're welcome
 

I'd worry less about the rent, and more about setting your wife's expectations for what will be a challenging couple years. (And related to that: some additional expense you'll want to allocate to some childcare help, and that's assuming your wife isn't working. If she is, very different story, but also more budget I guess).

A year or two from now you may decide that banking isn't your path for the medium- or long-term, but I would bet that your exit options will be far better if you've been working in NYC / your firm's headquarters, rather than a satellite office (the potential exceptions to that being London or San Francisco).

 

Yea I think living in NYC will be more of an adjustment for my wife, so I want to get a nice place with space for her parents to come visit whenever they want. But as far as hours go, I’ve been in IB for the past year and a half so she knows what to expect in regards to that. I’m actually in a very intense group now and work more than my NYC colleagues, so the hours would actually improve if I make this move.

She will be working as well, so we will have to pay for child care for those first couple years.

 

Dolore modi a dignissimos ipsum. Expedita delectus consequatur minus qui enim quidem sit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”