Single VPs / Directors how much do you pay in rent

/ what kind of place do you have? Probably on the cusp of buying but maybe 1-2 years away. So debating what kind of place to get now. I can spend 4-5k on a shitty 1 bed and save some extra but I have the right amount socked away that in another 2 I’ll be ready to buy no matter what with cushion left (saving maybe speeds it up 3 months). 
 

So debating basically just sending it and getting like a loft penthouse in soho with a terrace and spending 10-11k. Curious what the market is doing.

34 Comments
 

VP of mine splits a $6.5k 1brdm with his girlfriend in Midtown. He even showed me his apt on StreetEasy. He's a VP1 and is moving to a house in CT soon. 

The whole consideration set isn’t comparable when married or taken. Like I have no costs he may be paying for her life etc. I’m debt free have saved a decent amount. And comp now is in the high 6 figures with good line of sight

 
Most Helpful

Not sure why you're getting downvoted but I'm paying 5.5k a month and I will be buying a place because there's no way I'm stomaching paying someone else the equivalent of a 100k of my pre-tax income a year for zero equity.  I already own a place in another city so will just sell that and use the equity for my downpayment.  Once you factor in property tax and common charges though, that's an extra 2k on top so basically on an apples to apples basis, it's 5.5k a month in rent with zero equity contribution or $7.5k a month for the same place with a portion of that going towards equity.  Importantly, for the first couple years, you're paying significantly more interest than equity but based on my calcs, you're breaking even with renting around year 3 (assuming minimal capital appreciation of your equity) and then it pulls away.  

 

Not sure why you're getting downvoted but I'm paying 5.5k a month and I will be buying a place because there's no way I'm stomaching paying someone else the equivalent of a 100k of my pre-tax income a year for zero equity.  I already own a place in another city so will just sell that and use the equity for my downpayment.  Once you factor in property tax and common charges though, that's an extra 2k on top so basically on an apples to apples basis, it's 5.5k a month in rent with zero equity contribution or $7.5k a month for the same place with a portion of that going towards equity.  Importantly, for the first couple years, you're paying significantly more interest than equity but based on my calcs, you're breaking even with renting around year 3 (assuming minimal capital appreciation of your equity) and then it pulls away.  

You think you can get the same place paying equivalent rent to mortgage with rates rising outpacing rental yields? 
 

renting vs buying in nyc is roughly a break even proposition depending on alternative investment returns and appreciation assumption on the house. 

 

Close to $7k. White glove co-op building in a top-tier area though. 

As much as people will say stay around $5k, a lot of the places in that price range are extremely dumpy (talking 5th+ floor walkup, no laundry in building, extremely old appliances), and still spark massive bidding wars. 

Buying can be worth it, but it doesn't make financial sense to buy a ~$1.5m 1 bedroom if you're planning to have kids or leave the city in 3-5 years. It's not a breakeven once you consider closing costs, mansion tax, lawyer fees, agents, etc - if you're buying a 2 bedroom you'll have for 10 years, sure. Otherwise the math doesn't work.

 

My director spends $12k a month for his apartment in Brooklyn for him and his family. Wife makes way less than him

 

Not exactly what you asked, but I wanted to provide another data point. I’m a VP1 living with my girlfriend in Williamsburg and splitting a $2,750 per month 1BR ($1,500 / $1,250 split). It’s just a basic apartment, nothing fancy, but it serves its primary purpose. There is definitely some middle ground between what I’m renting and what you’re considering at the high end, but in the long-term I think living below your means is a better approach if you are renting and ever want to get ahead in NYC. I’ve had MDs whose primarily residence is a ~2k sq ft raised ranch on Long Island. It gets a lot harder to save once you are supporting a family and that’s just not the type of house I aspire to have if I’m grinding away in banking for 2-3 decades. 
 

For what it’s worth, I’d consider spending $5-$6k in Manhattan if I were still single. The issue is even within that price point it doesn’t get you anything “exciting” and probably just ends up feeling like a money pit - which leads me back to spending less and renting something more basic and / or outside of Manhattan.  

 

That's a lot of $$$.. I've moved to the suburbs and pay a mortgage. There is a lot of middle ground between the two options you've presented here but if you can plan to stick around for at least 3-4 years my vote would be to buy. 

Like the unadjusted- only with a little bit extra.
 

These numbers are crazy. Not sure how you guys do it.Sharing my stats for context:

I'm an Assoc 2 in a T3 city and pay $3,500 on mortgages for two properties. Married as well and wife makes $50k.

Primary - $2,000/m. 2,200 sq ft 4 bed 3

bath

Rental - $1,500/m. 1,300 sq ft 2 bed 2 bath

Rental kicks off $1,600 a month too so out of pocket only paying $1,900 a month and building about $2k each month across both properties

 

Quia similique laudantium cum maiores et a. Magnam alias illo eum inventore non. Qui quas dicta magnam cumque.

Est ex amet saepe dolores eveniet ut. At totam rem minus voluptatem cum optio sint. Nemo pariatur est fugit.

Non nesciunt accusamus soluta quasi ut. Accusantium culpa omnis possimus mollitia provident quia. Consequatur qui porro rerum laboriosam. Ut velit ut quisquam suscipit est autem sit repudiandae. Doloremque sed sunt et eos qui. Reprehenderit sequi sit quasi non quia fugiat qui.

Ipsam placeat et libero ipsum tempore aut ut. Eveniet a itaque dolorem velit necessitatibus. Reprehenderit explicabo amet eligendi velit saepe aut exercitationem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”