If the politicians of New York wanted cheaper housing and apartments they would build more of them and reduce the amount of paper work and taxation for building contractors. New York makes it so damn burdensome and expensive to build anything, permit for a, b ,c ,x, y z etc. Not to mention the amount of taxes the landlords/building owners have to pay! All these liberal cities are so damn expensive, too expensive, overly regulated so prices are outrageous. Anyone can move out to middle America and live far less cheaper. I live near a small rural town and there are apartments in town selling next to Dollar General advertising $600 per month for example. With a decent trade job you could easily afford that plus other expenses and even save some money too.