Renting apartments in NYC is expensive. Even closet is expensive to rent. I had a friend who was paying $1,000.00 per month for a closet. Yes you read that right. She was renting a closet to sleep in and was paying $1,000.00 per month.
I can get a nice apartment where I'm at for less than that.
But in NYC for a small apartment you could expect to pay $3,000.00 per month or more.