Many IMGs come to New York State for their US clinical experience as it is one of the most IMG-friendly states. However, for someone coming to the state for the first time, navigating through living expenses, commute and even groceries can feel stressful. You are not alone. Most IMGs go through the initial overwhelm alike, and that is completely understandable.
This guide won’t sugarcoat things. Living in New York as an IMG is genuinely challenging, but it’s also completely manageable once you know what to expect. Think of this as the survival guide from your seniors: practical, honest, and built around what actually matters when you’re new to the city.
Where you live in New York will shape almost everything: your commute, your budget, your stress levels, and, honestly, how much you end up enjoying your time here. So let’s break it down properly.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here’s the real talk:
Manhattan is closest to the big teaching hospitals, including NYP, Mount Sinai, Bellevue, and NYU Langone. If your observership or elective is in the city, the commute is minimal. But you will pay for your convenience. Even a shared room in a decent neighborhood can run $1,200–$1,800/month, and that’s on the lower end.
Brooklyn has become a genuinely solid option for IMGs on a budget. It’s well-connected via the subway, a lot of neighborhoods feel safe and walkable, and you can find furnished shared apartments for noticeably less than Manhattan rates. Areas like Brooklyn Heights still give you easy access to the city without the Manhattan price tag.
Queens is where a lot of international medical students quietly land and for good reason. It’s more affordable, often safer and quieter than people assume, and the diversity makes it feel surprisingly welcoming if you’re coming from South Asia, East Asia, or the Middle East. It also has solid hospital access of its own.
A few neighborhoods come up again and again in IMG circles:
A few things that will genuinely save you headaches:
Quick Tip: Queens and outer Brooklyn aren’t “far”. They’re 20–35 minutes by subway. Many IMGs who moved there initially thinking it was a compromise ended up preferring it by their second week.
Housing is genuinely the hardest part of moving to New York as an IMG. It’s competitive, it’s expensive, and if you don’t know where to look, you’ll either overpay or get scammed. Here’s where most IMGs actually find their places:
Most IMGs go the shared route, and honestly, it makes sense. You’re splitting costs with people in the same situation, and it takes the edge off an already tight budget. A lot of students end up rooming with fellow IMGs they met through Facebook groups or their observership program it works out more often than you’d think.
| Type | Monthly Range |
| Shared room | $700 – $1,200 |
| Private room | $1,200 – $2,000 |
| Airbnb (monthly) | Often $2,000+ |
This matters because NYC housing scams are real, and they target newcomers specifically:
Tip: Search “IMG housing New York” in Facebook groups; there are entire communities built around helping international medical graduates find cheap accommodation near New York hospitals.
Here’s one thing that’ll immediately simplify your New York life: you do not need a car. Not even a little bit. Parking alone can cost $400–600/month in Manhattan, and traffic will age you prematurely. Leave the car out of the equation entirely.
New York’s subway runs 24/7 and connects virtually every neighborhood you’d actually want to live in. For commuting in New York as a medical student, it’s almost always the fastest option, even faster than Uber during rush hour, cheaper than everything else, and once you get the hang of it, genuinely easy to navigate.
Payment is simple now too. You can tap your phone or contactless card directly at the turnstile using OMNY, no need to figure out a MetroCard on day one. That said, if you’re staying longer-term, an unlimited MetroCard at around $130–150/month makes more financial sense than paying per ride.
A 30–60 minute commute is completely normal, and nobody bats an eye at it. If you’re living in Queens or outer Brooklyn, budget 35–45 minutes to most Manhattan hospitals. It sounds like a lot until you realize you’re sitting, not driving, and you can study or decompress on the way.
Monthly transport cost: roughly $130–150 if you’re on an unlimited plan. One of the few things in New York that’s actually reasonable.
Food is where a lot of IMGs quietly bleed money without realizing it, especially in the first few weeks when everything is new and cooking feels like too much effort. A little planning here goes a long way.
Seriously, don’t skip these in your first month. Dollar Tree, Daiso, and Five Below are excellent for stocking up on kitchen utensils, cleaning supplies, toiletries, snacks, and random household items you suddenly need. It’s not glamorous, but spending $15 at Dollar Tree instead of $60 at a pharmacy is just smart budgeting when you’re getting settled.
Eating out in New York every day adds up shockingly fast. Even a basic lunch outside can run $12–18, and that’s before dinner. It is recommended to batch cook on Sundays, keep it simple, and save eating out for when it’s actually worth it.
Estimated Monthly Grocery Budget: $200–350/month if you’re cooking regularly and shopping smart.
Here comes the most important part, the thing you are actually here for.
New York is genuinely one of the best cities in the world to be an IMG and that’s not hype. The city’s hospital system was largely built on immigrant communities and international talent, and that culture shows in how many institutions approach observerships and electives for international medical graduates.
The patient population here is extraordinarily diverse, which means real clinical exposure to conditions and presentations you’d study in textbooks but rarely see in smaller American cities. On top of that, New York has more teaching hospitals per square mile than almost anywhere else in the country. The competition is real, but so are the opportunities.
These come up repeatedly in IMG communities for being relatively accessible and receptive to international graduates:
Don’t overlook Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community clinics. They’re often easier to get into than major academic hospitals, offer real outpatient exposure, and some have volunteer or research opportunities that can meaningfully strengthen a residency application. Networking here is also more personal as you’re not one of fifty observers in a massive institution.
Your time in New York is only as valuable as the relationships you build. Attend any grand rounds, conferences, or hospital events you can access. Introduce yourself to residents. Many of them will remember you. A strong letter of recommendation from a US physician who actually knows your work is worth more than almost anything else on an IMG application.
Tip: When reaching out to hospitals for observerships, email the program coordinator directly with a brief, professional message.
Let’s put real numbers on the table because knowing what to expect financially before you land makes everything less stressful.
| Expense | Estimated Cost |
| Rent (shared room) | $800 – $1,500 |
| Transportation | ~$130 |
| Groceries | $250 – $400 |
| Phone plan | $30 – $60 |
| Miscellaneous | $100 – $300 |
| Total | ~$1,400 – $2,500 |
The range is wide because the overall budget largely depends on how you live duing your time in New York.
The IMGs who manage New York well tend to do the same few things consistently:
Split rent with at least one other person, prepare meals instead of eating out daily, and stay outside Manhattan unless the commute genuinely doesn’t work. Student discounts are also worth checking, many museums, software subscriptions, and even some phone plans offer them. Small savings, but they add up across a few months.
A few things nobody puts in the official brochure, but that actually matter when you’re preparing for your first stretch in the city.
New York winters are not mild. If you’re coming from South Asia, the Middle East, or anywhere with a warm baseline, the cold between November and March will catch you off guard if you’re not dressed for it. A properly insulated jacket, warm socks, and waterproof shoes aren’t optional; they’re survival basics. Summers get humid and hot, so pack for both extremes.
Sort your phone plan early. T-Mobile and Mint Mobile are the most popular among IMGs, affordable, decent coverage, and easy to set up without a US credit history. For banking, Chase and Bank of America are the most practical choices for new arrivals. Both have widespread ATMs across the city and relatively straightforward account opening processes for international visitors.
Keep physical and digital copies of everything: passport, visa documents, hospital acceptance or invitation letters, and vaccination records. Hospitals will ask for immunization proof before any observership starts, so come with all your documents ready to show.
Be professional, be punctual, and take every interaction seriously. An observership that starts as a two-week shadowing experience has turned into research opportunities, mentorships, and strong LORs for more IMGs than you’d think. People remember the ones who showed genuine interest and acted like it.
New York moves fast and it doesn’t slow down for anyone. Almost every IMG goes through a week or two of feeling genuinely overwhelmed and that’s normal, not a sign that you made the wrong call. The city rewards people who get organized, manage their time well, and don’t isolate themselves. Find your community early.
New York’s diversity is a real comfort for international students. Halal food, South Asian groceries, mosques, temples, cultural communities, they’re all here, and they’re accessible. You won’t feel like a stranger for long.
Honestly? Yes, but you have to be smart.
New York is expensive, fast, and competitive. But it also offers something most cities can’t match: a concentration of teaching hospitals, a patient population that reflects the whole world, and a medical community that has been working with international graduates for decades. The networking opportunities alone can change the direction of a residency application.
Thousands of IMGs navigate New York every year and come out the other side with better applications, stronger networks, and a city they’ve learned to actually love. With the right planning, there’s no reason you can’t do the same.
If you are an IMG planning your trip to New York, keep these things in mind. Follow IMG Helping Hands if you want to be a well-prepared IMG.
IMG HELPING HANDS
IMG Helping Hands helps IMGs navigate USMLE prep, mentorship, networking, and residency strategy with confidence.
Articles published by IMG Helping Hands are prepared by our team using information from direct experience, publicly available resources, and educational references. AI tools may be used to assist with drafting, proofreading, and formatting; however, all content undergoes review and approval before publication.
The information provided is intended for educational purposes only. Requirements, policies, and processes may change over time. Readers should consult official sources for the most current information.
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