[gen220]

The last sentence is extremely true and good advice.

In general, "the market" is extremely efficient: all "bona fide good" (i.e. you, your mother, your 5 closest friends, your manager, your college roommate would unanimously agree that it's "good") living situations are really expensive.

To find situations that are affordable, you have to trade off on a couple of those bona fides (dishwasher, W/D access, square footage, daytime/nighttime noise, distance from trendy neighborhoods... ambient incidence rate of violent crime).

All that being said, if I were new to the city and under 30, I wouldn't discount bunking up with randos in LES/East Village/Nolita (trendier neighborhoods) for the first year. You're not going to know which neighborhood is your neighborhood until you've seen what's around, and you might as well enjoy the first year. Will you be financially responsible? Eventually. For now, have a good time.