Wow, that would be quite an accomplishment if you can have zero housing costs in NYC!
I’m familiar with the NY-area market since I used to live there. Makes San Diego real estate prices look like affordable housing.

It’s DIFFERENT. Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn are expensive to be sure.

Then again:
(1) Tax millage rates on SFRs in Brooklyn and Queens are about 50% of those under Prop 13, if that.
(2) You can actually get a decent SFR in a commutable area of NJ for between $100 and $200k if you look hard enough. The minus side of that are NJ’s high property taxes, but not all towns have that problem.
(3) Deals on apartments still exist. I just looked at a 3-bedroom (or 2+office) in Harlem just north of the park, needs some work but not unliveable, well under $300k. Common charges (including tax) = $600/mo. Meaning that I’d pay about $1600/mo + utilities if I financed 80%.