Earlier quoted context omitted.
A "booming" NYC is not necessarily a purely positive thing. SF and NYC used to be fairly comparable as far as cost of living goes but now renting in SF is comparable to a dozen other metros (eg. $3k for a 1 bed, under $4k for a 2 bed) but in NYC it's a now an absurdly expensive outlier eg. $5k+ for a 1 bed in a convenient area in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Beyond that eating out/going out/uber+taxis all seemed much more…
NYC is indeed absurdly expensive (and getting worse), but: you're being taken for a ride if someone is trying to rent you a 1BR for $5K. I live in a convenient (and "cool") area and pay less than a third of that. The only 1BRs that I'm aware of that go for anywhere close to that are "luxury" rentals, which tend to be worse anyways (newer construction means thinner walls, etc.).
That's simply untrue. Average 1 beds on Zumper for all of Manhattan is $4k. In more central areas downtown it's absolutely going to be more right now. https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/manhattan-ny
And if you rent something that requires a brokers fee then that's another ~2 months of rent you're paying on your initial lease.