Native
New
Yo ke
Mohuya
Kha ,
27,
i
he
apa tme t
i
Asto ia,
Quee s.
Lucia
Vazquez
fo
BI
Ope ati g
i e
diffe e t
i come
st eams
f om
he
o e-bed oom
apa tme t
i
Asto ia,
Quee s,
27-yea -old
co te t
c eato
a d
busi ess
ow e
Mohuya
Kha
ge e ated
about
$130,000
i
g oss
eve ue
i
2025.Afte
busi ess
expe ses
a d
taxes,
Kha
kept
about
$70,000
i
take-home
i come,
acco di g
to
fi a cial
details
sha ed
with
Busi ess
I side
fo
its
“Cost
of
the
City”
se ies,
which
follows
people
deali g
with
the
high
cost
of
livi g
i
majo
U.S.
cities.Although
Kha
has
achieved
fi a cial
i depe de ce
a d
has
o
debt,
she
said
ma agi g
i e
sou ces
of
i come
while
wo ki g
lo g
hou s
pushed
he
close
to
physical
a d
me tal
exhaustio .“Livi g
i
New
Yo k
City,
it’s
ki d
of
a
double-edged
swo d,”
Kha
told
Busi ess
I side .
“You
see,
eve yo e,
fo
the
most
pa t,
a ou d
you
hustli g.
You
see
people
wo ki g
multiple
jobs,
a d
obviously
they’ e
ti ed,
but
they’ e
just
doi g
it
because
it’s
ki d
of
the
o mal
way
of
livi g
he e.”
Ea ly
ca ee
a d
fi a cial
st uggles
Kha
was
bo
i
Quee s
to
Ba gladeshi
immig a t
pa e ts.
Watchi g
he
pa e ts
wo k
lo g
hou s
taught
he
the
impo ta ce
of
ha d
wo k
f om
a
ea ly
age.
He
fathe
d ove
a
New
Yo k
City
taxi
fo
16
hou s
a
day,
seve
days
a
week.
He
mothe
e cou aged
he
to
wo k
ha de
tha
othe s
if
she
wa ted
to
achieve
he
goals.Kha
got
he
fi st
job
at
15,
ea ed
he
d ive ’s
lice ce
at
16,
a d
moved
i to
he
ow
apa tme t
at
22
while
atte di g
college.
She
ea ed
he
u de g aduate
deg ee
f om
Hu te
College
a d
late
studied
childhood
educatio
the e.To
pay
fo
school
a d
livi g
costs
without
depe di g
o
othe s,
she
wo ked
as
a
afte -school
cou sello
while
usi g
stude t
loa s
a d
pe so al
savi gs.Du i g
the
pa demic,
Kha
bega
posti g
he
a two k
o
YouTube,
I stag am,
a d
TikTok.
As
he
audie ce
g ew,
she
used
tuto ials
o
YouTube
a d
Skillsha e
to
imp ove
he
illust atio
skills.She
eve tually
left
he
educatio
ca ee
a d
sta ted
he
ow
fashio
b a d,
Laby i thave,
which
combi es
I do-Weste
a d
Ba gladeshi
desig
i flue ces.Whe
she
fi st
became
self-employed
full
time,
Kha
depe ded
o
he
savi gs
a d
dete mi atio .
Howeve ,
she
ow
wa s
othe s
ot
to
leave
a
stable
job
without
e ough
fi a cial
secu ity.“I
do ’t
ecomme d
eve yo e
just
to
quit
you
job,
a d
just
wo k
o
you
passio s,”
Kha
told
Busi ess
I side .
“It
sou ds
g eat
o
pape ,
but
whe
you
t y
to
actually
do
it,
a d
you
do ’t
have
mo ey
saved
up
o
a
stable
job
o
i come
that
is
goi g
to
come
i ,
it
is
so
sca y
to
ot
have
that.”Looki g
back,
she
said
the
pe iod
was
ext emely
dema di g
a d
that
she
had
few
pe so al
bou da ies.“I’m
p oud
of
he ,
but
I
do ’t
k ow
if
I
would
do
it
agai ,”
she
said.
“It
motivated
me.
It
also
eally
bu ed
me
out.”
Ma agi g
costs
i
Asto ia
Kha
ow
sha es
a
$3,000
mo thly
e t
fo
he
Asto ia
apa tme t
with
he
husba d.He
egula
expe ses
i clude
utilities,
which
cost
betwee
$50
a d
$210
a
mo th
depe di g
o
heati g
a d
cooli g
eeds.
G oce ies
fo
two
people
cost
up
to
$400
each
mo th.Kha
ow s
a
ca
a d
pays
$300
a
mo th
fo
i su a ce.
Howeve ,
the
vehicle
stays
at
he
pa e ts’
home
so
he
mothe
ca
use
it.
Kha
usually
t avels
a ou d
New
Yo k
usi g
the
subway.She
also
uses
some
of
he
i come
to
help
he
pa e ts
pay
thei
mo tgage.
I
additio ,
she
co t ibutes
mo e
tha
$400
to
a
family
mobile
pho e
pla
sha ed
by
he
immediate
family
a d
he
au t’s
household.He
spe di g
o
o -esse tial
activities
emai s
elatively
low.
She
spe ds
up
to
$100
a
week
eati g
out
with
he
husba d,
has
a
basic
ClassPass
membe ship,
gets
massages
twice
a
mo th,
a d
occasio ally
has
ma icu es.He
disc etio a y
spe di g
usually
a ges
f om
$300
to
$500
a
mo th,
although
it
ca
each
$1,000
du i g
mo ths
whe
she
t avels.
Setti g
healthie
wo k
bou da ies
Five
yea s
afte
sta ti g
he
co te t
a d
fashio
busi esses,
Kha
has
c eated
st o ge
bou da ies
betwee
wo k
a d
pe so al
life
to
avoid
a othe
pe iod
of
bu out.She
co ti ues
to
u
he
busi esses
while
livi g
i
Quee s.“I
do ’t
feel
like
I
have
to
co sta tly
bu
myself
out
a d
ove exe t
myself
to
p ove
a ythi g
to
myself
o
othe s,”
Kha
told
Busi ess
I side .Eve
though
New
Yo k
City
emai s
expe sive,
Kha
has
o
pla s
to
leave.
She
hopes
to
co ti ue
livi g
i
the
city
a d
aise
he
futu e
family
the e.