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I was born and raise in nyc and I have never lived someone else. I was never taught or heard of it being rude to ask but I recently learned that it was a offensive/ intrusive question to ask. I wonder if it’s just a nyc thing where everyone ask what they pay and we all go “wow that’s crazy, rent these days are getting out of hand!” Or people in nyc don’t actually do this it’s just me and my community. I never gave much thought to the question, I just ask to see how ridiculous the numbers can be, I don’t judge someone based off it either. If they have a really cheap apartment I consider it a steal and if it was really expensive then I would applaud them for being able to afford it. Lmk what y’all think.

Update: after reading most of the comments I think it generally normal in NYC but I should def phrase it gently just in case cause def outside of nyc it’s really rude.