One of the long-standing gripes with Sex and the City and now And Just Like That is how Carrie Bradshaw can afford to waltz around New York City in head-to-toe designer clothes and own an apartment in Manhattan on a journalist’s salary. The fact it’s a fictional TV show, or that she’s a best-selling author from publishing’s heyday, often gets lost in the discourse.
Now that season three of And Just Like That is finally here and Carrie has moved into her ludicrously capacious Gramercy Park West townhouse with palatial ceilings, bedrooms galore, enough ground floor space to host a wedding, and a disproportionately modest kitchen, the discourse has been sparked up again.
Loyal AJLT fans will remember that Carrie sold her iconic studio flat and purchased her new home with a view to host Aidan and his three sons on a regular basis. However, Aidan’s youngest son Wyatt, who struggles with substance abuse and was in an accident at the end of the last season, had other ideas. Aidan and Carrie made the decision to put their relationship on pause for five years so that he can focus on parenting, which meant she has been left with a huge, immaculate family home all to herself (and her cat, Shoes).
How does Carrie afford to live such a life of luxury? Where is her new townhouse? And how much does it cost in real life? Here’s the lowdown.
Where is Carrie's new apartment in And Just Like That?
Carrie's new home is 3 Gramercy Park West, which is in an affluent private area of Manhattan in New York City. It's bounded by East 14th Street to the south, East 23rd street to the north, Park Avenue South to the west, and First Avenue to the east. The area also features a fenced-in private park that is only available to residents who have the keys.
Her old brownstone was located at 245 East 73rd Street, but the exteriors were filmed outside 66 Perry Street in the West Village.
Earlier this year, the real resident of Carrie's old apartment confronted a group of tourists waiting outside the steps to his house. 'You can't just take over the street because you like a TV show,' he called down to them. 'I try not to do this but sometimes people cross the line. Thank you for understanding. And remember, this is not empty, it's a private home. And it's not Carrie's, it's mine.'
How much are properties in Gramercy Park?
If the property porn in And Just Like That (of which there is *plenty* in season three) has you wondering what Carrie's new pad costs, the answer is a lot. A one bedroom apartment in that area costs anything between $500,000 (£371k) to upwards of $1.5 million (£1.1m).
To rent a four bedroom apartment in Gramercy Park like Carrie's costs between $9,000 (£6.6k) and $28,000 (£20k) per month. However, to buy a home of that size can cost between $6,995,000 (£5.1m) and $13,995,000 (£10.3m).
According to real estate listings, Carrie's townhouse sold for $4.49 million (£3.34m) in 2019, then for $5.7 million (£4.23m) later that year, before changing hands again for $5 million (£3.7) in 2022. Zillow currently estimates its value at $4.29 million (£3.1m).
How can Carrie afford her Gramercy Park apartment in And Just Like That?
We know that Carrie's former flat was rent-controlled at $700 (£520) per month – a blind bargain by today's standards. When her building went co-op during SATC Aidan bought it for them as a couple, but after their breakup, Charlotte (reluctantly) offered Carrie her engagement ring from her marriage to Trey to help buy it back.
Then while she was married to Mr. Big, Carrie lived in their luxurious Fifth Avenue penthouse at 1010 Fifth Avenue, but rented out her brownstone for safekeeping. After Big's death at the start of season one of And Just Like That, Carrie went back to the place she knows and loves.
It's likely that her East 73rd Street apartment sold for between $600-700k (£445-520k), so we have to assume Carrie had a lot of savings to afford her new £3m home. But lest we forget that she inherited Big's estate when he died. It's implied that she received a substantial sum of money, possibly including his assets in Manhattan and the Hamptons. The fact Big left his ex-wife Natasha $1m (£740k) suggests Carrie got multiple millions herself too.
Then there's Carrie's salary as a journalist and an author, which would likely be between £80-100k. In season three, we also see her turn her hand at fiction writing, which she would have received a sizeable advance for too given her status as a celebrity writer.
So, relax everyone! Her new house is huge but she can comfortably afford it (as well as a last minute landscape gardener).
Can you visit Carrie's new apartment from And Just Like That?
As die hard fans can attest, it is possible to visit the exterior of all Carrie's homes in Sex and the City and And Just Like That. Gramercy Park West is indeed a real place so if you're a tourist or a New York resident, you can pay the street a visit and pretend to be Carrie for the day. Don't forget your heels.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).