I know this is an old thread an the OP just mentioned he had found a place, but I still wanted to chip in my 2 cents.
I believe that as a young single person, the right housing decision comes down to your personal preference and definition of a "home". If you are the type that needs their own place to come home to unwind at night, or spends a lot of time in there apartment, then it might make a little more sense to splurge a little, since you will be spending quality time at home. However, for me personally when I was younger, and many of my friends, we were too busy working, or playing to spend any real time at home, and our home mostly functioned as a place to shower and sleep, before starting all over the next day. In this case, I could never fathom why many of my friends and co-workers would spend $1,500-$4000+ a month on a place when they could share a place that was only an extra 10 minute commute for $700 to $800 that was actually a decent place.
As your life evolves, and you have a wife or kids, a home does tend to take on a new meaning, but even so, there are decent buildings in safe neighborhoods in Brooklyn conveniently located near the trains where you can rent 3-bedrooms for less than $2,500.
I get the whole "excited and fun" part of living in NYC, but it is possible to have that exciting and fun life in NYC without spending $1,500+/month.
