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I know the rental market is crazy, I'm wondering how much cash you actually need to have available to fork over to get an apartment.

I'm hoping to score something on the cheaper end, but I hear things like first + last month's rent + security deposit + broker's fee, which could be multiple thousands of dollars even with a 'cheap' NYC apartment?

Anybody have concrete experience/advice?

(anon because too many personal Qs like this tied to an account makes 'outing' trivial)

That seems about right, depending on the landlord you might not be asked to pay for the last month. Expect to pay a 15% of the yearly rent broker fee and first months rent as well as the security deposit.

For a decent apartment you'll need somewhere between five and ten grand (more if you want to swank out)

I just got a place in the financial district that had no broker's fee and only required the first month's rent and security deposit to be paid upfront. It requires a little more work on your part, but you can find deals like this in NYC if you try.