NYC, they literally have the Financial District. You’ll have more opportunity to advance your career but also more competition at the same time.

I didn’t live in DC proper but I was looking to move there instead of NYC. I couldn’t justify living in DC for the rents that aren’t too far behind NYC. I lived in one of the most expensive DC metro areas and rent in DC was even more.. but less than NYC. *However, it’s hard to live cheaply in DC/ metro because lack of choices. In NYC you can live as cheap or as luxurious as you choose. You could live on dollar slice pizza and roadside produce stands, and grocery shopping in China town, etc. You can live cheap in NYC but it’s not easy, DC felt very difficult to do that. You also won’t have much transportation cost in NYC bc you likely won’t have a car but in DC that’s not as prevalent. The NYC metro/subway is so much more expansive than DC, just not even close to being as clean.

I’m not gay, nor am I in the dating scene.. but I have friends that are and the dating scene in NYC is a little crazy. You could have hundreds of dates a year, or none. You can easily meet people in bars/clubs. And the gay population is very diverse in NYC.

NYC is very much a walkable city, but that is my experience in Manhattan anyway. DC wasn’t nearly as walkable and felt a lot more unsafe. NYC gives you safety in numbers nearly everywhere you go. Ignore a lot of the subway crime because it’s likely not in the areas you’ll be and it’s very low based on the ridership. Just stay aware and you’ll likely be fine. Plenty to do in NYC, DC has pockets of areas and it seems like not much in between. (Other Burroughs of NYC feel like that too though).

Either city is probably the same, I’m in a relationship so it’s different for me than your situation so my view would be different than yours.