What it really costs to live in America's biggest cities — and the trade-offs residents make to stay.

New York City's swag (democratic) socialist renaissance has arrived.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled an affordable Big Apple-themed World Cup jersey — going for about $50 while FIFA's are topping $150 — this week, and people lined up for it in the thousands. Available only at the city-government-run NYC City Store location in Manhattan on June 12, residents woke up at dawn, played hooky from work, and spent hours outside for a chance at the merch. Most were also fans of the mayor.

"Our computers are kind of overheating," Colleen Litchfield, a 30-year-old actor who works in the theater industry, told Business Insider while they waited in line Friday morning. Litchfield and their coworker, Cameron Wycoff, 23, had been in line since 7:45 a.m. The two held their laptops in their hands and took customer service calls, using the fans City Hall gave out to cool down their computers — and themselves — in the nearly 90-degree weather.

Peter Bowman, 26, got to the line relatively "late," a little after 10 a.m. In his tote bag, he's got his work computer, ready to clock in to his software marketing gig at any minute. He described himself as a pop-up "veteran," used to waiting in long lines around the city, and then showed off his new Oura Ring, which he got at a recent pop-up.

Making ends meet in New York City is "tough," Bowman said, but there's opportunity. Maybe, just maybe, if you get in line at the right time, you can get hold of something you ordinarily couldn't afford.

The long, humid wait for a piece of the NYC World Cup

In true New Yorker spirit, LizaBanks Campagna, a content creator and tour guide for the city's Metropolitan Museum of Art, was unfazed by the line. She got in line around 7 a.m. on Friday, and it took three hours to claim her jersey. She took a photo in her new jersey with her line mates, whom she'd met that morning, adding that the "vibes were immaculate."

The line wrapped around the block hours after the store opened at 9 a.m. A security guard managing the line estimated it could have been thousands of people in total. At around 11 a.m., we spotted at least four people with open laptops attempting to work remotely. Several people tried to cool off with soccer-themed paper fans, while others pulled out sun umbrellas and reapplied sunscreen. City employees handed out water.

Designed by local artist Arsh Raziuddin and manufactured in a Brooklyn factory by Mazzi Sports, the jerseys were produced on a limited run — with only 1,500 total available. There are 500 of each colorway, a red-and-blue, black-and-white, and black-and-yellow version, all with the signature NYC World Cup logo on the chest and a "26" on the back. The primary color palette and font style is strikingly similar to the branding on Mamdani's videos, social media, and posters.

Several of the jerseys have since been posted on resale websites for $900 or more. A bundle of two was listed for $1,400.

"Jerseys represent more than just the team you support," the mayor said in a press release. "They are about pride in where you come from and who you are." He added that "nobody is priced out."

Robin Blosvern-Ruddy, a native New Yorker, was pretty far back in the line when Business Insider spoke with her: "I would have gotten here earlier, but I had to drop my kids off."

Two women who were lucky enough to get jerseys each arrived shortly after 7 a.m. Jessica Nguyen — who picked the black-and-yellow jersey — said she could wait in line for so long because she didn't have a work call until the afternoon. Her friends, who joined her in line, had to re-arrange their work schedules, she said.

"We are all really privileged to work from home," Nguyen, a 34-year-old who works in biotech, said. "Maybe he'll do another drop that feels a little more equitable," she added, hoping that Mamdani offers up another chance for New Yorkers to get jerseys, perhaps on a weekend.

The other lucky line-waiter, Saku Gopinath, 28, left with two red and blue jerseys for her and a friend, feeling ecstatic. "It feels good to actually walk away with something," she said, adding that she's waited in lines before only to be told there's nothing left.

After scoring a jersey, Gopinath said she was off to her work shift.

Beyond the merch, City Hall has made efforts to make the World Cup more accessible to residents and visitors. Last month, Mamdani announced the release of 1,000 $50 game tickets through a lottery system. Bowman, who said he voted for Mamdani and is an avid soccer fan, didn't get his hands on World Cup tickets, but said he was "glad" City Hall was "doing that."

Mamdani has been all-in on fitting NYC's sports summer into his broader affordability agenda and messaging. He has worked with local businesses to organize free programming, pick-up games, and watch parties around the five boroughs. It comes alongside ongoing efforts by the mayor's team to organize free NBA Finals watch parties for Knicks fans in parks and centralized streets.

"Affording New York? That's an oxymoron," one 24-year-old New Yorker — who didn't share her full name because her job didn't know she was clocking in from the line — told Business Insider.

She was a long way from the front, but held on to hope.

"If the Knicks can come back from 30 points, anything's possible," she said, referring to the historic 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the Finals on Wednesday.

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