socurious

I believe your question has been answered!

I think New York is in the upper first-tier range while Chicago in the lower. In my definition it's not really about how big a city is but more about how expensive and competitive. Houston and Phoenix (for example) are bigger than both Boston and San Francisco and to me they are 2nd-tier cities ranking lower than those two. 
 

Don't forget about Miami. After New York, it is likely the most competitive city for escorts in the USA. Then I guess it's L. A.? I'm surprised Las Vegas isn't listed. Or is Vegas not really good for escorting? Someone on another thread said it was risky for the business. 

There's a long history of gay guys preferring to be with other gay guys.  Here's a thread started by a guy who was worried that he is too straight looking, and that's why he couldn't hookup with other gay men  but only a few times per year.
 
 
 

Gay. hands down. I got a massage at a m4m place in New York City, and read in the reviews that one of the brothers was straight who ran the place. I end up getting him and.. the fake attitude was a total turn off. I don't want to be manipulated by a straight guy and that's what it felt like. If the provider was bi or gay, I would be more comfortable but.. how would anyone know?
 
 

I would think it's a first tier city. By population it's the 3rd largest in the USA:
List of United States cities by population - Wikipedia
EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG  

If you're only measuring by escort donations, I guess Chicago is a "second-tier" city. Which is fine because we're always been the "Second City"....

Here's a recent thread discussing rates in San Diego, which you consider in the same "tier" as New York.  In summary, most responded that typical rates fall between $250-$350 per hour in San Diego; but, don't expect as high $300 for not kissing, rimming, oral, bottoming, etc.
 

I see nothing wrong with not kissing…. Honestly, a lot of guys have poor oral hygiene and terrible breath. 
 
As for oral….. if two men are getting naked for any action…. Escort, hookup, whatever… some things need to be sucked/licked… 
I never understood having the main course without the appetizer… but to each his own… 

Not only market research but also marketing! 

What’s surprising may be that-  if your numbers are correct - they don’t actually disclose that fully. And then they still expect to be paid on the basis of vague descriptions of service or claiming the payment is for time rather than anything specific.
No problem if everything is really fully disclosed. But it often isn’t. Many providers don’t hide that they are intentionally vague and openly mock those they can lure in.:

Would that be a problem if it was market research? I don't think so. 
I think some people assumme I'm straight because of the way I carry myself. Even some of my gay friends at first told me I was supposedly "too suave" to be gay. Whatever that means. I personally think it has something to do with my New York urban Latino swagger. I absorbed it unconsciously. 

I actually don’t negotiate with providers -. at most I’ve accepted revised terms after their persistent efforts while doing nothing myself. And that’s not just my opinion, it’s my experience in multiple instances with providers well regarded on here and elsewhere, and the experience of many I know personally. 
And to be clear: my non negotiation position is not because I put providers on some pedestal. I don’t respect or disrespect a provider arguing they know their value and won’t budge from that - it’s irrelevant as what I care about is if the terms work for me. I’d rather move on to someone else if the terms don’t work for me as initially stated, and I wouldn’t want to be literally exposed with someone resentful at the circumstances of being there even if they accept them voluntarily.
When I say that’s not how the world works (negotiation does in fact occur) I’m not saying it’s the case for 100% of providers or interactions. So you can have your position on this, and the world can still work a different way for a significant number of people / experiences. What I’m saying is it’s not 0% (no negotiations) and occurs frequently enough to be considered normal. 

I've done 500 a couple of times for 2 hours. But that’s outside NYC. In New York City nobody has hired for so long except for one guy (I charged him 550 for 2 hours). We didn't do anal. He was very nice and paid for my ubers. 
Do you think 500 is too little in NYC? My friend charges 700. I thought the point was to encourage people to hire you for longer. 

Would you rather hire a bi, gay or straight provider? I ask because a lot of clients find the idea of having sex with a straight or bi man more exciting. Most of my clients usually assume I'm straight. Do you think identifying as bi, gay or straight makes a different when trying to find potential clients?

$1.98
 

Inflation Rate between 2019-2024 | Inflation Calculator
WWW.IN2013DOLLARS.COM $300 in 2019 is now equivalent to $366.50 in 2024.  

"No kissing no giving [the client] oral" is usually not a deterrent for me. I have to feel a connection in order to kiss and I prefer to give than to receive. If a guy doesn't want to kiss, so be it. There are other things we can do and there are plenty of guys who want to kiss.

That seems quite fair to me. 

350 in the city since I'm a newbie with only one review in my profile. I don't consider that expensive. I've done 300 a few times but regretted it. I did 200 for 30 minutes one time but no anal involved. I only do travels. 
I'm not into into cheap customers honestly. If someone thinks 350-400 for a escort in New York City is a lot then hiring is not their thing. 
I hate when certain clients like to act entitled as if they have the right to tell others what's their value is. Unless the escort is scamming people no one has that right.  If you think someone is expensive just move on and hire someone else. It's their bodies and minds at the end of the day. 

When I look at profiles, I don't even look at the sexual orientation of the provider. If he's available, affordable, compatible with my needs and capable of performing as expected, I can't care less what he claims to be his sexual orientation.
Personally I've met people who prefer to hire bisexual or straight men. I try not to judge them, I just let them be, that is, until it affects me. Once in a setting that I prefer not to give details about, there were a group of gay men talking about a number of topics. There was this gay guy who apparently had a problem with other gay men, stating that the moment that he finds that a guy is gay he wants nothing to do with him. In the same paragraph where he said that he only dates straight men ("very macho" in his words), he then stated how lonely he is, and that he doesn't seem to find a man who loves him.
I just had to tell him, "Why on Earth do you want to pursue a person who, by the very definition of who he is, doesn't like you and is not interested in you that way?" His rather explosive, defensive, insulting and downright disrespectful reaction told me that he had no interest in challenging his premises, nor did he really had any legitimate interest in finding love. I know it would have been better if I just let him be, but it really rubbed me the wrong way that he had this attitude that "straight means better", or "gay is worthless". With that, I had a problem, but not with his preferences of what kind of man he prefers.
In my youth, in my early 20s, I was a very angry young man. I became a hardcore activist for the rights of gay men and for HIV/AIDS prevention education made available to all. I used to call myself "heterophobic", meaning that I was not very nice to those guys who were sometimes struggling with coming to terms with their sexuality, and they considered themselves straight or bisexual. I used to say that I respect their sexual orientation, but I will treat them the way I treat heterosexual men (which wasn't nice). I had a "straight means homophobic" and "bisexual means closet case" attitude. It cost some friendships, and took some learning and time for me to come around and be less angry/resentful at straight men in general, and becoming more welcoming and understanding.
So now I just live and let live (but don't fuck with me treating me like I am "less than" because I am gay).

Sooo damn rude. 
A lot of us are educated. I graduated with a decent GPA myself. Many just escort as a side job for extra income or because they simply like to travel and think is good money where you can take several breaks. 

Well, someone that has an erection to have sex with another man can't be straight. But this is just my opinion. 

350 in the city since I'm a newbie with only one review in my profile. I don't consider that expensive. I've done 300 a few times but regretted it. I did 200 for 30 minutes one time but no anal involved. I only do travels. 
I'm not into into cheap customers honestly. If someone thinks 350-400 for a escort in New York City is a lot then hiring is not their thing. 
I hate when certain clients like to act entitled as if they have the right to tell others what's their value is. Unless the escort is scamming people no one has that right.  If you think someone is expensive just move on and hire someone else. It's their bodies and minds at the end of the day. 

Well, someone that has an erection to have sex with another man can't be straight. But this is just my opinion.