[outofmidwest]

I'm moving out of Midwest; would be working in NYC (42nd and 3rd)...I've to zero in on the place to live. 45 minutes one way travel, $1200pm rent for a 1 bedroom apt is what I have in mind. I own a car and don't want to sell it. Is it even realistic to achieve this..? how to compare CT and NJ for my case? Unmarried..so school districts don't matter....any inputs are highly appreciated...thx

[jeremeyk482]

Originally Posted by outofmidwest

I'm moving out of Midwest; would be working in NYC (42nd and 3rd)...I've to zero in on the place to live. 45 minutes one way travel, $1200pm rent for a 1 bedroom apt is what I have in mind. I own a car and don't want to sell it. Is it even realistic to achieve this..? how to compare CT and NJ for my case? Unmarried..so school districts don't matter....any inputs are highly appreciated...thx

Welcome to the CT forum. I live in SW CT along the Metro North Railroad (as you probably know, Connecticuts commuter train service into Grand Central). While the CT suburbs are among the most expensive in the area and the nation, the quality of life here is excellent, the schools are top notch and you have fine dining combined with world class shopping (Greenwich Ave).

Now for the negatives. Traffic. Traffic. Traffic. I-95 between New Haven and NYC is a nightmare, so if you're going to be working on 42nd and 3rd, you'll probably want to take the train right into Grand Central (42nd and Park). For $1200, you can find a decent small apartment in any community. I'd highly suggest Stamford for you. It's about a 30 minute drive to NYC without traffic and about 40 minutes by train. I only suggest Stamford because it's a little cheaper than the surrounding communities of Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien, has more of a nightlife and many apartments. Just stay away from the southwestern portion of Stamford (nearest to Greenwich, ironically) because some neighborhoods down there can become quite shady. A general rule of thumb in CT is that if it's cheap, there's a reason it's cheap.

If you were to live in NJ, your train would go to Penn Station which is on 33rd street, a bit further from your job. Grand Central would definitely be more convenient for you.

Also, you don't have to get rid of your car living in CT. Just think, you'll put less miles on it if you're taking the train everyday. Everyone I know in Stamford who commutes to the city owns a car.

If you don't mind me asking, what's your age and interests? Max commuting time? I can help you better with finding a town to reside.

Feel free to message me if you have further questions or just ask here on the boards.

PS. I'm not a realtor