NYC vs NJ Living (Newark, Jersey City: apartment, rental, insurance)
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Hi all. First off, I was born and raised down the shore and lived in Central Jersey for 5 years before moving to NYC the last few years. I currently live near Wall Street but after getting my lease renewal, refuse to contribute any more money to the ridiculous rent in NY. I currently share a 1 BR with a roommate (fake wall makes it a converted "2 BR"). Our rent went up 9% to $3600, my share going up $150 to around $1775.
I am now debating moving back to NJ - ideally I would like to get a new job in NJ so I do not have to pay the expensive NJ transit ticket prices, but the job market is not great and have not found a plethora of jobs at the salary I want (downside of working in NYC and going anywhere else after).
If I do not find a new job, I may have to do the commute to NYC. I did the commute from Bridgewater to NYC and really want to avoid that (2 hrs roundtrip.. Raritan Valley Line not so great) again. The problem is that I will have to buy a car to live in NJ (unless I wanted to live in Hoboken, which is almost as expensive as NYC), so the money I'd save on an apartment I seem to be having to set aside for a train ticket/car/insurance/gas. I still have a few months of job hunting, but I really want to cover all bases since I have to make a decision soon as to whether I will renew my lease.
Where are you coming from? Financial District - NYC
Why are you moving? Cost. My rent went up more than the annual merit increase I received from work!
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?
PREFERABLY NJ - at this point anywhere in Central or North Jersey. But as it stands, near Penn Station NYC, and would probably want easy access there regardless
Will you buy or rent? Rent (NO Roommate. Part of the reason I want to move out of NYC too).
What is your budget ? Not sure, which is tricky. I make about $72k, single female 27. Train ticket seems as though itll be about 200 - 400 monthly PLUS car payment..... I am thinking maybe $1200 - $1300 tops for rent.
What kind of place are you looking for ? 1 BR. Studio would be fine if it was only option.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? No
Do you need/want good public schools? no
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) Really does not matter. Safe is biggest priority. Since I have grown up in jersey, I will probably not spend too much time in the town as I wil be with family and friends a lot. I just need to be able to get the basics (grocery shopping, getting to/from work, etc) and feel safe doing it
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
Commute that is reasonably priced (for example NJT monthly for New Brunswick is $361 which is honestly more than I want to spend.. I'd say less than $300 monthly so figure closer to NYC than NB), Safety, easy parking.
I feel like this is a challenge I cannot figure out. How do single people afford to live in NJ and commute to NYC while having such HIGH transportation costs. THIS is why I moved to NYC in the first place. It was cheaper than Jersey w/ a commute.
I believe most suggestions will probably be geared towards Edison and Woodbridge since the rent is reasonable and a quick commute to NYC. I know that area fairly well, so am looking to see if there are any other options more North (and perhaps West) that are less familiar to me. Not sure what I can afford but Morris County (at least M&E train line seems less congested than NEC), Essex (perhaps Montclair area), Union Co, etc.
First off, thanks for taking the time to fill in all of the information!
I'd look in Montclair: 40 minutes to Penn Station(train time only not door to door), upscale with lots of bars and restaurants, decent amount of people in your age range, Monthly Train pass is $191. $1,200-1,300 will be tight in the more desirable areas but it is doable for a 1BR.
Last edited by Goldendoodle1969; 08-02-2012 at 09:27 AM..
Most commutes outside of Hoboken will run close to that 2hr roundtrip time door to door. Considering you're single and understanding your frustration I think you should still try to look for an area that still has a bit of something to do for the 20 something. Hoboken does fit that bill but you're right, it's quite an expensive place to rent in unless you do a share. I would definitely consider towns like Montclair and Maplewood as they have a great vibe/mix and have some affordable rents. I also don't think you need a car whatsoever if you live in these towns. Rutherford would be another option but having lived there in part of my 20s, I was so bored out of mind. Looking quickly at Craiglist for Montclair there are several apts in your price range. And again, with so many options to eat, shop and easy for transportation, there is no need for a car. At least not right away. No brainer imo.
Hi all. First off, I was born and raised down the shore and lived in Central Jersey for 5 years before moving to NYC the last few years. I currently live near Wall Street but after getting my lease renewal, refuse to contribute any more money to the ridiculous rent in NY. I currently share a 1 BR with a roommate (fake wall makes it a converted "2 BR"). Our rent went up 9% to $3600, my share going up $150 to around $1775.
I am now debating moving back to NJ - ideally I would like to get a new job in NJ so I do not have to pay the expensive NJ transit ticket prices, but the job market is not great and have not found a plethora of jobs at the salary I want (downside of working in NYC and going anywhere else after).
If I do not find a new job, I may have to do the commute to NYC. I did the commute from Bridgewater to NYC and really want to avoid that (2 hrs roundtrip.. Raritan Valley Line not so great) again. The problem is that I will have to buy a car to live in NJ (unless I wanted to live in Hoboken, which is almost as expensive as NYC), so the money I'd save on an apartment I seem to be having to set aside for a train ticket/car/insurance/gas. I still have a few months of job hunting, but I really want to cover all bases since I have to make a decision soon as to whether I will renew my lease.
Where are you coming from? Financial District - NYC
Why are you moving? Cost. My rent went up more than the annual merit increase I received from work!
Where will you be working ? If NYC, what part of NYC?
PREFERABLY NJ - at this point anywhere in Central or North Jersey. But as it stands, near Penn Station NYC, and would probably want easy access there regardless
Will you buy or rent? Rent (NO Roommate. Part of the reason I want to move out of NYC too).
What is your budget ? Not sure, which is tricky. I make about $72k, single female 27. Train ticket seems as though itll be about 200 - 400 monthly PLUS car payment..... I am thinking maybe $1200 - $1300 tops for rent.
What kind of place are you looking for ? 1 BR. Studio would be fine if it was only option.
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ? No
Do you need/want good public schools? no
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc) Really does not matter. Safe is biggest priority. Since I have grown up in jersey, I will probably not spend too much time in the town as I wil be with family and friends a lot. I just need to be able to get the basics (grocery shopping, getting to/from work, etc) and feel safe doing it
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
Commute that is reasonably priced (for example NJT monthly for New Brunswick is $361 which is honestly more than I want to spend.. I'd say less than $300 monthly so figure closer to NYC than NB), Safety, easy parking.
I feel like this is a challenge I cannot figure out. How do single people afford to live in NJ and commute to NYC while having such HIGH transportation costs. THIS is why I moved to NYC in the first place. It was cheaper than Jersey w/ a commute.
I believe most suggestions will probably be geared towards Edison and Woodbridge since the rent is reasonable and a quick commute to NYC. I know that area fairly well, so am looking to see if there are any other options more North (and perhaps West) that are less familiar to me. Not sure what I can afford but Morris County (at least M&E train line seems less congested than NEC), Essex (perhaps Montclair area), Union Co, etc.
Thanks!! I look forward to moving back
Exactly why I chose Jersey City over Manhattan. I was able to buy a larger place at super low financing, I have complete access to NY, and I won't be pressured by a landlord in a year to raise my rent 10%. I was commuting from Morristown 1.5 hours one way and paying almost $400 per month for a monthly train pass. Now I have a 30 min commute. I would've liked to move in to Manhattan, but it was just crazy expensive and you got no space.
You could check out Glen Rock or Hawthorne. They are located on train line and you could probably find a reasonable rental in those towns. Parts of Bloomfield might work for you. Jersey City maybe would work for you. Jersey City is not much more affordable than Hoboken, though.
First off, thanks for taking the time to fill in all of the information!
I'd look in Montclair: 40 minutes to Penn Station(train time only not door to door), upscale with lots of bars and restaurants, decent amount of people in your age range, Monthly Train pass is $191. $1,200-1,300 will be tight in the more desirable areas but it is doable for a 1BR.
If I did not need a car, I could go upwards of like $1700, but it just may be a little tight. 40 Minutes isn't bad - I work literally one avenue over from Penn.
The train cost is quite doable at $191, much better than from Bridgewater!
Not true, my girlfriend takes the bus from East Rutherford and is at Port Authority in around 25 minutes, 20 minutes coming back home.
Right - anywhere New Brunswick and up on the NEC would be less than an hour, which is fine. I only despised the Raritan Valley commute because I had to transfer at Newark which was a pain. I would be fine with an hour commute as long as it was direct.
I imagine, though, that East Rutherford would require a car?
Exactly why I chose Jersey City over Manhattan. I was able to buy a larger place at super low financing, I have complete access to NY, and I won't be pressured by a landlord in a year to raise my rent 10%. I was commuting from Morristown 1.5 hours one way and paying almost $400 per month for a monthly train pass. Now I have a 30 min commute. I would've liked to move in to Manhattan, but it was just crazy expensive and you got no space.
You could check out Glen Rock or Hawthorne. They are located on train line and you could probably find a reasonable rental in those towns. Parts of Bloomfield might work for you. Jersey City maybe would work for you. Jersey City is not much more affordable than Hoboken, though.
Definitely will look into those two towns (heard of them, but not too familiar). As far as JC [& Hoboken] go, you are exactly right. My problem is that I was not paying full price, so although $1700 is annoying, it's really not THAT much. I may be able to justify paying a bit more to have my own place of course. I have outlived my desire to live with a roommate.
To be honest, I can suck up a long commute for a year - I plan on [hopefully] being accepted into a leadership development plan after I graduate with my master's, so I may not be in the area long-term anyway. To me, the commute is less important than the peace and quiet at home! BUT, then again, I say that now... I could only handle the Raritan Valley commute for a few months
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