Decent areas outside of Philadelphia to rent for cheap??

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by sdsailing

Have you considered the extreme south of Jersey towards the west? For example Salem County and adjoining counties? It is really nothing else like the rest of the state. There are beautiful small towns and very rural villages if that is what you like. It is a very historic area and the price of housing is very low. The RE taxes are still high, but if you are renting this is not an issue, except so far as it is incorporated into the rent.

I agree with sdsailing about South Jersey towns, but I wonder how good the schools are. I know for my retired parents, the cost of automobile insurance and taxes was still strangely high.

[Leps12]

The only towns in Salem County with decent (but not great) schools are Pilesgrove/Woodstown, Alloway Township, Pittsgrove, and Upper Pittsgrove, with Pilesgrove/Woodstown being the best of the lot, Upper Pittsgrove and Alloway Township middle of the pack, and Pittsgrove the least good (primarily because of the sending/receiving relationship with Elmer). You might be able to call Pilesgrove/Woodstown schools not just decent, but good. These are the wealthier towns in Salem County, so rent might be higher there, but I imagine it's still not so bad (but I don't know for sure, nor do I know if there are even a lot of apartments in this area). Elsewhere in Salem County, such as Salem City, Penns Grove, and Carneys Point, the schools are bad and/or the towns are dangerous. Of the four, I would go with Pilesgrove/Woodstown and live in Woodstown if you could, as you will actually have a downtown area there for convenience, instead of everything being so far away from where you live (which is typically the case in the rest of Salem County). As a result, it's probably also your best shot when it comes to finding apartments.

But I would probably focus more on PA in your case. I think you're more likely there to find a wider range of towns that are affordable for you and still have respectable schools. I like the Bristol recommendation. Affordable and working class, yet not so rundown or dangerous. Charming town layout as well. I don't know what the schools are like though.

[MKE8244]

You do not want to be in Norristown. Questionable safety and bad schools.

Honestly, if you work from home I would go further out in the burbs. There are lots of good suburban schools just outside Philly but the cost of rentals is higher than your budget bc they are so close to the city. I'd look further out in Bucks, Mont and Chester Co and maybe even Lehigh Valley as someone else suggested.

Here is a list of top PA school districts if its helpful: https://k12.niche.com/rankings/publi.../pennsylvania/

A lot of the top ones are just outside Philly but there are some very good ones just a bit further out. I think you could get much more for your $.

[mls128]

Agree on Bristol, the boro is nicer than the township. Parts are a little run down but it is not unsafe and very affordable. Schools probably aren't amazing just due to some of the lower income demographics but fwiw one of my best friends went there, took honors classes. and was plenty prepared for college.

[Wicked007]

Holmesburg / Rockledge in Northeast Philly has a desirable school district. But watch the location guidelines for the area.

Conshohocken is right outside the city limits. They have an awesome school district.

Id go with Conshy because of the low crime rate. But you DO need a car to get around best. There is public transport available. Also, it's prime location for great stores / mall.

[Snwmn5]

Originally Posted by Wicked007

Holmesburg / Rockledge in Northeast Philly has a desirable school district. But watch the location guidelines for the area.

Conshohocken is right outside the city limits. They have an awesome school district.

Id go with Conshy because of the low crime rate. But you DO need a car to get around best. There is public transport available. Also, it's prime location for great stores / mall.

Rockledge is in Abington School District

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by Wicked007

Holmesburg / Rockledge in Northeast Philly has a desirable school district. But watch the location guidelines for the area.

Holmesburg and Rockledge are on opposite sides of the Boulevard...they don't even touch! As someone else mentioned, Rockledge is in MontCo (close to Fox Chase), while Holmesburg borders the Delaware River, and lies between Torresdale, Mayfair and Tacony/Wissinoming.

[Hillrunner]

No matter where the OP decides to move, I have doubts about a 2br for under $900 a month.