Is Massachusetts really just as expensive as NJ? (Boston, Worcester: renters, condo)

[bizcuit]

One thing to remember about NJ, at least if you're planning to own a house, is the sky high property taxes.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by lair8

Yes, undesirable places. Both NJ and Mass have great expensive places. The difference is that the relatively affordable places in Mass are better quality of life.

The fact that you mentioned Camden, one of the most dangerous cities in the country, as an example of what affordable life in NJ is like...

As a secondary point, getting from Trenton and Camden to NYC takes much longer than getting from Worcester to Boston. Those cities are cheaper because they're further away from the metro area, so its not a fair comparison.

Camden is right across the river from Philadelphia. You couldn't be any closer to Philly. I've long thought that Camden should have somewhat of a comeback because it has some major stabilizers. It has the Robert Wood Johnson medical center, it has Rutgers Law School, it has a federal courthouse, it has the NJ Aquarium, it has a minor league baseball/event stadium right on the river, and a major employer in Campbell Soup, as well as from the medical centers and courthouses/law school. The relevant city for Camden is Philadelphia, not New York.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

MA has Fall River, and my friend pays like $700 in rent for a 1 BR apartment. So there are cheaper places in MA, too.



I think Trenton was relevant because it is a major train hub. It's the end of the line for NJ Transit to/from Penn Station, and has connections to Amtrak and SEPTA.

There are wayyyy more cheaper places in NJ and many places in its word cities where homes sell for 5 figures.

But places like Paulsbori or Swedesboro offer suburban living at a price that doesn’t exist in MA whatsoever. Consistently suburban and livable at 200k.

Even a place like Jersey city is affordable compared to what it would be in MA.

[lair8]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Is the point of this thread to disprove the idea that MA is more expensive than NJ?

COL calculators would probably call it a wash, or maybe, that MA is slightly more expensive. They're both expensive.

This is true as an average. But for practical purposes, people don't select where to live at random.

My angle on this discussion is: Of the places where working to middle class people would actually want to and be able to live, which state gives you more value for your money.

This means I exclude dirt-cheap towns with little job opportunities in the middle of nowhere that drive down the average, but I also exclude millionaire neighborhoods in Framingham MA.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by lair8

This is true as an average. But for practical purposes, people don't select where to live at random.

My angle on this discussion is: Of the places where working to middle class people would actually want to and be able to live, which state gives you more value for your money.

This means I exclude dirt-cheap towns with little job opportunities in the middle of nowhere that drive down the average, but I also exclude millionaire neighborhoods in Framingham MA.

New Jersey…..for sure. Unless you just a snob really. Even with property tax it’s just significantly cheaper. There’s a much wider range of “middle class” towns available at various price points:

Some people will look at Union NJ as a bust (despite its 105k median income)but for many people in MA it’s exactly what they need but don’t have. NJ has it in relative abundance.

MA as you can see by home prices is notably more expensive on average. ESPECIALLY for renters.

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

There are wayyyy more cheaper places in NJ and many places in its word cities where homes sell for 5 figures.

But places like Paulsbori or Swedesboro offer suburban living at a price that doesn’t exist in MA whatsoever. Consistently suburban and livable at 200k.

Even a place like Jersey city is affordable compared to what it would be in MA.

Swedesboro is in about the cheapest part of NJ -- that part of south Jersey has been less quick to develop, but that's where they have built new houses in the last 20 years or so. I don't think you can get anything for 5 figures there.

Jersey City has also increased in price -- it's right next to Hoboken and has incredible views of Manhattan. It's all over the map, price-wise. But you're right you can get an affordable house in the town. More so than immediately comes to mind a comparable distance from Boston.

[dcb175]

Yes, they are about equal on an apples-to-apples basis. MA home prices are probably slightly higher for comparable towns, but evened out by the higher property taxes in NJ (example: for North Jersey, you can assume $25K of property taxes for $1M home purchase price, though varies town-to-town).

And just as MA has 'West of Worcester' where prices get cheaper, NJ has large swaths of interior South Jersey that are probably cheaper than the cheapest parts of MA.

For everything else, costs are about equivalent as well.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by lair8

As a secondary point, getting from Trenton and Camden to NYC takes much longer than getting from Worcester to Boston. Those cities are cheaper because they're further away from the metro area, so its not a fair comparison.

I literally included links to the relevant public transit schedules. Trenton is faster to NYC by train than Worcester to Boston.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by chicagoliz

Swedesboro is in about the cheapest part of NJ -- that part of south Jersey has been less quick to develop, but that's where they have built new houses in the last 20 years or so. I don't think you can get anything for 5 figures there.

Jersey City has also increased in price -- it's right next to Hoboken and has incredible views of Manhattan. It's all over the map, price-wise. But you're right you can get an affordable house in the town. More so than immediately comes to mind a comparable distance from Boston.

I was tlakign about Trenton.Camden you can get 5 figure properties there.

https://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Tren.../price;a_sort/

Things like this just aren't available in MA. Swedesboro is much much much closer to Philly than Montague
or Cummington is to Boston or NYC..

Just look at a place like Little Ferry or New Egypt NJ. Its much more affordable than most places in MA. EVen Glen Ridge is a relative Bargain with 1 bedroom condos coming in under 200k

https://www.trulia.com/NJ/Glen_Ridge/

Not to mention 40% of NJ rents and its so much cheaper to rent in NJ than in MA.

[bizcuit]

One thing that I really don't like about NJ: in order to live in true commuting distance to NYC, you give up pretty much any hope of anything but urban or very built up suburban areas. You are not close to open fields, hiking trails, any kind of true countryside. Well, maybe out by Morristown area there is some farm land, but in Northern NJ where I grew up (Ridgewood) it's all just very suburban. Boston area, you don't have to drive too far to be out in some countryside. This may not be important to a lot of people, but it was one of the things that I really disliked about where I lived.