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New to City-Data forums. So I am looking at relocating from Morris Park, Bronx to north Jersey.
My living situation is as follows, single guy, in my 20's, working in IT and see quite a few good opportunities in NJ.
The area I am currently living in is still fairly Italian and I would be interested in a similar type of working to middle class, safe, affordable neighborhood. The issues here are the ridiculous amount of money going towards car insurance, once my salary starts to increase, I have to pay additional city taxes, and it takes 45 minutes to find a parking space.
Why I don't consider Westchester? Because the towns with good Metro North access even the towns farther away from the city are grossly overpriced for what you get. Bronxville, Eastchester, etc. I could rent a 3bdrm apartment in a nice area in Jersey for what is being charged for a studio or one bedroom in southern Westchester. But it is also that living in NJ puts me in a better place for employment opportunities. Going onto Craigslist or Indeed, you can see it for yourself, the amount of jobs available in Westchester and Long Island is much less than New Jersey.
The areas I've looked into are Lodi/Garfield, Belleville, Nutley, South Hackensack, Cranford, Roselle Park, Little Falls. Close to the city, good access to the trains, buses, roadways.
My monthly expenses aside from auto insurance and the larger amount of money being taken out in income tax is relatively low. Ideally, I like being close to NYC and enjoying the city when I can, but working there and living within the five boroughs is making it very difficult to get ahead.
My budget, I would say I'm looking to spend within the range of 900-1300 a month. Nothing special, just a one bedroom in a decent neighborhood. I commute to the financial district during the week. I'm ultimately looking to land a job in NJ so I don't have to pay such insane income taxes. Plus my auto insurance will be either half or less than half by moving out there.
Lodi/Garfield area seems nice. Belleville and Bloomfiled are similiar?
How is Linden, NJ? I am interested in an available position located in Carteret. I just want to get an idea of all the options. If that should be an area to consider or not. The insurance, well...I have a clean driving record, no tickets or accidents, zero, and completed a defensive driving course. Cheapest rate with eSurance and with paying for six months upfront to get an additional discount comes out to around 264 per month. And this is on a 10 year old Acura. Why should I waste my money on paying double for insurance when I can use the extra money towards a nicer apartment. Granted, I get an amazing deal here. I am renting a studio for 860/month. Sure, in Florida or Texas, or cheaper states you pay around 70 a month LOL NJ is still expensive, but remember, coming from NYC, it seems very reasonable.
My in-laws live in Yonkers and they complain about the taxes (Yonkers residents pay a 10% surtax on top of their hefty NY State taxes) & high COL, but won't consider moving to NJ. So glad my husband was on board with relocating to NJ.
Good luck in your search, OP! I would recommend moving to NJ over NYC - much cheaper for what you get. Food and gas are also substantially cheaper here than they are in NY. As for the income taxes, I agree with other posters to research it before making a decision based on that alone. You will still have a tax obligation to New York if you're working there while living here. The difference is you'll be able to take a credit against your NJ taxes & pay little to no NJ state income tax.
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So glad my husband was on board with relocating to NJ.
