Job in Princeton, NJ----Should I live in NYC or Philadelphia?? (Mercer: apartment, rent)

[usamathman]

Moving to Princeton, New Jersey very soon for new employment.

Have always wanted to live in a cool urban environment with highrises, lots of people, and good nightlife. Budget of about $1300 per month for housing. Have my own car. Very familiar with NYC. Have never been to Philly.

My question....Which do you think would provide the best experience?

Live in Downtown Philly/Commute to Princeton OR Live in Manhattan/Commute to Princeton


Thanks.

[ThomasDarcy]

With your budget, you'll be able to live in a much nicer place in Philly compared to NYC. In Philly you can live in Center City, in NY you are probably in an outer borough.

Commute wise, it depends. If you are driving, you're better off coming from Philly -- its (a little) closer, and traffic leaving Philly is not as bad as traffic leaving NYC.

If you are taking the train, it is more convenient to come from NYC (because of train schedules) -ONCE YOU ARE AT THE STATION-. But you should consider how long your commute to the train station will be. In Philly you can live in walking distance to 30th street station at your budget. You probably can't live in walking distance to Penn Station in NYC without paying a lot more.

I'd suggest visiting and spending the day in center city if you haven't before.

[usamathman]

Originally Posted by ThomasDarcy

With your budget, you'll be able to live in a much nicer place in Philly compared to NYC. In Philly you can live in Center City, in NY you are probably in an outer borough.

Commute wise, it depends. If you are driving, you're better off coming from Philly -- its (a little) closer, and traffic leaving Philly is not as bad as traffic leaving NYC.

If you are taking the train, it is more convenient to come from NYC (because of train schedules) -ONCE YOU ARE AT THE STATION-. But you should consider how long your commute to the train station will be. In Philly you can live in walking distance to 30th street station at your budget. You probably can't live in walking distance to Penn Station in NYC without paying a lot more.

I'd suggest visiting and spending the day in center city if you haven't before.

Excellent post. Thanks so much. Going to schedule visit to city center soon.

[ElijahAstin]

I honestly wouldn't want to make the commute from either, but if I had to pick between the two, definitely Philly, since $1,300 gets you laughably little in the nice parts of NYC (even in Philly it doesn't get you a whole lot though you certainly wouldn't have to cram yourself into a rehabbed utility closet).

[frankgn87]

Too far from either location. Princeton to Philly during rush hour is well over and hour one way.

[bryson662001]

A commute from either city is not practical and you can't afford to live well in either city. Philly has hidden costs like parking and wage tax and of course Manhattan is out of the question on your budget. Also a long commute isn't cheap. You can barely afford to live near Princeton. Cost of living in Mercer County is very high. Philadelphia's NJ suburbs in Burlington County, Ciniminson, Maple Shade, Moorstown etc. may be your best bet,(Philadelphia's downtown is called "Center City", not city center)
Check out our photo thread

//www.city-data.com/forum/phila...to-thread.html

[phillies2011]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

A commute from either city is not practical and you can't afford to live well in either city. Philly has hidden costs like parking and wage tax and of course Manhattan is out of the question on your budget. Also a long commute isn't cheap. You can barely afford to live near Princeton. Cost of living in Mercer County is very high. Philadelphia's NJ suburbs in Burlington County may be your best bet,(Philadelphia's downtown is called "Center City", not city center)

I'm not sure what you're talking about. 1,300 is a very reasonable monthly budget for philly and it's certainly reasonable for Princeton. When my wife was in grad school there she had a one bedroom apartment that was less than 600 a month and was quite nice and right off campus. Granted that was nearly a decade ago now, but I find it hard believe that rent prices are over 200% what they were just 8 years ago.

You should basically cross NYC off a possibility your budget is simply not big enough and the commute would be just unfeasible. Philly is doable both in terms of your budget and your commute, especially if you get a place very close to 30th street (if you're planning on taking the train) or really close to 95 if you're driving. Just because it's doable however doesn't mean you should do it. A long commute is rough, not just on your wallet but it's so draining. You want to come to philly to enjoy the big city but by the time you get home you likely won't have the energy to do anything but crawl into bed.

In the end though it's up to you. If you can deal with the commute and really want to live in a city then only you can decide if it's worth the hassle.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

I'm not sure what you're talking about. 1,300 is a very reasonable monthly budget for philly and it's certainly reasonable for Princeton. When my wife was in grad school there she had a one bedroom apartment that was less than 600 a month and was quite nice and right off campus. Granted that was nearly a decade ago now, but I find it hard believe that rent prices are over 200% what they were just 8 years ago.

You should basically cross NYC off a possibility your budget is simply not big enough and the commute would be just unfeasible. Philly is doable both in terms of your budget and your commute, especially if you get a place very close to 30th street (if you're planning on taking the train) or really close to 95 if you're driving. Just because it's doable however doesn't mean you should do it. A long commute is rough, not just on your wallet but it's so draining. You want to come to philly to enjoy the big city but by the time you get home you likely won't have the energy to do anything but crawl into bed.

In the end though it's up to you. If you can deal with the commute and really want to live in a city then only you can decide if it's worth the hassle.

Based on a (very) cursory search I did, Lawrence/Hamilton/Ewing are very doable, but Princeton itself is a good bit tougher (though definitely not impossible)--Princeton has gotten pretty hot in recent years. I'd personally be looking to live there during the week and visiting Philly, NYC, or other destinations on weekends.

Points further North (like New Brunswick) shouldn't be ruled out either though I'm in no position to advise on them (I'd recommend posting in the general NJ forum as well).

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

I'm not sure what you're talking about. 1,300 is a very reasonable monthly budget for philly and it's certainly reasonable for Princeton. When my wife was in grad school there she had a one bedroom apartment that was less than 600 a month and was quite nice and right off campus. Granted that was nearly a decade ago now, but I find it hard believe that rent prices are over 200% what they were just 8 years ago.

LOL believe it. Rents have skyrocketed in the last 8 years, due to out of control inflation, no new construction and and demand generated by the RE crash. $600. in central N.J? I can only laugh.$1300. will get him a modest, but not luxurious studio or 1 bedroom in Center City but won’t cover the wage tax, electric and cable bill and the garage for his car. I won't even mention all the gas this commute will cost....... and no the train isn't practical to get him to his suburban office park job and besides that is expensive as well,

[ThomasDarcy]

Its about an hour commute door to door if you can leave a little earlier or later than rush hour. Annoying, but doable. I know people who regularly do this commute (and the longer one from NYC).

What are you doing in Princeton? This is a lot more manageable if its something for which you can go in only 3 times a week instead of every day.