Relocating - Where can you live that is affordable for a family and still commute to NYC easliy?

Question

My husband and I currently live in PA and he makes 80k+. He has the opportunity to move near NYC but NJ seems to be extremely expensive. Is there an affordable family friendly place to live anywhere in commuting range to NYC?

Answer 1

To be quite honest, NJ is your best bet.  It is way cheaper out here than in NY.  I live in Bellevile NJ.  I have my own house.  Depending if you want to buy or rent, NJ has many cheap places to live in.  Harrison, Hoboken, Newark etc.  However, if you really want to stay in NYC, my suggestion would be to find a place in East Elmhurst (Queens) Jackson Heights, Woodside, Sunnyside or any location in Queens.  Forget Brooklyn and the City.  As for the Bronx.....eh, and Washington Heights might be your second best option if you really look into it.  Good luck :)

Answer 2

If you're looking for something familiar, and you don't live in Philly or Pittsburgh, you want northeastern New Jersey, Western Long Island (Nassau County) or Westchester County, none of which is as cheap as the PA area.

Housing, even though house prices have come down, is still going to cost you 350k+ in any nice area.  (And that's for the cheaper areas - it can still go to twice that.)  Commutation runs around $200/month to start  (add $4/day for subway fare if needed), unless you drive (parking in midtown costs as much as an apartment in other parts of the country).

Get some of the local papers (Newsday for Long Island, the Bergen Record for NJ) and get an idea of prices.

Answer 3

In Central Suffolk County [Long Island] there are a few affordable towns within commuting distance from NYC. It is much cheaper out there than in suburban NJ or NYC itself. You could easily get by on 80K.

Answer 4

There are some great neighbor hoods in the outer boros

Bronx is the one I am most familiar with.   Areas such as

Throggs Neck.  Small lots but plenty of single family homes

Right off the Long Island Sound, places for fishing and boating.  Country Club, lots are bigger.  Right across the Throggs Neck Bridge into Queens are some great family areas.   Both areas have access to public transportation.

Across the George Washington Bridge into New Jersey there is Fort Lee, Leonia, Edgewater and many more,all having access to public transportation into Manhattan

Real Estate taxes are more than PA but hopefully you have taken that into consideration