Where to rent apartment at NYC?
I’m moving to NYC midtown. So any recommendation of apt that’s convenient to get to midtown? I’m looking at Queens like elmhurst, forest hill and even Astoria. Pro: cheaper, and subway direct to midtown. However heard nyc subway always delay? Con: Old building, mediocre environment and not sure safe? Also NJ like Jersey City. Pro: New building and better environment. Con: More expensive? Maybe hard to get to midtown? I’ve no idea about the experience of taking bus from NJ to midtown (compared to taking subway) Also curious about the subway R line from forest hill to midtown, is that slow or fast? (Says every 10 min on google map) Many thanks!
R line is local (slow) in Queens. You can take E train from Forest Hills. It’s express. It takes around 30 mins to Google office in Chelsea. Forest Hills is safe imo.
5 min walk away from the Hoboken PATH station is very expensive housing, and 15 min walk away is terrible winters. Harrison NJ next to the PATH station is developing rapidly, worth a look. Also Exchange Place is decent, but deserted on weekends and sundays particularly.
Thanks. “By stay in NYC”, you mean manhattan? No surely I can only afford places in Queens, where I can get a not-bad apartment with only 1600! Unbelievable for SF
If you want to save money, staying in NJ is also beneficial from a tax point of view as you don't need to pay the NYC City tax. Commuting to NYC from Jersey City or Hoboken is fairly good on weekdays but PATH is almost always undergoing some repairs over weekends. So if you want to be in the city every week then I'd recommend staying in the city.
Thx but would it be painful to first PATH then subway to midtown? If live at Queens, the subway will directly get me to midtown. Also heard the property tax is also high? Kind of similar to city tax? I just care about weekday btw thx
You don't own the house, property tax shouldn't matter to you. Path then subway is okay, 23rd has a very fast transfer to the F line.
Another good option is to share a house with few others in Financial District, supposedly very safe district, sharing is cheap, and commute will be decent.
Are you single?
Hoboken is terrible if you like to not be miserable. OP your actual rent in Queens is not 1600, it’s actually 1600 + city tax = 2,200 if you make 200K a year. If you pay 1,600 a month then your apartment is the cheapest one can find and is likely disgusting and in a terrible neighborhood. I’m sure you can get that price in some Oakland ghetto. How is Queens any different?
Check the first 6-10 stops on the 7 train
Weehaken all the way. Lincoln tunnel and midtown 1 or 2 bus stops away. Port imperial by the waterfront is nice.
Jersey City or Hoboken isnt bad. Take the PATH train or the ferry over. You're in the city in 15 minutes. For NJ you can also pick anything near NJ Penn Station as the train will take you right to NY Penn Station. The other option would be Weehawken maybe.
Thanks! May I ask you what’s the usual rent for 1-bed apt at JC or Hoboken, esp close to the station? Definitely more costly than Queens? (It’s better place though)
If you care about money, NYC is a nonstarter. You make most of NJ rent back in income tax reduction...the same price as Manhattan = 3.8pct of your net income less.