NYC and NJ folks.

[lpcats]

Jun 6, 2013 12:39:47 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jun 6, 2013 12:30:29 GMT -5 @iheartcosmos said:

The key is "anywhere I would live." Which would be more than $1700/month, most likely. I didn't see your budget before.

Anyway, if the car is for you, and not to commute, it wouldn't be that bad. You can get a beater for $2000-3000 (want to buy my car??). Car insurance varies depending on where you live, but mine is approx $800 a year in my neck of NJ (I have low deductibles, though, it can be much cheaper). Gas depends on the type of car, but I spend $200 a month on mine - and I commute 20 miles to work. This can be much lower. Registration in NJ is only $46.50 a year for everyone. Parking- depends where you live but I dont pay any parking.

But living in NJ saves money in other ways. No city tax.  Certain areas have 3.5% sales tax instead of 7 (NYC is over 8% IIRC).  You can find a rental for $1700 a month or less (we paid $1100 for our apartment 10 years ago). Even things like food are cheaper in NJ than in NYC.

I will say I don't know much about Queens or the Bronx, or Yonkers. My knowledge is limited to Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Given those three, I would never live on SI, and the other 2 are far more expensive overall than most of Jersey.

FWIW, I love Montclair.

I don´t think it would be very economical for us to have the expenses of a car and the expenses of commuting.  However, I do really miss driving, and I really miss owning a car. 

The cost of commuting from many places in northeast Jersey really isn't that much compared to the cost of owning a car.  My monthly commuting cost from Clifton (near Montclair) to midtown was only $175, less than half of what we paid to own a car. And for reference, we were paying $1275 in rent for a 900 square foot one-bedroom.

Granted, Clifton to the Bronx would be a much longer commute.

[Muddled]

The truth is that you will find a place that will work well enough and then you will move after a year once you know the area better, so don't sweat it. Just find something that works with all the info that you have and use the first year to figure out where you really want to be.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 6, 2013 13:07:23 GMT -5 Muddled said:

The truth is that you will find a place that will work well enough and then you will move after a year once you know the area better, so don't sweat it. Just find something that works with all the info that you have and use the first year to figure out where you really want to be.

This is how it was for us here, and we did just fine.  So I´m counting on it! 

[mushmouse]

There is a forum called City Data that has a lot of relocation information for every state. I found it really helpful when we were looking to move from NYC to Jersey. Just read the stickies on each forum. The NJ one is inundated with people looking for a cheap place with walkable downtown and 30 minute commute to the city. lol. But if you've done a bit of research and can post your (reasonable) requirements or ask about specific towns it's an extremely helpful place!

[vmars]

Can your DH ask his new employer where employees tend to live, etc. Maybe he can get in contact with those employees in a similar situation to discuss neighborhoods/COL. Also, I can't recall but are you going to need daycare or are you SAH? That would also be something to consider.