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In my opinion, big yes. Nightlife is great, and now it’s the time to do it. The window may close in few years when you’re married with kids and prioritize schools, suburban life etc. Money is a renewable resource, time is not. Try it out 2-3 years, have fun, reassess after. The city is amazing!
Rising Star
East village is the best neighborhood for restaurants and bars if you’re in your 20s IMO. I live in gramercy and always recommend it to people since it’s a little quieter and nicer than EV, but still just a short walk. EV is definitely much cheaper, though.
Finally making the move to Gramercy on my next lease. Why does crossing 14th make everything so much more expensive though 😅
Bowl Leader
Moved from downtown jersey city to manhattan and do not regret it at all
I just moved to New York. (Upper) upper west side (~100th st) has some great options. I got a 2 bed with dishwasher, in unit W/D, small gym, and rooftop in a literal brand new building for $3,500 total split by 2 people. Commute was 15-20 min total. Open yourself up to areas outside of midtown/FiDi. Just make sure you have a subway station right by. I have one 1 minute away walking, and I do not feel isolated at all. Maybe if I didn’t have one I would. Just my 2 cents. I feel like I was able to move to NY without sacrificing space,quality, amenities, etc at all. The only thing I miss is a pool but this is NY and I know I’ll never afford one 😭😭😭
I got my MBA from columbia. UWS (esp above 96th) is cheaper, but it definitely is not the center. “20 blocks is like 5 uber” sounds nice in theory but in reality you’ll soon find that your friends in fidi have a lot more fun than you do. You stop going to the impromptu bar nights that your downtown friends hit up because its not worth 30 min each way to grab a beer. Then it hits you and you realize you’re living the uws life, not nyc life.
Yes, please live in Manhattan or elsewhere to lower the rental demand here in NJ.
Thanks,
Every Hoboken/JC resident
There’s a huge social disconnect by living in Hoboken or JC. They’re great places, but you will not be able to do the same things as NYC, even if you commit to staying in the city just as much
This. I’m not into nightlife but generally any social activity is better in nyc.
Hoboken is great for 20s crowd.. all the bars, restaurants, kickball teams, etc. but it has a neighborhood feel. Easy commute via bus and path train, and 20 min ride to Newark. Jersey City is more up and coming..
Wouldn’t live in JC or Hoboken if you don’t have friends in either of those places. No one will come to jersey to hang out with you. Hoboken over JC for for social life if you go with jersey.
If anything, live in Brooklyn.. not jersey
Pro
If you’re trying to live up the night life, live in NYC. Brooklyn/LIC all better in the social aspect.
It really depends on what you want, and even in Manhattan the options vary wildly. For example, the FiDi, the Village, Rosevelt Island, Washington Heights and the UES are all massively different. If you want nightlife + city-type daytime activities, I’d look at Hell’s Kitchen or UES. The village is also nice but a LOT more expensive. I also wouldn’t go north of about 120th, based on your general guidelines. Also, try to be near to diverse subway lines (it’s worth the premium, trust me. For example, on the UWS, if the IRT is having issues or construction you can hop the IND). Bonus if at least one of the subway lines is an express.
What I did, when I moved here was engage a Tennant Rep broker (worth the cost, if moving from out of state) who learned my preferences, provided local knowledge and sent me options. I scheduled a weekend visit to the city, narrowed the options down in advance and then visited my top three or four. I found two I really liked and then did test runs from both the airport I prefer AND my company’s office to/from them. One was a clear winner and then the broker acted as my agent through the leasing process. Which was good as I was only there for a weekend. Then, a week before the lease started, my moving company picked up my things, I spent a few days with friends and then hopped on a plane the day before my lease started, I moved, picked up my keys from the broker, the moving company delivered my stuff the next day and the rest is history.
The big thing to remember is that NYC is HUGE. The transit time between where I live (near Met Museum) and where I volunteer (Seaport District) is about 30-40 min on a weekday and an hour each way on weekends. To get from furthest north Manhattan to furthest South can easily be over an hour, and getting from the Boroughs or JC can be worse.
All that said, Manhattan may not be for you. (Not an insult.) I value city activities, nightlife, etc so I live on the UES, but I sacrifice space and $ (higher rents) for that. My girlfriend values low rent and less density so she lives out in Queens. Neither is right or wrong, just personal preference. Make sure you know what you value. Oh, and expect that you will likely move after a year. You’ll get here and discover that maybe another neighborhood is a better fit, so don’t put down too many roots/buy too much stuff the first year. For me, I originally landed UWS near the AMNH. Great area, but a bit too “family” for me. I wanted more nightlife and more non-kid stuff to do so I moved across the park to UES which has more bars/restaurants and late night shenanigans. Better fit for me, YMMV.
Hope this all helps!
Also, regarding taxes: honestly, taxes will suck no matter what. Welcome to the Northeast. But you also get a lot for your tax dollars, so I don’t mind. Plus, as said elsewhere, money is a renewable resource. So, prioritize a neighborhood that fits you.
Of course, this is assuming your place of work is in NYC. If your PoW is in Jersey or Connecticut, the. Ignore everything I wrote above. ;)
Where is your office? Midtown / downtown / east side or Westside? How long do you want commute? I personally would never live in Fidi, west side (unless west village or soho - which you can’t afford on that budget)...you have to rank your preferences (I.e., commute time, proximity to parks, are you traveling most weeks, bar / nightlife options, etc.) ?
To make a comparison regarding social life, Hoboken is a small but tasty piece of cake. Manhattan is the entire bakery. If you can afford it, Manhattan is the way to go.
It depends on the type of person you are, and your budget. If you need a break from all the commotion in the city, Hoboken is more ideal because it has a town feel. I think there’s plenty of night life in Hoboken, but if you’re into clubbing then nyc is obviously better. Additionally your budget matters because in Hoboken I was able to get 2 bd/2br split level apartment for below what I would pay to live in the city, and I have significantly more space
Great insights. I think I'll stick to the city for the first year or so, and then move to Hoboken.
If you are an extrovert it definitely worth it. If you are an introvert, go with NJ XD
I currently live in Manhattan and if I were you I’d hold off a year or sign a short lease. I’d rather save the cash and live somewhere more spacious while everyone’s on lockdown.
The city tax sucks but if you’re looking for night life not having to get a 50-60 dollar Uber to get back to NJ at 4am multiple times a month more than makes up for it.
I've spent my entire 20s post college in Newport and love it. It's clean, quiet, and away from the City when I want to be. Ie. Most times except when I want to go clubbing.
I didn't mind taking the PATH every weekend to go clubbing. Marginally different from taking a train connection.
The only reason I moved out was it's expensive and I was on a long-term travel project. Looking to move back in after COVID.
Cool kids live in Brooklyn and it’s budget friendly
Hobokens the shizz🤘🏻
Thanks. To follow-up, do you guys recommend any areas in Manhattan I could live in?
FWIW - lots of people do EV when they’re fresh out of school. It was a PERFECT fit for me in early 20s. Now I’m old (mid to late 20s) and couldn’t be happier in UES.