Business Insider recently calculated the cost to live in and commute to Manhattan from the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Newark, Jersey City, and Hoboken. Adding the median home price and annual property taxes to the cost of either a monthly MetroCard or PATH train card, Jersey City ($2,036 per month) came in third and Newark ($1,381 per month) won the top spot as the cheapest commuter hub. The Bronx ($1,908 per month) was second.
Manhattan’s average cost was calculated as well, and at $4,531 per month, it was only slightly more expensive than Hoboken at $4,101 per month. Queens was similar to Jersey City with residents spending only $2,201 per month while Brooklyn, not surprisingly, was more expensive with residents spending an average of $2,857 per month.
The home price was based on sales not rentals and the monthly mortgage was calculated based on 20% down and 4% interest over 30 years. And all commutes are around 40 minutes. Business Insider also notes that these calculations do not consider utilities, tax breaks, maintenance fees, etc.
More than 1.5 million people commute to Manhattan for work every day despite the headaches of mass transportation simply because working and living in Manhattan is cost prohibitive–the median home price is just shy of one million dollars. Annual property taxes, however, are highest (by a lot) in Hoboken ($16,325).
New Jersey’s hubs in Newark and Jersey City are gaining recognition among value-seeking commuters and rightfully so. Jersey City’s median home price is still nearly half that of Brooklyn’s and the best perk is a cheaper train card!
