Commuting is one of the biggest frustrations of living in New York City. We all have to do it.
If you can manage to get an apartment near your job and not pay an arm and a leg (and most of your teeth, one eyeball, and an ear for good measure), you're so far ahead of the game you may not even realize it.
Some people spend up to an hour or two in transit each day, sometimes only one way.
For some New Yorkers, the time they spend in transit equals or outweighs the time others spend at work all week.
So being that rent in NYC is what it is (too damn high), it's important to recognize what the commutes from the suburbs are like. Just because you work in Midtown, for example, doesn't mean you necessarily have to live in Long Island City or Harlem to have a short commute.
NYC 'hood-based data wizards NeighborhoodX recently put together a handy chart illustrating the average commute times from NYC areas vs. the suburbs, and the numbers don't lie. Depending on where your job is, you may have a shorter commute and save more money if you lived in New Jersey.
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The chart shows commute times listed from longest to shortest, with price per square foot in that town, city, or neighborhood appearing as you hover your cursor over a given place.
For example Piermont, NY is at the top of the list with the average commute to Midtown lasting 105 minutes and real estate running $386 per square foot.
New Canaan, CT is only five minutes closer to the City via rail, but commands $73 more per square foot.

via NeighborhoodX
New Jersey has some of the more surprising commute-to-real-estate cost ratios compared to some NYC neighborhoods-- especially Newark and Inwood.
Whereas it only takes 32 minutes to pull into Midtown from Inwood, where prices are at $445 per square foot, Downtown Newark is only 29 minutes away and a resounding $90 per square foot.
So what do you think? Who's down to move to Jersey?
Check out This Interactive Map of Christmas Tree Stands in NYC.
[via NeighborhoodX] [Feature Image Courtesy The New York Post]
