Where to live, where to live?

oldsak

I currently live in student housing, but my girlfriend and I have decided to move in together when this housing license expires at the end of July (so no hurry, but I'd like to figure things out in advance).

She told her two roommates we're planning on living together and they said they'd prefer to find another place, so we can have their 3 bedroom house if we want it. It's a really nice house in a decent area of brooklyn. The rent is only $1750 a month for 3 bedrooms and a backyard. The only drawback is it's a bit far from school and the city (about 45 minutes to either).

I currently live in a student apartment in Downtown Brooklyn and am about 3 blocks from school and 5 minutes to the city. Of course, I pay $16500/year for my half of this 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment which is generally below market rate for the area. It would be really nice to find something in this area, Brooklyn Heights, or Cobble Hill as they're all amazing areas, it would be walking distance to school, and a 5 minute subway ride to the city. Of course the best deal we'll find in these areas (we've been looking on craigslist for a while to get an idea) will probably be around 2k for a 1 bedroom.

She (somehow) has a decent job with a hedge fund, but I'm paying for my living expenses with loan money. Either situation would save me some money over what I'm spending now, but taking over the house would save me $500 a month and I'd get a lot more bang for my buck. The commute does seem like a bit of a hassle though. I'd no longer have the luxury of being able to pop over to my apartment between classes to grab a bite or relax. It'd also be harder to go to school events or socialize with my classmates (though I can't imagine it would be that much harder), and it would make going out in the city a lot more of a hassle as the late night train schedules would make the train rides home well over an hour (although I don't really have the time or the money to go out in the city these days).

So that's the back and forth of it. As I mentioned, I have plenty of time to mull it over, but would like to hear any thoughts or insights now so I can think them about them.

tldr; spend lots of money to live in a smaller apartment closer to school/the city or spend less money for a huge space in a still decent area a hike from school/the city

TaGuelle

I would say take the route where you save money. The little inconvenience (distance involved traveling to the city/social concerns) is only an inconvenience if you can afford doing those things. That extra amount of money would be worth it in my mind.

Baron Dirigible

having recently been in similar circumstances:

take the house

the house is there. it exists. it is an actual physical place where half of your collective shit already is.

if you can find a really awesome apartment, that you and your girlfriend would both be happy living in, then sure, come back here and give us the pros and cons. right now I'd err on the side of keeping the awesome place you already have. this involves less moving, less rent (also consider bond & utilities connections, incl. internet) and less surprises.

you can also move later, too.

yalborap

Calculate the cost of the extra gas, assuming you'll be driving, and toss that in atop your rent. That'll give you a better idea of the 'real' cost of the house.

I say go for the house, though, because it's a HOUSE.

oldsak

$81 for a monthly subway card, though that's not quite fair because even if I don't go into the city during the week I'm paying around $8 ($2 each way) on the weekends when I go play soccer and meet my uncles for dinner. So at best that's a minimum of $32 a month I spend on travel now.

It'll definitely be more expensive utilities as it will cost more to heat/cool the house than a small apartment. So in the end I might not really be saving that much, but the space will be great.

bsjezz

there's maintenance to think about as well - it's a lot more work keeping a house in good condition than an apartment. me, i'd go for the apartment any day. i prefer to live in busy areas, and in small, easy to clean, just big enough but not uncomfortably cramped places. especially if the bonus of that is better access to shopping, food, pubs and friends. that's worth a lot more than a few hundred bucks a month, i reckon

then again, i wouldn't mind a little herb garden...

oldsak

I generally agree. There's no point in living in NYC if you're not taking in the city. Of course, I don't really have a lot of money to spend taking in the city as I'm in school, but it's still nice to be where the action is.

On the plus side: herb garden, bbq parties (if I can convince friends to trek down), and I just realized it's only 8 long blocks from the field where I play soccer, which is perfect distance for a nice warm up jog.