How to Find Cheap Apartments in Hoboken, New Jersey
There’s one main drag in Hoboken, New Jersey, where all the shops and bars and restaurants call their home. Its name is Washington Street. The first rule to finding a cheap apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey is to stay off Washington Street, and in fact, search at least a couple blocks off this main drag. The closer you are to Washington Street, the higher the rents. Sure, living on or near Washington Street is convenient, but this is Hoboken, the square mile city, you can reach Washington Street on foot no matter where in the city you live. Hudson and Bloomfield are the streets to Washington’s left and right. Start looking at least one street past Bloomfield.
Now, head north. Go uptown, as far away from Hoboken Terminal as possible. Generally, rents are more expensive the closer you get to Hoboken Terminal, which is where you can catch the NJ Transit trains and the PATH trains to New York City. “But I work in New York City!” you’re saying. No sweat. It’s a piece of cake to catch a bus in Hoboken that heads downtown to Hoboken Terminal. And it costs just over a buck. Or put on your walking shoes and hoof it downtown. Then you don’t have to worry yourself about dieting and working out so much.
Don’t go to a real estate agent. Real estate agents get paid fees – from the tenant, equal to a month’s rent. I promise you, you can find a cheap Hoboken apartment fee-free without a real estate agent. They’re everywhere. Check the local newspapers – the Hoboken Journal for one. Look online at hobokeni.com. Look on craigslist. Walk down Washington Street and check out the utility poles and message boards with handwritten and typewritten fliers stapled to them. You might just find a few that read “Cheap Apartments in Hoboken!”
Ask around. Stop in a bar (there’s plenty of them in Hoboken). Chances are you’ll meet someone who is just moving into or out of a new apartment in Hoboken. They may even be looking for a roommate. Which is another way to make a great apartment a little cheaper. Lots of friends are made in Hoboken through roommates who were strangers before one of them answered the other’s ad for a roomy. Again, check out hobokeni.com to see who’s looking for one. If you are absolutely certain you want to live alone, consider a studio apartment.
I lived in Hoboken for eight years, first while going to law school in Newark, then while working as an attorney in New York City. So, I’ve had a wide range of budgets. Follow the above guidelines, and you’ll find your perfect cheap first apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey.
