From what I gather from friends who have moved out of the expensive boros / neighborhoods, you can easily get really affordable housing just over the river in N

From what I gather from friends who have moved out of the expensive boros / neighborhoods, you can easily get really affordable housing just over the river in NJ. I grew up in CT and there are also way more affordable options there (Stamford, Norwalk, etc). The "NJ option" in particular is definitely trending - a friend just bought a house near Union City for around 300k and its a 35-45 min commute into Manhattan. You don't have to live in PA to find something affordable. From what I know about the bay area, that radius of "I just can't afford this" housing is much larger.