Montclair, NJ

[coffeecode]

Can you tell me something about the cost of living in Montclair, NJ? I was offered $20k plus tuition. Can I live on this? Are there coffee shops and other places off campus? Do you need a car to live there?

[laveritecestla]

That's enough to live off of, depending on where you live. I am not familiar with the cost of living for students in Montclair (it's my hometown, so I grew up here), but I know students at Montclair State who make less money than that part-time and have not had issues affording to live in the area. You may want to consider living in a nearby town (Bloomfield, Verona, NOT Glen Ridge - super expensive) to bring living costs down further. 

I think there are around 3 Starbucks locations alone, as well as 6-7 other coffee shops scattered around town. Montclair is very family-oriented, so many of it's amenities cater to that. There are a lot of parks, and there are recreational sports leagues if you're interested in that. 

You don't need a car to live here, but it is pretty helpful. Montclair is suburban, so if you don't live near one of the town centers, you'll have to walk or bus everywhere. The buses only serve main streets for the most part, and train stations tend to be near commercial areas. You can definitely get by without a car, but you'll have to take transportation schedules into account a lot for day-to-day activities. 

[Kate22192]

Hi friends!

I may be beginning a program at Montclair State University in the fall. I'm looking around at one bedroom apartments and Montclair is sooooo expensive. Does anyone have suggestions for nearby towns that may be a bit cheaper, but also safe (Newark is nearby, for example, but not up to my par for safety)?

Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

[Swiss]

These are close, but there are definitely parts of these places you want to avoid. I moved to NJ from MD and had a similar issue and wound up paying WAY too much my first year. I recommend you visit before you commit to a place!

• Clifton
• Paramus
• Bloomfield
• West Orange
• South Orange (I would advise against East Orange)

Montclair itself is SO expensive. 

[Kate22192]

On 4/4/2017 at 10:13 PM, Swiss said:

These are close, but there are definitely parts of these places you want to avoid. I moved to NJ from MD and had a similar issue and wound up paying WAY too much my first year. I recommend you visit before you commit to a place!

• Clifton
• Paramus
• Bloomfield
• West Orange
• South Orange (I would advise against East Orange)

Montclair itself is SO expensive. 

So those ones I want to avoid? Good to know. I'm actually more willing to live in a 'not so great' area but my boyfriend is in law enforcement and is HUGE on safety, so......I was actually looking at some places in Bloomfield and Clifton which are certainly much cheaper, but there's a reason they're cheaper..

[terbo]

Not really an active thread but figured I'd respond in advance of any new requests. I lived in the Montclair area for about 25 years. It's an expensive town. You don't need to look far beyond the downtown areas to see that. It's gotten worse in recent years but that's for a reason. There is a ton to do. There's a lot of fantastic restaurants, there's great cafes, multiple bike shops, an independent cinema, a solid art museum, a bunch of parks with stuff going on, plenty of places to go food/clothing shopping, a handful of diners, a good (though expensive) used book store, and a couple bars. If you want specific recommendations let me know, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. It also has a direct train to midtown Manhattan (35ish minutes I think).

Parking in downtown Montclair (along Bloomfield Avenue) is a challenge. There are a couple garages that are sometimes ENTIRELY full and it's rare to find a spot on the street. If you're looking at this thread because you're interested in Montclair State, MSU is on the exact opposite side of town. You won't be interested in walking downtown so you'd have to drive or bike there. Good news is it's a straight shot and there's nice bike lines if you ride.

Where to live is a tough question. An above poster mentioned a few places. I think your best bets are Bloomfield, Garfield, and Clifton. If you want to spend more there's Caldwell, South Orange, Maplewood, and even Harrison. West Orange (actually my hometown) is safe and reasonably priced but there's no train and absolutely nothing to do (minus a few bars which are no where near each other). New Jersey is really expensive and because you're in the suburbs there aren't THAT many apartments. It's mostly houses. Unless you spend some money I'd be prepared for a little bit of grit but as someone from the area , I have NEVER been concerned about safety. When I say grit I'm mostly talking about cleanliness and amenities. I hope this helps.

Edited January 17, 2018 by terbo