Brooklyn Heights is a terrible example. It's where the executives who work across the water live. Of course that is going to be super expensive.
There are lots of places that you can find, that are comparable to SF & Boston, and sometimes cheaper. Let me know if you need help here!
The best values IMO are in the NJ suburbs, where you can catch a 40 min direct train into Penn Station, but pay half the rent of Manhattan, Hoboken, Astoria, etc. But that's obviously not quite as sexy and appealing.
I think a point everyone's missing is that even if you both live and work in Manhattan, you could have a 45 minute commute each way.
Overall, I would agree. NJ seems to have the most cheap places.
Great point about 45 commute just inside Manhattan.
EDIT: I live in fort greene and I pay 735 a month -- for validation purposes.
With roomates or 1BR/Studio?
Defining "reasonable rent" as 30% of after-tax income (which is about the point at which governments should limit rent levels, IMO) and noting that an entry-level job in New York pays about $3500/month after tax, reasonable rent would be $1050 for a starter apartment.
It's not impossible to find a decent apartment for under $1000/month in "the greater New York area", but it is impossible to do so with less than a 30-minute commute.
"Defining "reasonable rent" as 30% of after-tax income (which is about the point at which governments should limit rent levels, IMO)"
How on earth would that work?
Now the glut of idiots (and parentally-funded schmucks who currently live in $4000+/month apartments while working unpaid marketing/fashion internships, who would be forced out of the city) willing to destroy their finances in order to live in New York is gone; they're forced by law out of the auction. Our rents are high because we have to compete with these assholes. So let's take them out.
Landlords will either lower their rents to reasonable values or accept vacancies.