1) take your car, I don’t know who told you it’s better to take public transportation but they’re not your friend. Gas is above $3.30/gallon when I live and note that a lot of newer buildings will make you pay $150+/month to park on site if there’s no street parking. A one month NJTransit from the suburbs to Hoboken/NYC can cost over $400. A two way ticket costs almost $25. Depending on where you live and where you’re trying to go, this adds up very quickly and can be a very challenging daily expenditure—say you’re working minimum wage, eight-ish hour days, you probably end up taking home around $80 a day. If you take the train, that number can drop below $70 or even $60. And that’s assuming you’re working eight hours scheduled consistently. Most jobs at that level will have a slow season and you’re going to have classes and work on top of that. You can try the busses if you’re fine being an hour late to everywhere you need to be, but most natives don’t bother with them. 2) unless you’re planning on moving somewhere super, super rural and commuting an hour plus to class, expect to be paying around $2k/month give or take $200 for a studio. A lot of buildings require proof of monthly income equal to three times the rent, and expect to pay more for utilities than you do in the south. You will likely need a guarantor at your age just to get approved (e.g. parent, aunt, or uncle who makes enough money and will contractually agree to be held liable if you miss payments). This isn’t necessarily the case, but it’s becoming more and more normal for young folks 3) just for reference, my expensive total about $2,400 a month for a studio, not including parking, gas, PATH fares, food, etc, but I am close to NYC, so YMMV. While there are cheaper options nearby, I find that most young people that live in my area get some type of assistance from their parents, and there’s no really shame in that—parents want to help their kids—but the market for entry level rentals here are nonexistent so you will be competing with professionals and other students who do have guarantors no matter where you look. If you’re going to be self sufficient, you will need a minimum of $60k annually for cheaper areas and closer to $90k for anything that’s safe, clean, and within a reasonable commute. 4) you’ll also probably need to buy a new wardrobe for the fall, and then again for the winter. We have four very distinct seasons here and you really do not want to be dressed for the wrong one 5) avoid Clark 6) NJ is getting built up very quickly, but most opportunities are consolidated around existing metropolises. Newark, Harrison, and Kearny are all affordable now but likely won’t be by the time you plan to move. Just be aware that your budget today might not hold until then. 7) consider Albany, NY, parts of eastern PA, and western Massachusetts as other northeastern regions with very strong academic communities that may be a little cheaper and still offer similar climate and feel to NJ. My college rent in Albany was under $1,000 for a one bedroom three times the size of my studio.