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18 Easiest and Affordable Commuter Towns to NYC in 2023
Zarah Hamid
10 min read

In This Article:

In this article, we will be navigating through New York City’s commuter town life and public transit system supporting this life, while covering the 18 easiest and most affordable commuter towns to NYC in 2023. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis, you can move directly to the 5 Easiest and Affordable Commuter Towns to NYC in 2023.

Commuter Towns

Commuter towns, also commonly referred to as bedroom towns, include the residential area outside a major urban area which is usually not commercially developed. People living in these towns thereby commute to the city for their jobs hence the name, commuter towns.

The concept of commuter towns is not new in the United States. Commuter towns in the country have formed as a result of employees not having access to affordable living in the area of their work. For instance, the high cost of living in California has led to the settlement of people in nearby counties. Commuter towns typically emerge in the suburban or less rural parts close to a main city where the housing is comparatively cheap. Thus, the town needs access to freeways and public transportation to facilitate the commute requirements. Life in these towns is ideal when people are more willing to dedicate extra hours of commute to work since the town offers low crime rates, a good education system, and better housing amenities. You can also view the most affordable cities in the US.

Transit Networks for Commuters Around New York

Ride-hailing services such as Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) and public transportation form important aspects of daily commuter life around New York City. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) are leading ride-hailing services in the United States. These rides are available in the suburbs of New York City from where they can be used to reach the main city. The services have emerged to transform the transportation landscape in the city which was culturally identified by yellow cabs. On July 15, CNBC reported that these yellow taxis account for only 10% of the total drivers in New York City as Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) outnumber them in a ratio of 9 to 1. This taxi industry crisis has been powered by the long working hours, huge debt from owning or leasing medallions, and comparatively much lower revenues from the streets due to a saturated transport market.

One of the largest subway systems in the world, MTA Subway, is also a major public commuter network that operates around the boroughs of New York including Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. This subway is known to be one of the busiest rapid transit systems in the world. On March 1, the American Public Transportation Association reported that 1,793,073,000 passengers are carried by the MTA Subway, as of 2022. This subway is run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) which also owns buses and commuter rail cars for public transport in the city and serves 15.3 million people across a 5000-square-mile travel area around New York City, southeastern New York state, Connecticut, and Long Island.  In July, MTA reported that the paid average daily subway ridership was recorded at 3.608 million in June 2023, 10% higher than in June, 2022.

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