Moving to Hoboken or Jersey City: a relocation guide
Hoboken or Jersey City? It depends on what you are keeping
People move across the Hudson to keep the commute and the skyline and gain space, a quieter block or a lower monthly number. Hoboken is one square mile that behaves like a small city: everything on foot, every train and ferry from one terminal. Jersey City is seven neighborhoods that each feel different, from brownstone blocks ten minutes from the World Trade Center to two-family houses with a driveway. This guide compares them the way I do with clients, then shows you the towns around them.
I am Bogdan Nicolae Rus, a REALTOR® with eXp Realty (New Jersey license #2186044). I live and work in Hudson County, I have rented in Journal Square and Newport and bought here myself, and I work with relocating buyers and renters in English, Romanian and Spanish. Vorbim românește. Se habla español.
Hoboken vs Jersey City, on the things that decide it
| Question | Hoboken | Jersey City |
|---|---|---|
| Getting to Manhattan | PATH, NJ Transit and the NY Waterway ferry, all at Hoboken Terminal; about fifteen minutes to 33rd Street on the PATH. Buses up Washington Street all day. | Depends on the neighborhood. Downtown has three PATH stations and is under ten minutes to the World Trade Center from Grove Street; Paulus Hook and Newport add Exchange Place, Newport and the ferry; Journal Square is the PATH hub. The Heights, Bergen-Lafayette, West Side and Greenville reach the PATH by light rail or bus. |
| The homes | Brownstones and walk-ups, many cut into two-, three- and four-family buildings; mid-rise elevator condos; waterfront towers. | Everything: 19th-century brownstones divided into condos Downtown, doorman towers on the waterfront, new towers at Journal Square, two-family houses with a yard in the Heights, West Side and Greenville. |
| Space and price | Tight. A fourth bedroom or two parking spots is hard at any price; people buy the commute first and the square footage second. | Wider range. Prices near the waterfront track Hoboken; they fall as you move away from the PATH, and the house-with-driveway option exists. |
| Feel | One real main street, a riverfront park and a town you can walk end to end in half an hour. | Distinct districts: planned 19th-century squares Downtown, the skyline park on the Palisades in the Heights, a transit hub mid-change at Journal Square, Berry Lane Park in Bergen-Lafayette, Lincoln Park on the West Side. |
| Car | Most residents do not own one. Parking is the hard part of buying here. | Optional Downtown; useful further out, where driveways are common. |
| Harder if… | You need a fourth bedroom, two parking spots or a yard. | You need a short walk to the PATH and a yard and parking in one place. |
The full table, with all eighteen areas I cover, is on Compare neighborhoods. Each name there opens a "day in the neighborhood" page walked stop by stop.
Pick the neighborhood, not the city
- Downtown. Brownstone blocks, two historic parks and three PATH stations; under ten minutes to the World Trade Center. The closest thing to Hoboken on the Jersey City side.
- Paulus Hook and Newport. Doorman towers with gyms and pools, the Exchange Place and Newport PATH, the ferry and the light rail: the shortest trip and the skyline as the main event.
- The Heights. Two hundred feet up on the Palisades, two-family houses with yards and the best skyline views in the county; no PATH, so bus or light rail to one.
- Journal Square. The PATH hub and the bus terminal, new towers around the station, older two- and three-family houses behind them; a neighborhood mid-change.
- Bergen-Lafayette. Brownstone and rowhouse blocks, some with a yard and a parking pad, Berry Lane Park, and the light rail.
- West Side. Two-families with driveways near Lincoln Park, the light rail at West Side Avenue, and Route 440 for drivers.
- Greenville. One- and two-family houses with driveways and real yards on a budget, with the light rail.
The towns around them, for a commuter
- Weehawken. The Port Imperial ferry to West 39th Street, Pier 11 and Brookfield Place, the light rail, and buses through the Lincoln Tunnel; a quieter street with a serious view, priced like it.
- Union City. Buses and jitneys through the Lincoln Tunnel to Port Authority and the underground Bergenline Avenue light rail; two-family houses where the rent covers part of the mortgage.
- West New York. The ferry and light rail at Port Imperial, a Boulevard East view without the better-known names, and Bergenline Avenue as a main street.
- Bayonne. Four light-rail stops north to Jersey City and Hoboken; houses on their own lots with a driveway and a yard, for buyers who will not give up the train.
- Secaucus. Secaucus Junction, one NJ Transit stop from Penn Station, and more house for the money.
North Bergen, Kearny, Harrison, Guttenberg and East Newark are on the county map with their own day pages.
What changes in the monthly number
- New York City's income tax goes away. It applies to city residents; New Jersey has a state income tax and no city tax. An accountant who knows both states should run your case.
- Property tax is higher, and it is in the payment. It varies by town and by how each home is assessed, so I pull the real bill for every home on your list; the mortgage calculator has a line for it.
- Condo fees replace co-op maintenance. Most of what is for sale in Hoboken and Downtown Jersey City is a condo, and the monthly fee counts toward what a lender lets you borrow; the affordability calculator includes it.
- Parking is a line item. In Hoboken and Downtown a deeded spot or a garage changes both the price and the monthly cost; further out it comes with the house.
- Renting first is normal. Many clients rent for a year to learn the neighborhood; my rental agent page explains fees, deposits and how fast apartments go.
From another city, country or coast
- A video call first. Commute, budget, space, schools, car or no car. I tell you which three or four areas fit and which do not.
- The day pages. You walk each candidate neighborhood on its page before you fly in: coffee, commute, parks, the real street.
- Pre-approval or application folder. A lender introduction for buyers; ID, income and references lined up for renters, because the first complete file usually wins.
- Tours on your behalf. Walk-through videos and honest notes on light, noise and condition, then one visit with a short list.
- Contract, attorney review, closing. Your own New Jersey attorney, the lease or contract explained line by line, and the people for the move on my partners page.
bogdan@bogdannicolaerus.com
eXp Realty, 50 Harrison St, Suite 205, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Relocating to Hoboken or Jersey City: frequently asked questions
Is Hoboken or Jersey City better for commuting to Manhattan?
Both are fast; the difference is where in Jersey City. Hoboken has the PATH, NJ Transit and the ferry together at Hoboken Terminal, about fifteen minutes to 33rd Street on the PATH. Downtown Jersey City is under ten minutes to the World Trade Center from Grove Street, and Paulus Hook and Newport add Exchange Place, the Newport PATH and the ferry. The Heights, Bergen-Lafayette, West Side and Greenville have no PATH station of their own and use the light rail or a bus to reach one, so the trip is longer.
Which one has more space for the money?
Jersey City, as a rule. Hoboken is one square mile of brownstones, walk-ups and mid-rise condos, so a fourth bedroom or two parking spots is hard to find at any price. Jersey City runs from waterfront towers to two-family houses with a yard and a driveway in the Heights, West Side and Greenville. The price per square foot drops as you move away from the PATH.
Do I need a car?
In Hoboken, most people do not own one: the town is walkable end to end and the trains, ferry and buses leave from the same terminal. In Downtown Jersey City you can also live without one. Further out, in the Heights, West Side, Greenville or Bayonne, a car is useful and the houses are more likely to come with a driveway.
What changes in my taxes when I move from New York City to New Jersey?
New York City's own resident income tax stops applying when you no longer live in the city; New Jersey has a state income tax but no city income tax, and you file in New Jersey instead. Property tax in New Jersey is higher than most New Yorkers are used to, and it varies by town and by how each home is assessed, so I pull the actual bill for any home you consider. This is general information, not tax advice; an accountant who knows both states should look at your situation.
How fast do I have to move when I find a home?
In Hudson County a well-priced home can go in the first week, and the first complete offer often wins. Have the pre-approval letter before you tour, and know that in New Jersey the signed contract goes to attorney review before it binds, usually three business days, with your own attorney reviewing it. I prepare both before we see the first home.
Can you help me if I am moving from abroad or from another state?
Yes. Most of my relocation clients start with video calls, I tour on their behalf and send walk-through videos, and we visit once with a short list. I work in English, Romanian and Spanish, and the paperwork, the lease or contract and the lender introductions are handled the same way for everyone.
Read next: Moving from New York to Hudson County and commute and price, town by town.