“I am moving to the US with my husband and have offers in Atlanta ($146K), Chicago ($146K), NYC/NJ ($171K), and Playa Vista, CA ($156K). As the sole initial earner, how do these locations compare in terms of cost of living for a 2B2B apartment, keeping one car, and public transit access?”
Your Atlanta and Chicago salaries have substantially more housing breathing room than the raw salary numbers suggest: their two-bedroom benchmarks consume about 16.0% and 21.2% of gross pay, versus roughly 41% in Playa Vista and NYC [S1–S4]. The $171K offer becomes much more workable if the New Jersey branch gives you a PATH-accessible home rather than an NYC 2B2B.
Your decision splits into five practical cases because “NYC/NJ” changes both rent and tax treatment, while a true is much more expensive in Playa Vista and NYC.
Your is about $12,167. The current two-bedroom average is $2,582, a 21.2% rent share; one displayed two-bedroom listing is $3,461+, or 28.4%, although neither figure guarantees two bathrooms [S2]. CTA offers unlimited-ride products covering its buses and trains, but keeping your car can add roughly $120 to $500+ monthly for parking depending on neighborhood [S8, S11].
Your gross monthly pay is about $12,167, while the citywide two-bedroom average is $1,950—16.0% of gross pay [S1]. MARTA’s standard fare is $2.50 [S10]; this option works especially well if you select both home and workplace around useful MARTA service, while retaining the car for trips transit does not cover.
At $171,000, your gross monthly pay is $14,250. A displayed Jersey City two-bedroom starts at $4,200, a 29.5% rent share; the older exact downtown 2B2B example is $4,619, or 32.4% [S5, S6]. costs $3.25 each way, while Jersey City parking starts around $125 and averages around $350 monthly [S9, S13].
Your gross monthly pay is $13,000. The exact 2-bed/2-bath example is $5,347+ including $50 in required monthly fees, consuming 41.1% of gross pay [S3]. Culver CityBus has a $1 adult base fare, but the cited Line 4 runs only on weekdays and Saturdays, so your one car is more valuable here than in a dense rail-served search area [S14, S15].
Your gross monthly pay is $14,250. The citywide two-bedroom average is $5,818, already 40.8% of gross pay, while exact 2B2B examples from one NYC landlord are $7,195 and $8,345—50.5% to 58.6% [S4, S7]. Subway and local-bus fare is $3, but monthly parking averages about $400 and NYC residents also owe city personal income tax [S8, S12, S16].
Percentages below are —rent divided by gross salary before taxes and benefits—and exclude utilities, parking, insurance, and other living costs.
These steps convert the broad market comparison into an address-level decision before you accept an offer or sign a lease.
Before ranking apartments
Fix the worksite and NYC/NJ branch
For the $171K offer, decide whether you would reside in NYC or New Jersey before comparing net income: NYC residents’ income is subject to NYC personal income tax, while New Jersey applies its resident-tax and other-jurisdiction credit rules [S16, S17].
Requirements
Before touring
Create an address-level transit zone
Test each candidate at your actual arrival and departure times using the cited MARTA, CTA, MTA/PATH, or Culver CityBus system. Prioritize CTA-served Chicago homes, MARTA-aligned Atlanta homes, PATH-accessible New Jersey homes, and Playa Vista homes where Line 4’s weekday/Saturday schedule matches your work pattern [S10–S15].
Requirements
Before applying
Build an all-in 2B2B shortlist
Use the sourced monthly anchors—not a generic cost-of-living index: Atlanta $1,950 and Chicago $2,582 are two-bedroom averages; Playa Vista’s exact 2B2B example is $5,347+; NYC’s two-bedroom average is $5,818; and Jersey City shows $4,200+ for two bedrooms [S1–S5]. Require the written total for the exact unit because most benchmarks do not guarantee two bathrooms.
Requirements
Before signing a lease
Price the one car at each final address
Add the actual insurance quote and written parking charge to each apartment total. As a market warning, parking alone runs about $120–$500+ in Chicago, averages around $400 in NYC, and averages around $350 in Jersey City [S8, S9].
Requirements
Before accepting
Compare the offers using spendable monthly cash
Start with gross monthly pay of about $12,167 in Atlanta or Chicago, $13,000 in Playa Vista, and $14,250 for NYC/NJ. Subtract the final rent, mandatory housing fees, parking, insurance, transit, payroll deductions, and the tax treatment for the selected residence; do not compare the offers by salary alone.
Requirements
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
u/morningratr/AskNYCApr 4, 2026
u/NoMeansGor/AskChicagoJul 24, 2026
This comparison uses rental-market pages plus official information from MARTA, CTA, MTA, PATH, Culver CityBus, and New York and New Jersey tax authorities.
Apartments.com Atlanta two-bedroom market page
This establishes Atlanta’s citywide two-bedroom benchmark.
The average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Atlanta, GA is $1,950.
Apartments.com Chicago two-bedroom market page
This provides Chicago’s two-bedroom average and one displayed listing price.
2 bedroom apartment in Chicago, IL. 2 Beds $3,461+. The average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Chicago, IL is $2,582.
Apartments.com Playa Vista two-bedroom listings
This is the clearest exact 2B2B Playa Vista price found.
Playa Vista 2 Beds, 2 Baths, 1,181 sq ft $5,347+ Total Monthly. Prices include base rent and required monthly fees of $50.
Apartments.com NYC two-bedroom market page
This establishes NYC’s citywide two-bedroom benchmark, without guaranteeing two bathrooms.
The average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in New York, NY is $5,818.
Apartments.com Jersey City listings
This supplies a displayed Jersey City two-bedroom asking-price anchor.
2 Beds. $4,200+.
Hudson Point Apartments availability
This gives an exact Jersey City 2B2B example, but its displayed availability date is from 2025.
2 Bed from $4,619 $4,619 15 mo 2 Bed **/** 2 Bath 1109 sq.ft. **/** Available 11/15/2025 Photos Video 3D Floorplan
TF Cornerstone NYC rental listings
This provides exact NYC 2B2B examples from a large NYC landlord.
Luxury NYC Apartment Rentals in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. $8,345 Featured 2 Bed, 2 Bath 4720 Center Blvd ・ $7,195 Featured 2 Bed, 2 Bath 595 ・ $6,899
Spacer monthly-parking benchmarks
This shows how keeping a car can materially change Chicago and NYC budgets.
For monthly parking in Chicago, rates can range from $120 in Wicker Park, to $500+ in downtown Chicago. NYC monthly parking spots average around $400 per month
Neighbor Jersey City monthly parking
This supplies Jersey City’s monthly-parking benchmark.
Monthly parking near Jersey City starts at $125, with prices averaging around $350.
MARTA Fares & Transfers
This establishes MARTA’s standard fare.
Standard fare. $2.50.
CTA Unlimited Ride Passes
This confirms that CTA’s unlimited-ride products cover both buses and trains.
You can enjoy unlimited rides on all CTA buses and trains with our 1- Day , 3 - day , 7- day or 30- day unlimited-ride passes .
MTA Subway and Bus Fares
This establishes the current NYC subway and local-bus fare.
The fare is $3 for most riders on subways and local, limited, rush, and Select Bus Service buses.
PATH Fares
This establishes the current PATH single-ride price.
The PATH SingleRide Ticket costs $3.25. The full one-way fare is $3.25.
Culver CityBus Fares
This establishes the Culver CityBus adult fare.
Fares Adult (Base): $1.00
Culver CityBus Line 4
This establishes Line 4’s operating days and connections.
Line 4 runs on weekdays and Saturdays. This route connects the Culver City Transit Center with West Los Angeles College and the West Los Angeles Transit Center.
New York Tax Department nonresident FAQs
This establishes the NYC resident-income-tax consequence.
All city residents' income, no matter where it is earned, is subject to New York City personal income tax.
NJ Division of Taxation Gross Income Tax Overview
This explains New Jersey’s treatment of resident income taxed by another jurisdiction.
Income earned outside of New Jersey and taxed by the other jurisdiction is subject to New Jersey Income Tax. This credit reduces your New Jersey tax based on the percentage of income that was taxed by the other jurisdiction(s) in the same year.
These official transit and tax rules and publisher-reported market figures were current on the cited pages when accessed; fares, taxes, rents, and listings change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
We research the hard parts of settling in the US and write articles you will not find anywhere else. Subscribe to get each new article by email.
