Affordable House-hack near NYC?

[Rich V.]

Hey all - getting tired of paying NYC rent and am considering house hacking. Any suggestions for areas where I could buy a 2 or 3-family home for under $550k with a less than 1hr commute to NYC w/ public transportation?

Looked at a bunch of areas but haven't been super impressed with anywhere yet after looking at the numbers.

I was considering:

Yonkers, NY
Eastchester, NY
Mount Vernon, NY
New Rochelle, NY
Hastings on the Hudson, NY
Journal Square, Jersey City NJ
Maplewood, NJ

Long Island seems to be a bit expensive and house prices a bit high right now. I love Queens but its a bit more than I want to spend.

What does everyone think?

[Marc Weisi]

Union City, NJ

North Bergen, NJ