'Terrified' by NYC rent prices, intern commutes weekly from South Carolina to NJ

"I looked at places that were in New York City and got absolutely terrified with the rent prices," said Sophia Celentano.

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Thursday, June 22, 2023
Intern commutes weekly from SC to NJ due to high NYC rents
"I looked at places that were in New York City and got absolutely terrified with the rent prices," said Sophia Celentano.

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey (WABC) -- A 21-year-old woman is going viral for her long and unusual commute to her internship in New Jersey.

Every Wednesday Sophia Celentano flies from Charleston, South Carolina to Newark, then takes an Uber to her job in Parsippany.

She then flies back home at night.

It's $100 to fly round trip each week, which she says saves her a lot of money.

"I looked at places that were in the suburbs of New Jersey," Celetano said. "I looked at places that were in New York City and got absolutely terrified with the rent prices."

The rising senior at the University of Virginia said she realized that even she settled for the cheapest possible apartment sublease, her quality of life would suffer.

So by plane and car, she opted for the long distance commute.

Rent in NYC is currently at record highs. In May, the median price of a studio apartment was about $3,200, while a studio in Parsippany is averaging nearly $2,000.

ALSO READ Rent hike passes for NYC's 1M stabilized apartments after final board vote

Derick Waller reports on the approved rent hikes.

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