I also agree, I lived in NJ/PA for 9 years and have been to NYC for numerious times. Unless you're really rich, you're much better off living in suburb of NYC like central Jersey that is only 40 minutes of driving distance from Manhattan. 10 years ago, the rent for a bedroom in a tiny 4-bedroom NYU apartment cost my friends at NYU almost $1,000 a month. In the winter, many women wore fur coats and to compete with those you need to be rich too.
Just my 2 cents.