'Terrified' by NYC rent prices, intern commutes weekly from South Carolina to New Jersey
"I looked at places that were in New York City and got absolutely terrified with the rent prices," said Sophia Celentano.
PARSIPPANY, New Jersey -- 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, New Jersey then takes an Uber to her job in Parsippany, which is about 30 minutes away.
She then flies back home at night.
It's $100 to fly round trip each week, which Celentano said 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 if 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 New York City 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.
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