Intern flies from South Carolina to New Jersey because it’s cheaper than renting: How much is she saving?

Since the beginning of June, Sophia Celentano has been traveling by plane once a week to her summer internship at Ogilvy Health in Parsippany, New Jersey, from her parents’ home in Charleston, South Carolina.

Usually summer interns who struggle to find affordable housing in and around New York City. Her job only requires her to be physically present at the office, which is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Manhattan, once or twice a week.

For Celentano, commuting over four hours by plane every week was a much more manageable choice than paying New York rent for three months on an intern’s salary. She didn’t hesitate to make this decision, telling CNBC, “I didn’t think twice about it.”

The crazy state of the New York housing market

Super-commuting, defined by the Census Bureau as traveling long distances by various means of transportation to work (typically taking 90 minutes or more each way), has been given a lease of life by the adoption of hybrid work.

In a real indictment of the New York housing market, the arrangement is actually thousands of dollars cheaper for Celentano instead of paying rent in ‘the big apple’.

The average monthly rent for a studio apartment is approximately $1,900 in Parsippany and around $4,000 in New York, according to data from Zillow and Zumper. She estimated that living and working near Ogilvy Health’s office between June and August would cost her a minimum of $4,250, assuming she could find an apartment for less than $1,000 per month.

New York City is one of the most densely populated cities in the United States, with a high demand for housing. The city attracts a large number of people, including professionals, students, and tourists, creating a rental market that is unaffordabel for many, especially in Celentano’s case just over the summer.

Instead, Celentano’s super-commute costs her approximately $225 per week, transport and food included.

Celentano’s internship lasts for 10 weeks, and she estimates that she will spend about $2,250, resulting in savings of at least $2,000 this summer, equivalent to $200 per week.

“I really wanted to prioritize my happiness and well-being this summer,” she said. “And to do that, I wanted to mostly be in Charleston with my family,