For many years, one of the most common reasons families gave for relocating from Brooklyn to Lakewood was simple: the cost of living.
With Brooklyn’s housing market skyrocketing and tuition, food, and daily expenses steadily climbing, Lakewood was seen as a breath of financial fresh air. A bigger house for less money. Lower property taxes. More space. A calmer, more affordable lifestyle.
But that was then.
Now, in 2025, Lakewood has become one of the fastest-growing Orthodox communities in the U.S.—and with that growth has come dramatic changes. Home prices have surged. Property taxes are up. Rent is creeping close to Brooklyn rates. Supermarket bills and childcare costs are no longer shockingly low. Even traffic and commute times have taken their toll.
So we’re asking you:
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Did you move to Lakewood from Brooklyn primarily because of the lower cost of living?
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At the time you moved, did it feel like a significant financial relief?
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And now, a few years in—do you still feel that relief?
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Do you find day-to-day life in Lakewood to be more affordable than Brooklyn was, or has the difference become negligible?
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Would you still advise others to make the move just for financial reasons?
Let us know in the comments section.
We moved from Brooklyn in 2021. It absolutely was financially beneficial, even with the cost of commuting back to NY for cost. Our rent was ~$200 a month cheaper for a brand new 3 bedroom apartment, in Brooklyn we had a one bedroom hovel infested with bugs. We since bought a house (not cheap, but cheaper than houses in Brooklyn, and the plot of land is tremendous). Besides financial, there are a number of benefits to Lakewood: parking everywhere, less traffic, more options for schools, better food, cheaper childcare, clean streets, I could go on and on. I definitely think it was worthwhile for us both financially and in many other ways.
Financially, in 2025 , rents and buying homes are off the charts. Groceries, meat are not cheaper…
We moved 2020 because we couldn’t afford to buy a house in Brooklyn.
The tuition in Lakewood is definitely the killer.
Almost No government programs for the kids in school.
Bussing is a disaster, because there is no government funding for bussing.
Food doesn’t cost more in Lakewood.
Tuition is a killer? Try Baltimore, or Chicago, or Monsey, or the 5 Towns. It’s WAY more expensive there.
Chicago tuition is much cheaper for large families
No government funding for bussing?? The busing is breaking the backs of those that pay taxes. And if you don’t put your child in the bus you get a check from the state. Give me a break.
Use to be cheaper as it use to be a lower standard.
By now the town had become full of luxury and a piece of גשמיות and the standards are much higher, kids running around with brand name shoes and other expensive items.
Business people are driving fancier and more expensive cars.
In short the place is sinking in Gasmiyes.
Best move ever!
We moved to live near our children and grandchildren. The quality of life in Lakewood by far exceeds that which we had in NY.
From Boro Park it is cheaper in Lakewood. However moving from Flatbush, it is cheaper in Flatbush.
NJ taxes were always high fyi. Definitely more than Brooklyn.
No not really , we moved to lakewood because of yeshiva, and it’s benefits long time ago but then everything changed- now everyone is moving here because of money … I miss old lakewood ….
Well I was born here 🤣 lol
Moved from brooklyn 2 years ago and this is whay I found:
EVERYTHING (besides housing, and car insurance) is more expensive in Lakewood
Real estate tax is more expensive
Food: fresh, ready-made, fish, meat, groceries – on average are ALL more expensive here
Tuition: Besides the Gov programs in NYC tuition is (much) more expensive here
Bussing, babysitters, daycamps, “extra” school/cheder payments for books etc. – are all more expensive here
Government programs:
snap pays less, medicaid has lower income limits
Yes parking and traffic is better.
Life in Lakewood could be as cheap as u want it to be and as expensive as you want. It’s all up to you. If you live in yeshivish area and send to yeshivish schools YOU WILL NOT NEED TO BUY BRAND NAMES. If however you struggle to recognize your place in this world and choose to live in a less yeshivish area or a more balabatish neighborhood…. It’s all about who you associate yourself with.
Even what your shabbos costs depends on where you live.
We’re happy living in a yeshiva neighborhood and crowd and although many people work, we all understand our financial threshold and are looking forward to more Olam habbah-less Olam hazeh
i send to school not known as”yeshivish”,AND I DONT NEED to buy brand names, I too. what does it even mean “its all about who you associate yourself with”??both of us work, and my shopping cart is way way less full than many people’s who are “yeshivish” and shop on food stamps. its simply not true that “yeshivish” people are not into brands and working people are all about gashmiyus. world is not black and white, and not divided into “yeshivish” and “balabatish” .
The concept of neighborhoods in Lakewood is a joke. Unless you live 5 minutes walk from BMG, you live in a mixed neighborhood. The minute you live amongst people that aren’t Metzamtzem, yeshiva apartments and happy, it’s over. Don’t speak for everyone in your neighborhood. You think they are happy, they aren’t. Their kids arfe crying they don’t have the brand names and fancy bikes.
Yeshiva neighborhood is by far the most expensive area to live. You gotta be either there from 40 years ago, mega rich, or not have have to many children so you don’t realize that you can’t afford it.
Yes a lot has changed in town! that being said it’s still cheaper then the city….
I grew up in Lakewood, moved to Israel and moved back to the USA.
When I moved back (2019) we looked at the costs of Brooklyn vs Lakewood. At the time, you could rent a 3 bedroom basement apartment for $800-1100 in Lakewood. In Brooklyn, you were looking at twice that for a smaller, older, and poorly maintained apartment.
Alternatively, you could buy a 3,500 sq ft duplex for $500-600,000 in Lakewood. In Brooklyn, you would pay twice as much for half the space and you would have no front yard, no backyard, and no driveway.
What seems to have happened since, is that between the mass migration and the natural population boom, we’ve outgrown our infrastructure construction pace. That is aside from the inflation that affected real estate nationwide real estate.
So, in short there are still some financial benefits in moving to Lakewood, but it’s not as intuitive as it once was.
We moved to Lakewood from Bklyn to be near our kids and grandkids! We get to go to their graduations,siddur and chumash plays,etc.!! We don’t have to travel in to upsherins,bar-mitzvahs,simchos etc which can be hard for zaidies and bubbies! To have a good relationship with your family nearby is worth the big move!! There’s always parking for all shopping.Food prices are similiar to NY …Houses in a 55 community are more reasonable (for now)..Bills are same..Taxes are higher….Doctors and Urgent care and Physical therapy etc. are here too…There are many more parks here
Interesting that not one commenter mentioned the plus in Lakewood of having an EIRUV!!
Brooklyn has an Eiruv too and they saybit works for Lakewood and Monsey.
Great post for comments good job TLS you got this
The cost of living as well as the standard of living in L.A. is now also even LESS than the Lakewood area.
Lakewood and it’s surrounding towns aren’t more affordable then Brooklyn. Yes there are advantages. But the advantages are all gashmiyus and cost more. majority newlyweds need 2 cars almost immediately after the wedding. He needs to get to yeshiva, one direction.She needs to get to work, the opposite direction.The cars can’t be more then 5 years old. In brooklyn there’s public transportation which can take you anywhere in a timely manner. No need for carpooling every second day. Propert taxes in NY are much cheaper then Lakewood, plus your property is half the size. Lakewood townhouses are 750k, for middle houses, no side windows. The 55 and over communities will be 750k by 2030, and you need a car to get around.To the seniors talking about there being doctors, there isn’t much competetion in that department. Urgent care isn’t a doctor, it’s a step down emergenct room. Yes it’s nice to be near the children and grandchildren. But when you as a couple have doctors appointments 2-3 times a week, some doctors located outside of Lakewood, and your children have to skip work learning to take you. It’s not all roses. Financially it’s a draw. The real problem comes from the need for abundance. We used to be happy sharing bedrooms with 3-4 children on bunkbeds. How many in Lakewood have such? Yet we grew up with that in the 80’s happily.
We were renting a small Brooklyn apartment with a few kids in 2020 and decided to move to one of the Towns near Lakewood simply because it was still possible to buy a house with some land for less than 700K, which was impossible to do in Brooklyn. Income tax is a lot less in NJ, Car insurance is way less, tuition was much less when we moved than what we were paying in Flatbush and everything else seems to be about the same. We make too much for any government assistance so it doesn’t make a difference to us about the medicaid rates etc. The benefits of living here vs Brooklyn are immeasurable. There is parking everywhere, no need to waste time circling for a spot when trying to do some shopping, my kids are able to play outside by themselves, its nice to have an eiruv so we aren’t stuck inside with the baby all shabbos. The list is endless. For us it wasnt so much a cost of living decision vs a quality of life decision and we are so happy we made the move.
I moved here in 1986 Lakewood was nice a long time ago and the reason why I don’t like it here anymore is people don’t want to work they want everything for free and the jobs in Lakewood are horrible if you no what I mean, and Toms River NJ is getting bad as well
No one even mention שמירת עיניים
Many wedding halls with no מחיצות
This place could be much improved
I been in Lakewood since 1955 and never imagined what has happened here. What was once a beautiful resort town is now a town in turmoil between the migrants and the overflowing orthodox. My property is for sale and it will cost Ya for the mental anguish and compensation for the ignorance I’ve put up with.
There are 3 reasons that people should move to & live in Lakewood. Torah, Torah & more Torah.
AKA, todays version, Gashmiyus and more Gashmiyus and more Gashmiyus. There’s no place esle wheer there’s as much Gashmiyus as Lakewood.
Perhaps זה לעומת זה?
Reebooy gashmiyos keneged reebooy ruchniyos?
R’ Shmendrik. The Gashmiyus that goes on is in large part, because of people that come to Lakewood, because of the “cost of living”, without respecting and appreciating the Ihr Hatorah that it is.
Moved in recently from Brooklyn. LAkewood as its pluses and minuses. Biggest minus is you need a car for everything. Don’t drive? You’re locked in a prison. We will all get older and eventually have to stop driving and then you’ll wish you lived in the city where almost everything you need is easily accessible by foot. You could cover a few stores and buy various items in the city within minimal time spent. Here each item is a trip by itself.
Here there is no mass transit.
Most items are either the same or more expensive.
Having an eiruv is nice, but the distances between places is such that you aren’t going to where you want to, so the eiruv, while nice, isn’t the big deal we envisioned.
Minyan anytime of day that is convenient? Only in a very few places.
When I was a young child in the 1960s I caught a small fish in a lake and put it in my backyard in a pail. A few hours later it was gone. I went inside and found my grandmother frying it in a pan for my grandfather. My mother later patiently explained to me that when my grandparents were young there was hardly any food available. That little fish was to them food not to be wasted. Let’s not complain (me included)