How rent, LIRR commute times compare on Long Island

When Katina Cokinos and her fiance, Jonathan Faraci, started planning their lives together two years ago, the first thing they wanted to do was to find a place to live.

Faraci, who works in finance, had to commute on weekdays to Grand Central Terminal, so living near the train was "a nonnegotiable." After they ruled out buying a house in Long Island's competitive, high-priced market, they began searching for a rental.

They looked in Ronkonkoma, but the LIRR commute was 85 minutes — longer than Faraci preferred.

They also tried Farmingdale, but the one-bedroom apartments they liked were nearly $3,000 per month.

Then, they set their sights on a longtime favorite community: Babylon. They found more space for their money, renting a two-bed, two-bath town house for $2,950 per month, and a more manageable 70-minute commute to Manhattan.

Renters, like homebuyers, have a difficult time finding what they want in their budget amid Long Island's low inventory, often having to give up wish-list items or spend more than intended.

But there are often rental options that fit the bill in nearby neighborhoods — if a renter is willing to consider a different, close-by town with a similar train commute time and cultural and culinary offerings.

Sources: Metropolitan Transportation Authority; U.S. Census Bureau 2019–2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates

Note: ACS median gross rent data is unavailable for Brentwood and Wyandanch due to a data collection error and for several other communities due to an insufficient number of sample observations.

Babylon vs. Bay Shore

The "tight-knit community" of Babylon village appealed to Cokinos and Faraci, as did its proximity to Robert Moses State Park, Cokinos said.

"We always loved Babylon," said Cokinos, 26. "We’re high school sweethearts and we always used to go on dates there."

They got what they were looking for, including access to many local amenities, such as a pool overlooking the Great South Bay, docks and town beaches, not to mention Main Street fairs that are "so cute, very family-oriented."

"We always feel like we can go outside and find something to do," Cokinos said.

We're so happy we made the decision that we did. We really, really like where we are. We love Babylon.

— Katina Cokinos

Their affection for Babylon won't end when they buy a property because the couple plans to look for a house there after they're married.

"We're so happy we made the decision that we did," Cokinos said. "We really, really like where we are. We love Babylon."

Jennifer Conboy, licensed real estate salesperson at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Babylon village, also lives in Babylon and can sing its praises.

"A lot of renters that start in Babylon village became first-time homebuyers there because they fall in love with it," she said.

Babylon's stop on the Long Island Rail Road is a hub, offering more frequent trains, and is undergoing a renovation that will replace or rehabilitate elevators and escalators, and modernize the station plaza and platform.

One downside? There's incredibly low inventory for rental units. In early March, there were 23 listed in Babylon, compared with 43 in nearby Bay Shore.

That's why Conboy also refers clients to Bay Shore. Both are waterfront South Shore communities, with beautiful beaches.

Both have a great mix of cafes, restaurants, pizzerias and shopping. Both are walking distance to the train, and each has a theater — Argyle Theatre in Babylon and Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore. Bay Shore offers a ferry to Fire Island, and Northwell's South Shore University Hospital's location in Bay Shore makes for an easy commute for medical professionals.

Bay Shore is "100% a good alternative to Babylon," Conboy said.

In the last 15 years, [Bay Shore] has definitely skyrocketed in popularity and vibrancy.

 — Colleen Colasacco, of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty

Colleen Colasacco, a real estate salesperson at Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, agreed. As a resident of Bay Shore who raised her children there and whose work office is also in the neighborhood, she said she is a bit biased when it comes to Bay Shore and Babylon.

"They're two great areas that have a ton to offer," she said.

She cited the few rentals in Babylon as a reason she refers people to Bay Shore, which has more large apartment complexes.

Bay Shore also has a YMCA, which "is a huge draw," she said. She swims there and sees people who drive from Northport or other places to swim.

She has lived there for 30 years, and while Bay Shore is considered new to being a great downtown, she said, "in the last 15 years, it has definitely skyrocketed in popularity and vibrancy."

Garden City vs. Rockville Centre

Wendy Sanders, a licensed real estate salesperson with Douglas Elliman Real Estate, noted that Garden City and Rockville Centre have a lot of similarities.

They both are incorporated villages, have a wealth of dining options, are close to shopping and each has expanded its multifamily housing.

Both have stops on the LIRR for easy commutes to Manhattan in under an hour, and each has a village green, home to summertime gazebo concerts and other community events.

Rockville Centre has had lots of development near Sunrise Highway, and boasts cultural draws like Madison Theatre at Molloy University, the Center for Science Teaching and Learning, a farmers market and a recreation center.

Garden City has a public pool for residents, and its cultural draws include the nearby Long Island Children's Museum and Cradle of Aviation Museum, plus Nunley's Carousel, a bird sanctuary and the Garden City Hotel, a historic four-star hotel that has hosted presidents and other world leaders.

While Sanders predicted transit-oriented living will continue to expand in the Rockville Centre area, "Garden City is always going to be more expensive than Rockville Centre."

Part of deciding between the two neighborhoods is availability, as well as rental costs.

"It's really a matter of what feels good," she said. "Picking an apartment is like picking a wedding dress or a husband. And there's no rhyme or reason what appeals to you or what appeals to me."

It's a pretty friendly community, a nice mix of family people but also a lot of young professionals that live in the apartments.

— Andrew Coen

The appealing part of Andrew Coen's Rockville Centre rent-controlled apartment, where he's lived for 10 years, is the unbeatable $1,350 price. It's just $50 more than the studio apartment he rented a decade ago.

Coen, 46, a journalist for an outlet in New York City, grew up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, attended Hofstra University and stayed on Long Island after graduating.

He previously lived in Levittown but when he got a new job in Manhattan, "I was looking for a fresh start," and chose Rockville Centre, in part for the train commute.

He lives four blocks from the LIRR stop, getting to either Penn Station or Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal in 35 to 40 minutes, then hopping on the subway downtown.

Besides the convenient commute, Rockville Centre is an overall good location for him.

"The restaurants and the bar scene is very vibrant; there's a lot of places you can easily walk to," he said.

He has a car to get to other locations on Long Island, but  can easily get by without one as he is able to walk to the grocery store and weekend activities.

"I love the variety there, there's something for everyone," he said. "It's a pretty friendly community, a nice mix of family people but also a lot of young professionals that live in the apartments."

Roslyn vs. Mineola

Trains from both Roslyn and Mineola get commuters to Manhattan in under an hour, and with similar rents, it give residents high-end options in different types of communities.

Both are incorporated villages, and while Mineola has large apartment buildings, both communities have walkable downtowns: Mineola on busy Jericho Turnpike, and Roslyn on quiet Main Street and Old Northern Boulevard, with small, independent shops.

Each is about a 10-minute drive to Old Westbury Gardens, the iconic mansion on 216 acres.

"Mineola exploded in terms of multifamily development and predominantly at the higher end," Sanders said.

Larger buildings with upscale amenities allow renters to "do almost everything in that one building," with gyms, kids rooms, community rooms, and pools.

Combined with the proximity to Roosevelt Field mall and big box shopping, there is a lot to do nearby.

If you like [shopping], then Mineola is a great area for you. But if you're a person who prefers a town to walk in, you're going to Roslyn.

— Wendy Sanders, of Douglas Elliman Real Estate

"If you like that, then Mineola is a great area for you," she said. "But if you're a person who prefers a town to walk in, you're going to Roslyn."

There, Gerry Park is "right in the heart of town ... with a lake and birds, there's a hill where kids can sled in the snow," with concerts and other community events, Sanders said.

"Either way, you're hopping on the train," Sanders said. "It's a matter of what makes you smile when you walk off the train."

Mineola has hundreds of units in apartment buildings, while Roslyn has roughly 25 to 55 units, she said.

But there is competition in both communities, so inventory is limited, Sanders said.

"Right now, there's an abundance of nothing."

Sal Sorrentino is one of the lucky few to get a one-bedroom apartment in Bryant Plaza, a new luxury apartment building that's steps from the Roslyn LIRR station and Gerry Park.

Sorrentino, 30, in the restaurant industry, and his wife, Gina, 32, a compliance officer, moved to the unit in January.

They were renting a two-bedroom apartment in New Hyde Park for $6,000, and relocated to the new Roslyn building for $5,200 per month to be closer to his restaurant.

"This Roslyn building just got built and we jumped on the opportunity to live here," he said. "It's brand new, all new appliances, the amenities: gym, office space, lounge, and its convenient for work."

He has worked in the neighborhood for 15 years, so he's already familiar with the shops and restaurants, and moving there seemed like the next logical step.

"Working here for so long," he said, "I just wanted to be a part of the community officially."

With Arielle Martinez and Anastasia Valeeva