Well, you don't have to live directly in the city if you're willing to commute to save some money. But yeah, NYC is definitely very expensive and hate to say it, but crime, vandalism, homelessness, and other issues have been on the rise in NYC. Mayor de Blasio really did a terrible job with NYC and allowed so much to just plunge face-first into the gutter.

As for NJ, we've had some pretty hot summers even when I was a kid. I remember the temperature gauge going over 100F a few times, especially when we went to the pool. It was pretty brutal, but I don't think it has increased too much since times decades ago.