The average monthly rent in Hoboken is 2.5 times higher than the national average.

According to Rent Cafe, which has released a list of the most expensive New Jersey ZIP codes in which to rent an apartment, the average renter in Hoboken's 07030 would have to put out $3,401 a month.

Bergen County's 07020, which covers the borough of Edgewater, takes the No. 2 spot with an average rent of $3,368. ZIP codes covering Jersey City landed at No. 3 and No. 4.

Just six counties are represented in the state's 20-most expensive ZIPs — Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Morris and Union.

Rent Cafe
Rent Cafe
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Housing advocates suggest an affordable rental is one that utilizes no more than 30 percent of income. Staci Berger, president of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, said Garden State residents are putting out much more than that.

"There are just too many people living one paycheck away from homelessness or one emergency away from losing their apartment," she said.

Adding to the problem in New Jersey is a constrained supply of affordable apartments, she noted. A contracted rental market drives up the cost of apartments made available.

A report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, released in June, determined New Jersey is the sixth-most expensive state in which to rent a two-bedroom apartment.

It was determined $27.31 was the "hourly housing wage" that must be earned in New Jersey for folks afford a fair market apartment. In reality, the average renter hourly wage in the Garden State is $17.85.

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