ZD: “For people who learning is the most important thing, Scranton is a better choice as the cost of living is lower.” +1
It is true that it is hard to find a job if you’re not in klei Kodesh. But there are a couple of people who commute to Monroe (not as far as NYC – I forgot how long it takes). There is also someone who works somewhere else, he only goes back and forth once a week since he only works 3 days a week, so he can only has to sleep over 2 nights a week, and he can be home the rest of the week.
Nowadays, I would think that it would be possible to get a job working from home online, so it wouldn’t matter where you live. In Eretz Yisroel, many people do that, and there are people who do that in the US as well.