I live in downtown JC. It has the perks of living in the city without being too expensive and too busy like NYC. But it's still super convenient to get to. I don't regret living in JC over NYC at all. You get the best of both worlds. And if you choose to get a car, you also can conveniently visit the rest of NJ which is also pretty cool too. I highly recommend JC. Also agree that Hoboken is the post-college-frat type of vibe. If you're really into bar hopping, then I guess Hoboken can be good. But then again, you can also catch the path or get an $10 uber to Hoboken to do the things there as well.