And he has only good things to say about his neighborhood. “It’s not like Williamsburg, at least not yet,” he said. “You don’t see all those college kids in tight pants. It’s not quote unquote hot.”

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Sam Tolman, a 21-year-old with a passion for cinema, lives with his brother, Henry, 23, in a two-story house on 246th Street in Riverdale, in the far northwestern Bronx. The house is owned by the grandmother of a family friend, who still lives there, and the brothers split the $500 rent for their first-floor space.

“We’re very lucky,” said Sam Tolman, who earned enough working as a waiter last summer to cover three months of his share of the rent. “We have a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom.” Each brother has his own bedroom. Visiting friends from Providence, R.I., where the Tolmans grew up, marvel at how much space they have.

Sam Tolman has two internships. He edits video for the Web site of the magazine published by Frank151, and he is part of the video team of BreakThru Radio, an Internet radio station. The first job is unpaid; the second provides a weekly stipend of $50.

But the commute is punishing. To get to his Frank151 job, which starts at 11 a.m., Mr. Tolman leaves the house at 9:30 and walks 15 minutes to catch the No. 7 bus. That takes him to the No. 1 train, from which he switches to the 2, the L and the R before arriving at his office.

The commute also crimps his social life.

“I’m really grateful to have a nice place for such a low cost,” Mr. Tolman said. “But I don’t feel as if I’m part of the city. Most of my friends are in Manhattan, and going out is a pain.”

Still, he added cheerfully, the arrangement suits him for now. “I love my jobs,” he said. “This is the price you pay to live in New York. To have what I want, you have to suffer a bit.”