Although Mr. Caguao had not accompanied him on the social call, he was amenable to the idea, which would mean a commute of about 40 minutes for both of them. “He sent me pictures and I was like, ‘O.K.,’” Mr. Caguao said.

They signed the lease on July 3, and the next day, a barge in the river set off a huge fireworks display, which seemed an auspicious start to their tenancy.

$2,350 | Yonkers, N.Y.

Jonathan Rios, 28, and Saul Caguao, 31

Occupations: Mr. Rios works for Denton House, a design studio in Chelsea, and runs his own design practice, Jonathan Vincent Design. Mr. Caguao is a claims manager for Wakefield Design Center, in Stamford, Conn., a company that sells custom and handmade furniture to interior designers.

On living outside New York City: When he finally moved to Manhattan after living in Brooklyn and Queens, Mr. Rios, a Connecticut native, said he would never leave again, “not even to visit friends in Brooklyn.” But then he saw what they could afford on their budget in Yonkers.

The unobstructed river view: Sold them on the apartment. But they wish that the waterfront sculpture garden outside their window did not include an enormous stone table flanked by very large, regal-looking heads that seem to be peering into their apartment.

Life in Yonkers, however, was not quite as idyllic as Mr. Rios had imagined.

“When you get off the train, you only see that cute waterfront area. The rest of the city is not so cute,” he said. “The first time I drove with Saul from Stamford to Yonkers, we got lost in the city and I was like, ‘What did I just do?’”

They also soon realized that there was not much in the way of dining options, let alone night life, within walking distance of their building. One of the few places nearby is a French-Asian fusion restaurant with entrees starting at around $30 — a nice spot for special occasions, but hardly what they considered to be a neighborhood standby.