Shortly after graduating from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., Melissa Miller returned home to Baltimore and prepared to head to New York to pursue an acting and voice-over career.

She briefly considered living in Hoboken, N.J., where a friend was moving, until she realized it would make for a three-leg commute to Manhattan — to, on and from the PATH train.

“I wanted to be in New York City so I could take the subway and be anywhere,” said Ms. Miller, 22. Specifically, she wanted easy access to Times Square, Penn Station and the theater district, where she takes classes and goes to auditions.

For her new home, her requirements included a doorman, a laundry room and not too many stairs.

“I wanted to live alone,” she said. “I had too many bad roommate experiences with people I thought I knew.”