Welcome to NJ. It gets a bum rap, but it is a pretty great place. Lots of diversity, lots of different cultures, close to NYC and close enough to Philly.
FYI you could always consider some towns near Edison as well such as Piscataway to potentially save a few hundred on rent. Not a whole lot but should be a little less depending on the area. By car should only be around a 15-20 minute commute in the morning from either assuming you will be working either on or right off of Route 27.
I live exactly 2 towns over from Edison, so know the area pretty damn good. If you start looking for places and have any follow up questions, feel free to DM me.
Also a pretty helpful tip and something to keep in mind when searching for somewhere to live, is if the town has a train station that has a direct line to NYC, which is a decent amount of the towns in this area, the rent will be higher, especially the closer it is to the train station.