Aspiring attorney travels over 3,380 km from Mexico City to New York City every week for law school classes | Trending

A growing number of professionals and students are opting for extreme commutes, traveling long dances each week to work or study in expensive cities while living in more affordable locations. Cedillo and her husband, Santiago, relocated from Brooklyn to Mexico City last year for its affordability.(REUTERS ) Nat Cedillo, 30, is one such commuter. The aspiring intellectual property attorney flies from Mexico City to New York every Monday to attend law school, returning home Tuesday night, reported the New York Post. “I travel from Mexico City to New York City so that I can attend my law school classes,” Cedillo said. “It’s exhausting, but worth it.” Cedillo and her husband, Santiago, left Brooklyn last year for Mexico City, drawn its lower cost of living and tropical appeal. However, completing her final semester at a top New York law school has cost her over $2,000 in airfare, lodging, and food since January. Super-commutesHer experience reflects a broader trend. A Stanford University study found that the number of U.S. workers commuting over 75 miles has risen 32% since the pandemic, with New York City seeing an 89% increase in super-commuters. Also read:Transgender military pilot sues right-wing influencer for falsely linking her to DC plane crash For some, the financial trade-off is worth the travel. Kaitlin Jay, a hairstyl in Manhattan, commutes 600 miles from North Carolina to serve her Upper West Side clientele. “It’s cheaper than renting my own apartment on the UWS,” Jay previously told the NYP. “I get the best of both worlds.” Kyle Rice, a software developer from Delaware, makes a similar sacrifice to avoid New York’s steep housing costs. “I don’t have to worry about the high cost of living in NYC,” Rice said. “The average one-bedroom in Manhattan is $4,443, three times my mortgage of $1,400.” He travels across four states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York—several times a week to work. Also read: Tech CEO’s ‘AI’ shopping app found to be operated hundreds of humans at a Philippines call centre For Cedillo, the gruelling schedule is a temporary challenge. She and her husband, both soon-to-be lawyers, plan to take the New York State Bar exam this summer. “I love New York, but [before we moved] my husband and I weren’t living in the most lavish neighborhood, and everything was so expensive,” she said. Now, with Mexico City as home base, Cedillo enjoys a better quality of life—when she’s not in transit. “The days I’m not commuting are the best.”