Centralized. Jobs are found either in midtown or downtown, and subway lines feed into both. Your commute will be dependent on how much you spend to be near work, but even a non expensive area (like eastern Bed Stuy or Crown Heights) doesn't have a commute more than 40-45m. You can also be lucky enough to be able to walk to work if you don't mind living in Manhattan, and spending more for a nearby neighborhood.