2026 rent benchmarks by neighbourhood
Every figure comes from HUD's FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents for the New York metro area, published by ZIP code. Fair Market Rent is the 40th percentile of gross rent for standard-quality units including basic utilities, so it is a published benchmark rather than a live asking price.
| Neighbourhood | Borough | ZIP | 1BR rent | 2BR rent | Income for 2BR (40x) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Heights | Brooklyn | 11201 | $3,990 | $4,370 | $174,800 |
| Park Slope | Brooklyn | 11215 | $3,990 | $4,370 | $174,800 |
| Upper East Side | Manhattan | 10021 | $3,990 | $4,370 | $174,800 |
| Chelsea | Manhattan | 10011 | $3,990 | $4,370 | $174,800 |
| Long Island City | Queens | 11101 | $3,510 | $3,850 | $154,000 |
| Bedford-Stuyvesant | Brooklyn | 11216 | $3,350 | $3,670 | $146,800 |
| Williamsburg | Brooklyn | 11211 | $3,290 | $3,610 | $144,400 |
| Astoria | Queens | 11106 | $3,030 | $3,320 | $132,800 |
| Harlem | Manhattan | 10026 | $2,800 | $3,070 | $122,800 |
| St. George | Staten Island | 10301 | $2,770 | $3,040 | $121,600 |
| Flushing | Queens | 11354 | $2,750 | $3,020 | $120,800 |
| Bushwick | Brooklyn | 11237 | $2,750 | $3,020 | $120,800 |
| Riverdale | Bronx | 10471 | $2,480 | $2,720 | $108,800 |
| Washington Heights | Manhattan | 10033 | $2,370 | $2,600 | $104,000 |
| Mott Haven | Bronx | 10454 | $2,300 | $2,520 | $100,800 |
| Lower East Side | Manhattan | 10002 | $2,260 | $2,510 | $100,400 |
New York, NY metro 1-bedroom benchmark for comparison: $2,655. Source: HUD USER, FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents.
How to read these numbers
A HUD benchmark answers “what does a standard-quality rental cost here?” It does not answer “what should I pay?” The income column applies the 40x rule that NYC landlords use to screen applicants on gross income, so it is a threshold you have to clear rather than a budget you should aim for.
Each neighbourhood page also solves for the salary that keeps rent at 25%, 30% and 35% of take-home pay, which is the stricter test. The cost of living page explains why those two thresholds diverge.