Everything else equal, we can all agree that living in a cheaper place is better than living in a more expensive place.
I’d much rather pay $500/mo in rent than $1,000. And I’d rather pay $2 for coffee than $5.
And while every neighbhorhood in New York City might be more expensive than living in rural New York, there are certain neighborhoods that are definitely cheaper.
What exactly are those New York City neighborhoods where your dollar goes a little further — you can get that one bedroom instead of the studio?
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and determine which neighborhoods in New York City are the cheapest using Saturday Night Science.
What’s the cheapest neighborhood to live in New York City for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Howland Hook looks to be the cheapest New York City neighborhood to live in.
At this point, we should make it clear that you do get what you pay for — some of these neighborhoods might not be the best places to live in New York City. You could be sacrificing location or crime rates for more space and cheaper groceries.
Read on to see how we determined the places around New York City that deserve a little bragging rights, or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in New York City.
For more New York reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In New York
- Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- Cheapest Cities To Live In America
- Cheapest States To Live In America
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In New York City For 2024
1. Howland Hook
/10
Population: 3,871
Cost Of Living Index: 100 (cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 2.5 (2nd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.009 (3rd cheapest)
More on Howland Hook: Real Estate
2. Ardon Heights
/10
Population: 23,582
Cost Of Living Index: 127 (2cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.7 (8th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.005 (cheapest)
More on Ardon Heights: Real Estate
3. Mariners Harbor
/10
Population: 33,993
Cost Of Living Index: 123 (18th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.5 (7th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.015 (19th cheapest)
More on Mariners Harbor: Real Estate
4. Bloomfield-Chelsea-Travis
/10
Population: 10,884
Cost Of Living Index: 128 (25th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.9 (11th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.013 (9th cheapest)
More on Bloomfield-Chelsea-Travis: Real Estate
5. The Rockaways
/10
Population: 119,512
Cost Of Living Index: 131 (30th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 4.7 (9th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.012 (8th cheapest)
More on The Rockaways: Real Estate
6. Tottensville
/10
Population: 15,609
Cost Of Living Index: 128 (25th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 5.1 (17th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.011 (5th cheapest)
More on Tottensville: Real Estate
7. Ettingville
/10
Population: 34,729
Cost Of Living Index: 136 (36th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 5.2 (2cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.009 (4th cheapest)
More on Ettingville: Real Estate
8. Steinway
/10
Population: 55
Cost Of Living Index: 135 (34th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 5.4 (23rd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.011 (6th cheapest)
More on Steinway: Real Estate
9. Annandale
/10
Population: 9,989
Cost Of Living Index: 141 (46th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 5.5 (25th cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.005 (2nd cheapest)
More on Annandale: Real Estate
10. Westerleigh-Castleton
/10
Population: 29,688
Cost Of Living Index: 138 (39th cheapest)
Home Value To Income Ratio: 5.3 (22nd cheapest)
Rent To Income Ratio: 0.013 (12th cheapest)
More on Westerleigh-Castleton: Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Cheapest New York City Hoods In 2024
To rank the cheapest places to live in New York City, we had to determine what criteria define “cheap” and then apply Saturday Night Science.
Using Census and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- Overall Cost Of Living
- Rent To Income Ratio
- Median Home Value To Income Ratio
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 123 in each category, where 1 was the cheapest.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a cheap neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest cheapest neighborhood index, the “Cheapest City Neighborhood In New York City.” We’re lookin’ at you, Howland Hook.
We updated this article for 2024. This is our fourth time ranking the cheapest neighborhoods to live in New York City. Skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from cheapest to most expensive.
Summary: Lowest Cost Places To Live In New York City
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in New York City where prices are low, and it’s cheap to live, this is an accurate list.
The most affordable neighborhoods in New York City are Howland Hook, Ardon Heights, Mariners Harbor, Bloomfield-Chelsea-Travis, The Rockaways, Tottensville, Ettingville, Steinway, Annandale, and Westerleigh-Castleton.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in New York City aren’t all cheap. Borough Park takes the title of the most expensive neighborhood to live in New York City.
The most expensive neighborhoods in New York City are Borough Park, Little Italy, Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, and College Point.
We ranked the neighborhoods from cheapest to most expensive in the chart below.
For more New York reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Places In New York
- Richest Cities In New York
- Safest Places In New York According To Science
- Worst Places To Live In New York State
Detailed List Of The Cheapest Neighborhoods To Live In New York City For 2024
| Rank | Neighborhood | Cost Of Living Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howland Hook | 100 |
| 2 | Ardon Heights | 127 |
| 3 | Mariners Harbor | 123 |
| 4 | Bloomfield-Chelsea-Travis | 128 |
| 5 | The Rockaways | 131 |
| 6 | Tottensville | 128 |
| 7 | Ettingville | 136 |
| 8 | Steinway | 135 |
| 9 | Annandale | 141 |
| 10 | Westerleigh-Castleton | 138 |
| 11 | Spuyten Duyvil | 145 |
| 12 | Great Kills | 133 |
| 13 | Woodlawn-Nordwood | 128 |
| 14 | Port Richmond | 122 |
| 15 | South Beach | 146 |
| 16 | Eastchester | 132 |
| 17 | Riverdale | 143 |
| 18 | Laurelton | 144 |
| 19 | Oakwood | 128 |
| 20 | Kings Bridge | 116 |
| 21 | Richmondtown | 143 |
| 22 | Saintalbans | 146 |
| 23 | Country Club | 127 |
| 24 | Todt Hill | 153 |
| 25 | Baychester | 151 |
| 26 | City Island | 154 |
| 27 | Parkchester | 127 |
| 28 | Queens Village | 148 |
| 29 | Bedford Park | 108 |
| 30 | Union Port | 132 |
| 31 | Douglastown-Little Neck | 158 |
| 32 | Nkew Gardens | 145 |
| 33 | North Sutton Area | 195 |
| 34 | Woodrow | 146 |
| 35 | Midland Beach | 144 |
| 36 | Charlestown-Richmond Valley | 153 |
| 37 | Springfield Gardens | 138 |
| 38 | Rosebank | 150 |
| 39 | New Brighton | 137 |
| 40 | Clearview | 164 |
| 41 | Williams Bridge | 128 |
| 42 | Inwood | 122 |
| 43 | Gramercy | 168 |
| 44 | Forest Hills | 155 |
| 45 | Clifton | 139 |
| 46 | Huguenot | 155 |
| 47 | Rossville | 143 |
| 48 | Wakefield-Williamsbridge | 139 |
| 49 | East Village | 141 |
| 50 | Throggs Neck | 142 |
| 51 | Sunny Side | 151 |
| 52 | Morris Park | 140 |
| 53 | Yorkville | 138 |
| 54 | Prince’s Bay | 151 |
| 55 | Washington Heights | 111 |
| 56 | Glendale | 152 |
| 57 | Canarsie | 152 |
| 58 | Battery Park | 203 |
| 59 | Jamaica | 143 |
| 60 | Astoria-Long Island City | 148 |
| 61 | Flatbush | 129 |
| 62 | Financial District | 221 |
| 63 | Murray Hill | 187 |
| 64 | Jackson Heights | 148 |
| 65 | Tribeca | 281 |
| 66 | Hunts Point | 105 |
| 67 | Greenwich Village | 220 |
| 68 | West Village | 209 |
| 69 | Upper East Side | 213 |
| 70 | Middle Village | 163 |
| 71 | Soundview | 122 |
| 72 | Carnegie Hill | 307 |
| 73 | University Heights | 107 |
| 74 | Hamilton Heights | 113 |
| 75 | Gravesend-Sheepshead Bay | 163 |
| 76 | Chelsea | 205 |
| 77 | Woodhaven-Richmond Hill | 156 |
| 78 | Park Slope | 217 |
| 79 | Utopia | 160 |
| 80 | East Brooklyn | 141 |
| 81 | Harlem | 136 |
| 82 | Ridgewood | 151 |
| 83 | Morris Heights | 107 |
| 84 | Morningside Heights | 155 |
| 85 | Tremont | 110 |
| 86 | Downtown | 195 |
| 87 | Fordham | 108 |
| 88 | Greenwood | 174 |
| 89 | Woodside | 151 |
| 90 | Carroll Gardens | 228 |
| 91 | Bay Ridge | 175 |
| 92 | High Bridge | 104 |
| 93 | Lower East Side | 124 |
| 94 | Mott Haven | 104 |
| 95 | Cobble Hill | 252 |
| 96 | Queensboro Hill | 162 |
| 97 | Maspeth | 163 |
| 98 | Upper West Side | 199 |
| 99 | Fort Green | 180 |
| 100 | Clinton | 158 |
| 101 | Midtown | 193 |
| 102 | South Bronx | 113 |
| 103 | East Harlem | 121 |
| 104 | Soho | 234 |
| 105 | Brownsville | 131 |
| 106 | Bushwick | 141 |
| 107 | Boerum Hill | 219 |
| 108 | Whitestone | 208 |
| 109 | Central Park | 218 |
| 110 | Bedford-Stuyvesant | 154 |
| 111 | Mapleton-Flatlands | 171 |
| 112 | Williamsburg | 143 |
| 113 | Garment District | 167 |
| 114 | Dyker Heights | 184 |
| 115 | Flushing | 149 |
| 116 | Auburndale | 169 |
| 117 | Chinatown | 156 |
| 118 | Corona | 162 |
| 119 | College Point | 167 |
| 120 | Bensonhurst | 169 |
| 121 | Sunset Park | 168 |
| 122 | Little Italy | 200 |
| 123 | Borough Park | 183 |