Housing is the biggest cost difference between NYC boroughs. Transit fares and the city income tax are the same in all five, so the comparison mostly comes down to rent, plus car costs if you drive. This calculator uses the Census Bureau's most recent one-year survey to show typical rent for the number of bedrooms you need in each borough, next to what households there earn.
The numbers behind it
| Borough | Median gross rent | Median household income | Rent × 12 ÷ income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | $2,212 | $106,403 | 25% |
| Queens | $1,914 | $85,273 | 27% |
| Brooklyn | $1,837 | $81,027 | 27% |
| Staten Island | $1,718 | $97,911 | 21% |
| Bronx | $1,456 | $46,040 | 38% |
Median household income covers all households, owners as well as renters, so the last column is a rough guide to how heavy rents are relative to local incomes, not a measure of what renters actually pay.
How the calculation works
- Housing: the Census median gross rent for your bedroom count in each borough (table B25031). Gross rent is contract rent plus utilities and fuels the renter pays. For four bedrooms, the survey sample is too thin (Manhattan's figure is top-coded), so we take each borough's 3-bedroom median and scale it by HUD's 4-bedroom to 3-bedroom Fair Market Rent ratio.
- Transit: rides per week × $3, capped at $35 per 7 days on OMNY ($7.25 and a $67 cap for express buses), times the number of riders, times 52 ÷ 12 weeks a month. It is the same in every borough.
- Car: your own monthly figure. We do not publish a default because no official source gives borough-level parking or insurance costs.
- HUD Fair Market Rent: shown for reference. HUD sets one value for the whole New York metro area, so it does not vary by borough. For FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026) it is $2,593 for a studio, $2,729 for one bedroom and $2,971 for two.
Worked example
You rent a one-bedroom in Manhattan and are thinking about Queens. You ride the subway about 12 times a week.
- Manhattan one-bedroom median gross rent: $2,382 (±$111)
- Queens one-bedroom median gross rent: $1,774 (±$30)
- Transit in both: 12 rides × $3 = $36, capped at $35 a week, about $152 a month
- Result: Queens is about $608 a month cheaper, or roughly $7,300 a year, before any change in commute time.
Notice that the Manhattan medians for two and three bedrooms ($1,998 and $1,848) are lower than for one bedroom. That is not a mistake in the tool. Many large Manhattan apartments are rent-stabilized or held by long-time tenants, which pulls the median down. It is one more reason not to treat these figures as asking rents.
Next steps
Check what you can afford with the rent affordability calculator, weigh a cheaper borough against a longer ride with the commute cost vs rent calculator, and learn how to find a rent-stabilized apartment, the main reason long-time tenants pay less than the market.