Here's Where NYC Rent Is Below Pre-COVID Pandemic Levels: Study

NEW YORK CITY — Rent is still hovering below pre-coronavirus pandemic levels in many New York City neighborhoods, despite rising prices citywide, according to a new study.

A StreetEasy study found the typical rent citywide is about $2,700, roughly $100 short of pre-pandemic highs.

And rents in several popular neighborhoods — such as Greenwich Village and Brooklyn Heights — are far, far below what they were in 2019, the study found.

“Interest in living in New York City is stronger than ever,” Nancy Wu, a StreetEasy economic, stated in the study. “And the highly mobile renters who can afford the most expensive areas are doing everything they can to snag a lease in the neighborhood of their choosing. The strong demand for these areas is driving rent prices up, and will continue to do so until winter, when fewer renters typically enter the market.”

One of those neighborhoods is the Upper West Side, a typically pricey area where more affordable rents creeped into the listings during the pandemic, according to the study.

Again, it's still expensive — $3,200 typically — but the price is $200 lower than 2019, the study found.

Median rents on the Upper East Side stand about $2,600 — which is $350 lower than before the pandemic, according to the study.

Here are other Manhattan neighborhoods with lower median rents than before the pandemic:

• Gramercy Park — $3,400 median rent — $599 lower than 2019
• Greenwich Village — $3,725 median rent — $270 lower than 2019
• Little Italy — $2,850 median rent — $450 lower than 2019
• Lower East Side — $3,332 median rent — $68 lower than 2019
• West Harlem — $2,400 median rent — $200 lower than 2019

StreetEasy found these Brooklyn neighborhoods had lower typical rents than 2019:

• Bay Ridge — $1,750 median rent — $149 lower than 2019
• Boerum Hill — $2,850 median rent — $538 lower than 2019
• Brooklyn Heights — $3,100 median rent — $289 lower than 2019
• Cobble Hill — $3,075 median rent — $525 lower than 2019
• Prospect Heights — $3,050 median rent — $150 lower than 2019

And finally, these Queens neighborhoods are still below pre-pandemic levels:

• Astoria — $2,175 median rent — $132 lower than 2019
• Elmhurst — $1,853 median rent — $122 lower than 2019
• Jackson Heights — $1,900 median rent — $100 lower than 2019
• Ridgewood — $2,500 median rent — $199 lower than 2019
• Sunnyside — $1,900 median rent — $100 lower than 2019

Read the full StreetEasy study here.