Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

Renter Beware: Manhattan Rents Are Way Up!


By

Garth Johnston

Published Jul 8, 2011

Modified Jul 8, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

Garth Johnston

Published Jul 8, 2011

Modified Jul 8, 2011


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Good luck finding an apartment in Manhattan. The borough may be full of ghost apartments but when it comes to rentals it has next to no vacancies. According to a new reports from Citi Habitats only .72 percent of Manhattan apartments were available in the last three months, the lowest they've seen since they started tracking the stat in 2002. At the same time the rent just keeps getting higher and higher—the average rent for a studio on the island is $1,976 per month, up 9.1 percent from last year!

And it gets worse (well, not for landlords). Three-bedroom apartments are running an average $4,985 a month (up 11.3 percent), two-bedrooms will cost you an average $3,757 (up 10.8 percent), and one-bedrooms average $2,676 (up 9.2 percent). If you are willing to live in a walk-up, the cost of a one-bedroom goes down to $2,476, but add a doorman and that price goes up another grand.

“A significant portion of those gains are because the landlord is not as worried about tenant retention and vacancy," Jonathan Miller, president of New York-based Miller Samuel, told Bloomberg. "There is no category that you can say that rents are cheaper than last year. It’s just not happening."

But while Manhattan rents are booming, sales are not. According to reports, sales of Manhattan co-ops and condos declined 3.8 percent in the second quarter from last year with the median price of apartments that sold dipping 5.5 percent to $850,000.

Suddenly that 78-square-foot Manhattan apartment seems less absurd. At what point do people start living in parking spots?

Tagged

manhattan

real estate

vacancies

vacant apartments


Garth Johnston

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE news

2 pedestrians killed in Bronx crash after driver ran red light, police say

The NYPD said the investigation is continuing and no one had been arrested Saturday.

By

Brittany Kriegstein

and

Ann Givens

Published Oct 10, 2026 at 1:24 p.m. ET


Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.

Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.

By

Brittany Kriegstein

News

Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.

Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.

By

Brittany Kriegstein


Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con

By

Jessica Gould

What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC

By

Karen Yi

DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC

By

Elizabeth Kim

,

Brigid Bergin

and

Ben Feuerherd


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .