Top 5 Student-Friendly Neighborhoods for Off-Campus Housing in NYC

Ruby McKenzie
8 Min Read

NYC is certainly a student’s wonderland! Every year, tens of thousands of students worldwide travel to New York City to get higher education. You can find New York University, Monroe University, Columbia University, and more world-class universities in NYC. These organizations provide on-campus housing for their students.

90% of students prefer to live in on-campus dorm rooms. On the other hand, many other students prefer to live in their own leased apartments for a variety of reasons, including privacy, focus on their studies, private space, and so on. Finding an affordable rental in NYC might be difficult. Moreover, finding the best roommates to stay with is an additional task. This article will look at the top 5 student-friendly off-campus apartments on rent in NYC.

1] Washington Heights

Washington Heights, popularly known as ‘Little Dominican Republic,’ is a hillside neighborhood in Manhattan’s northernmost county. Here one can find spacious three-bedroom apartments that are considerably pocket-friendly. Most of the monuments in the county are untouched by urban developments, which makes this area an affordable option to rent rooms in NYC.

These bedrooms are adequately spacious to accommodate a bed and other essential furniture, a separate kitchen, and a living area. Another perk of this place is that you will taste amazing Dominican cuisine. Washington Heights is considered one of the safest places to stay in NYC. An average of 110 crimes per 10,000 residents was reported, considered the safe rate. This area is being developed rapidly. Hence, you can be a part of the development process.

  • Average Room rent for a month: $1000
  • Nearby Universities: Noble International University, Columbia University. 

2] Morningside Heights

Morningside Heights is a New York City neighborhood on the West Side of Upper Manhattan. Morningside Heights is an uptown Manhattan area where higher education institutions have taken the real estate. This area is considered one of the safest areas to reside. Most of the apartments are looked after by the universities’ employees. The university takes particular precautions to ensure that all residents have a safe living environment.

Morningside Heights is also famous as the home of universities as it has plenty of world-best universities. It’s a highly urbanized area consisting of many bars, coffee shops, restaurants, and parks. Many residents in this area tend to rent their apartments to young students and professionals.  

  • Average Room rent for a month: $1500
  • Nearby universities: Barnard College, Columbia University, City college NY, Baruch College, Manhattan School of Music

3] Greenpoint 

Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s developing Polish-American neighborhood, is a residential district with a trendy appeal. Greenpoint is a delightful area with charming pubs, antique boutiques, and a combination of stylish and classic eateries that people from all over New York go to. In addition, it can be considered the safest place to reside as the area has below average crime rate in New York City. 

Greenpoint is now Brooklyn’s third most expensive neighborhood. However, it’s affordable to find a room on rent in Brooklyn at Greenpoint. This place is also called “New Williamsburg” because of its relaxed ambiance, gorgeous shoreline, fashionable bars, and vibrant art scene, but its Polish, working-class origins remain. Like Morningstar heights, Greenpoint is a densely urbanized area with many bars, restaurants, parks, etc.

  • Average Room rent for a month: $1500
  • Nearby Universities: Long Island University Brooklyn, University of Connecticut, Pratt institute, Baruch University.

4] Bushwick

Bushwick is an evolving and working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Bushwick was considered one of the most dangerous parts of NYC, but now it is considered safe to reside in. The rate of crimes has been decreasing considerably over the past few years. Bushwick is much safer than midtown Manhattan, Williamsburg, etc. In Bushwick, you can easily notice innovative street art and renovated warehouses that contain artist studios and specialty coffee shops. This gives the area an aesthetic vibe. Bushwick can be a great area to hang out with your roommates in NYC.

This area is significantly cheaper than neighboring areas such as Williamsburg, Greenwich Village, etc., making it an affordable neighborhood for students to stay off-campus. However, this area is not gentrified and engrossed with artists and musicians. Transportation to and from Manhattan is pretty frequent, and for an average of $1000, you may easily locate a room in a three-bedroom apartment.

  • Average Room rent for a month: $1000
  • Nearby Universities: Mercy College, Pratt Institute, Community Partnership At Brooklyn College, St. Joseph’s College.

5] Inwood

It is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located near the northern point of Manhattan Island in the U.S. state of New York. It’s the preferable area to find rooms on rent in NYC because of its safety rate. It was once regarded as one of the most dangerous areas of New York City. However, the crime rate has dropped significantly in the last couple of decades. 

Inwood is also the most affordable area of NYC, making it preferable for students who wish to rent a room in NYC. Living at Inwood is one of the best experiences as the area offers beautiful scenery. Inwood is inexpensive, and you may find a better place at an average cost of $1000.

  • Average Room rent for a month: $1000
  • Nearby Universities: Monroe college, Inwood Early College For Health And Information Technologies, Manhattan College.

Conclusion

All these places mentioned above have their characteristics and offer reasonably priced rooms. NYC being an economical capital of the USA, rental rooms are a bit expensive, especially for students with the cost of living. Finding a rental in New York City might be difficult and time-consuming. Landlords in New York will only rent their home to someone who makes more than four times the rent. Ensure to take all the necessary measures while signing a rent agreement with your landlord. Start finding an ideal room for yourself near your college and enjoy the beauty of NYC.

Share This Article