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The Best Time to Rent in NYC: Rent by Month
New York asking rents are lowest in December and highest in July, a difference of about 6% on the same apartment. On a $4,875 one-bedroom that is about $311 a month.
Sublet Buddy Guides2 min read
Times Square. Photo: Sublet Buddy.
In This Guide 6 sections
The Short Version
- Cheapest months to sign: December through February. Most expensive: June through August.
- Summer has the most listings to choose from and the most people competing for them.
- A lease that starts in winter usually renews in winter, so the timing compounds.
Rent by Month, Measured
The chart shows how each month’s citywide median asking rent compares with its yearly average, from StreetEasy’s monthly series. The pandemic years 2020 and 2021 are left out because they broke the pattern. July sits about 3% above the yearly average and December about 3% below.
The swing is larger in Brooklyn (about 8%) than in Manhattan (about 4%).
Source: StreetEasy citywide median asking rent, monthly, 2014 to 2026 with 2020 and 2021 left out. Each month is compared with the average of the twelve months around it.
Why Summer Costs More
Demand follows the calendar. Graduates start jobs in June and July, students need housing before classes begin in late August and early September, and summer interns arrive in late May. Most leases signed in those months run twelve months and come up again in the same season, which keeps the cycle going.
What It Means If You Are Looking
If your dates are flexible, a lease starting between December and February usually asks less, and landlords are more open to negotiating on price or a start date. The trade-off is fewer listings to choose from and moving in the cold.
If you have to move in summer, start early and have your paperwork ready, because the well-priced places go quickly.
What It Means If You Are Subletting Your Place
The same pattern works in your favor in summer: more people are looking for a place from June to August than at any other time, many of them interns who need exactly ten to twelve weeks. A winter or spring-semester sublet draws from a smaller group, so price it realistically and list it earlier.
Get your landlord’s written approval before you list, whatever the season.
A Short Stay Can Bridge the Gap
One way to use the calendar: take a furnished sublet of a few months when you arrive in summer, learn the neighborhoods, then sign a twelve-month lease in the cheaper months.
Questions
What is the cheapest month to rent in NYC?
December, on StreetEasy’s citywide asking-rent data, with the winter months around it close behind.
What is the most expensive month to rent in NYC?
July. Asking rents run about 6% above the winter low.
Is it harder to find an apartment in winter?
There are fewer listings, but also fewer people looking, and landlords are generally more flexible on price and dates.
Do sublet prices follow the same pattern?
Demand does: summer is the busiest season for sublets because of internships and students leaving. What you may charge still depends on your lease and, for rent-stabilized apartments, your legal rent.
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Official Sources
Laws, prices and city rules change. Check these pages for the current version before you rely on any summary, including this one.
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<a href="https://www.subletbuddy.com/guides/best-time-to-rent-in-nyc">The Best Time to Rent in NYC: Rent by Month</a> (Sublet Buddy Guides)This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state, city, building and lease. Check your lease, get your landlord’s written approval before you sublet, and ask a local attorney about your situation.
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