First Job in NYC: Where to Live, by Office District

How to Read This

Rents are StreetEasy’s median asking rent, October 2026, for the whole apartment. Where a per-room figure appears, it is the two-bedroom median divided by two. Trip times are typical subway rides, station to station, so add the walk at each end.

Midtown

Offices run from Grand Central (4, 5, 6, 7) through Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center (B, D, F, M) to Times Square (1, 2, 3, N, Q, R, W). The E and M cross on 53rd Street.

• Walkable: Midtown East, studio $3,630, one-bedroom $4,985. Midtown West, which includes Hell’s Kitchen, studio $3,855.
• Upper East Side: the 4, 5, 6 and Q, about ten minutes. Studio $3,180, two-bedroom $6,085, about $3,043 a room.
• Long Island City: one to three stops from Grand Central on the 7. Studio $3,640.
• Astoria: 15 to 20 minutes on the N and W. Studio $2,640, two-bedroom $3,900, about $1,950 a room.
• Sunnyside: about 15 minutes to Grand Central on the 7. One-bedroom $2,655.

• Sublets Near Midtown

Hudson Yards

The far West Side, 30th to 34th Street west of Tenth Avenue. The 7 ends at 34th Street–Hudson Yards, and Penn Station (1, 2, 3, A, C, E) is about a ten-minute walk east.

• Walkable: Chelsea, studio $4,530; Midtown West, studio $3,855.
• On the 7: Long Island City and Sunnyside, direct. Sunnyside two-bedroom $3,410, about $1,705 a room.
• Through Penn Station: the Upper West Side on the 1, 2 and 3, studio $3,370.

• Sublets Near Hudson Yards

Financial District

Wall Street (2, 3, 4, 5), Fulton Street (2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J, Z), the World Trade Center (E) and Whitehall Street (R, W).

• Walkable: the Financial District itself, studio $4,155, one-bedroom $5,475.
• Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn: one or two stops on the 2, 3, 4 and 5. Brooklyn Heights studio $3,245; Downtown Brooklyn studio $3,585.
• Park Slope: about 20 minutes. One-bedroom $3,830, two-bedroom $5,120, about $2,560 a room.
• Crown Heights: 20 to 25 minutes on the 2, 3, 4 and 5. One-bedroom $3,335, two-bedroom $4,405, about $2,203 a room.

• Sublets Near Wall Street

Flatiron and Union Square

Offices between 14th and 30th Streets around Broadway, Fifth Avenue and Park Avenue South. Union Square has the 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R and W. 23rd Street has separate stops on the 1, 6, C and E, F and M, and R and W.

• Walkable: Gramercy Park, studio $3,945; East Village, studio $3,345, two-bedroom $5,570, about $2,785 a room.
• Williamsburg: about ten minutes to Union Square on the L from Bedford Avenue. Studio $3,865, two-bedroom $5,365, about $2,683 a room.
• Bushwick: about 20 minutes on the L. One-bedroom $3,140, two-bedroom $3,620, about $1,810 a room.

Downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City

• Downtown Brooklyn offices sit around Jay Street–MetroTech (A, C, F, R), Borough Hall (2, 3, 4, 5) and DeKalb Avenue (B, Q, R). Nearby by train: Fort Greene, one-bedroom $4,295; Bedford-Stuyvesant on the A, C and G, one-bedroom $3,165; Crown Heights, one-bedroom $3,335.
• Long Island City offices cluster at Court Square (7, E, M, G) and Queensboro Plaza (7, N, W). Nearby by train: Astoria on the N and W, one-bedroom $3,015; Sunnyside and Woodside on the 7, one-bedroom $2,655 and $2,615; Greenpoint on the G, one-bedroom $4,580.

• Brooklyn Neighborhoods Compared by Commute

Start with a Short Stay

A lease is a twelve-month decision. At the citywide one-bedroom median of $3,875, it is a commitment of $46,500 ($3,875 times 12), usually made after one or two visits.

A furnished sublet of one to three months costs you nothing in furniture and lets you test the commute at rush hour and late at night before you commit. Then apply for a lease in person with your documents ready. Ask any sublet lister for their landlord’s written approval.

• Monthly Rentals in NYC
• First Apartment Checklist
• Temporary Housing While You Relocate