The 15 best neighborhoods to live in New York City

New York City boasts one of the most expensive costs of living in the country, making it the ultimate challenge to find a place to live.

Where you want to live — and where you can afford to live — depends on many factors. Neighborhoods vary in their perks and downfalls when it comes to price, commute distance, transportation access, nightlife, and other lifestyle amenities.

Niche, a company that compiles information on cities, recently released its annual ranking of the best neighborhoods in New York City.

The ranking determined the overall livability of a neighborhood by weighting factors such as education, cost of living, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities. Read the entire methodology here.

From historic to hip, these neighborhoods possess their own identities and can offer residents a sense of home in a city of over 8 million people.

Here are the 15 best neighborhoods to live in New York City.

15. Hell’s Kitchen

Population: 53,923

Hell’s Kitchen, also known as Midtown West, was once a poor and working class neighborhood that has steadily gentrified over the span of a couple decades. Due to its proximity to many Broadway theaters and the famed Actors Studio, the neighborhood became a popular area for aspiring actors. Hell’s Kitchen rated well for shorter commute times and offers a lively nightlife for its residents.

14. Flatiron District

Population: 13,196

Home to the Flatiron Building at the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, one of the oldest skyscrapers in the city, the Flatiron District features a great restaurant scene, upscale real estate, and an impressive stretch of shopping. It’s also become increasingly known as a huge area for fitness clubs. The median rent for the neighborhood is a steep $1,901.

13. Greenwich Village

Population: 30,145

Greenwich Village possesses its own strong sense of character and charm within the city. The neighborhood has served as home to the creative community, the LGBT movement, and New York University. The area has become a melting pot of its own, filled with bustling restaurants and venues while keeping its small community feel.

12. Brooklyn Heights

Population: 23,532

Just off the Brooklyn Bridge along the East River, Brooklyn Heights gives a historic feel with a close proximity to Manhattan. The neighborhood has over 600 pre-Civil War houses and has become a popular neighborhood for families. The area has been called New York’s first suburb.

11. Prospect Heights

Population: 21,940

Prospect Heights is more centrally located in Brooklyn and offers direct access to the 582-acre Prospect Park, in which the seasonal food event, Smorgasburg, is hosted on Sundays. The Brooklyn Public Library and the Barclays Center can be found in the neighborhood as well.

10. NoHo

Population: 4,560

NoHo — named for its location north of Houston Street — is an upscale, primarily residential area wedged between Greenwich Village and East Village. With many well-to-do residents once occupying the neighborhood, like the Astor and Vanderbilt families, Charles Dickens, and Washington Irving, NoHo has transitioned into a more trendy area popular among celebrities, contributing to a higher cost of living. The median rent is $2,001.

9. SoHo

Population: 13,753

Known as perhaps the trendiest neighborhood in Manhattan, SoHo features upscale boutiques and a foodie’s dream of restaurants that attract a combination of young creatives and famous celebrities. Located south of Houston Street, the cultural amenities come at high cost, making it less affordable than other neighborhoods in the city.

8. Gramercy

Population: 23,117

Gramercy is aok historic neighborhood just to the east of the Flatiron District, with some of the building facades dating back to the 19th century, favoring Italian and Greek Revival aesthetics. The neighborhood is known for its uber-exclusive Gramercy Park, in which only residents who pay an annual fee and have a key can get in.

7. Murray Hill

Population: 27,420

Murray Hill was once considered the most “uptown” neighborhood of New York City during the mid-19th century and achieved a very elite status as a result. Beginning in the 1990s though, Murray Hill began attracting younger postgraduate residents and has acquired a thriving nightlife, restaurant, and shopping reputation.

6. Financial District

Population: 27,482

The Financial District is home to many of New York City’s financial institutions, such as the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank, as well as well-known lamdmarks like One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. Additionally, though, it has been growing its value as a residential neighborhood in the past few years.

5. Kips Bay

Population: 34,919

Located south of Murray Hill between 34th and 23rd streets, Kips Bay was originally named after an early colonial settler of the riverside area. The neighborhood is known for being more quiet and peaceful than its counterparts, but it’s been leading the way in the “micro-apartment” movement in the city.

4. Dumbo

Population: 3,798

Dumbo — an acronym for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass ” — comprises the area between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge, and the neighborhood has become prominent due to its enviable location, easy access to both Manhattan and Brooklyn, and an impressive tech community. As as result, the neighborhood is one of the priciest areas on the list.

3. Nolita

Population: 6,722

Nolita is located, as the name suggests, just north of Little Italy. The neighborhood slowly transitioned from being considered a part of Little Italy to its own unique trendier area that still couldn’t quite be lumped in with Soho. Nolita has become a popular area for hip young adults — and models — but is more generally affordable than other trendy neighborhoods like Soho.

2. Battery Park City

Population: 15,003

Battery Park City, a planned community, attracts a slightly older crowd and serves as a great place to raise a family. Located along the bank of the Hudson River in Lower Manhattan, the residential neighborhood staged a major comeback after taking a major hit on 9/11, with residents displaced for months.

1. Tribeca

Population: 16,923

Tribeca — which stands for “Triangle Below Canal Street” — has gained a reputation as a safe, upscale residential neighborhood attracting more families, with easy access to every area of Lower Manhattan due to its central location. A trend of converting commercial warehouses and buildings to luxurious lofts accelerated the transition from a primarily business-centric area to a living community. It’s also home to celebrities like Taylor Swift, Jay Z, and Beyoncé.

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