Affording NYC Neighborhoods NYC Life Renting Tips and Advice for Renters

7 Affordable Queens Neighborhoods for Renters

By Deirdre Sullivan February 23, 2022

Savvy New Yorkers already know rent in NYC has been back on the rise, but the top question is, where can one find really affordable rentals? Honestly, you can find steep discounts in all five boroughs. However, if you’re looking to squeeze every penny from your rental dollars, there are several cheap neighborhoods in Queens perfect for budget-minded renters. We’re talking areas with a broad range of affordable units, typically for much less than similar Manhattan and Brooklyn apartments.

Ditmars-Steinway

22-18 42nd Street

$2,099 No Fee

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Ridgewood

1916 Harman Street

$2,500 No Fee

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Maspeth

60-37 56 Road

$1,800 No Fee

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Woodside

46-09 69th Street

$2,160 No Fee

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Not convinced? Here are the numbers: The median asking rent for Queens as of December 2021 was $2,300, which is a striking contrast to Manhattan ($3,500) and Brooklyn ($2,675) for the same period. Let’s take a closer look. Here are seven affordable Queens neighborhoods to consider — one even has a median asking rent of $1,785!

Table of Contents

Briarwood

85-15 Main Street

$1,950 No Fee

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Briarwood

139-09 84 Drive

$2,300 No Fee

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Briarwood

139-09 84 Drive

$1,950 No Fee

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Briarwood

139-09 84 Drive

$1,650 No Fee

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Briarwood

139-05 85 Drive

$1,950 No Fee

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Briarwood

139-21 85 Drive

$1,600 No Fee

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Briarwood

135-20 82nd Avenue

$1,750 No Fee

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Briarwood

140-18 Burden Crescent

$2,400 No Fee

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1. Briarwood: Extremely Affordable Queens Neighborhood

_{A midcentury apartment building in Briarwood with affordable, modern units. (From a listing: 82-41 135th Street #3F)}

Median Rent: $1,785 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: Express E and F trains service the neighborhood at Briarwood/Van Wyck; local F to Sutphin Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard. Expect a 45-minute commute into Manhattan.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: The area has a few parks, a local library, and many mom-and-pop shops.

Briarwood has a quiet, distinctly suburban feel, despite being bordered by both Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway. When it comes to cheap neighborhoods in Queens, this area is the most affordable. Here, you will find large apartment complexes, many built in the 1950s, alongside stand-alone houses and duplexes on tree-lined streets. The area features a couple of public parks: Hoover-Manton Playgrounds, a central hangout for the community, and Briarwood Playground. Need a little help finding an apartment in the area? Here’s how to find the best rental for you on StreetEasy.

Murray Hill (Queens)

144-24 37th Avenue

$2,250 No Fee

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Flushing

143-36 Barclay Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

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Flushing

140-21 32nd Avenue

$2,500 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

35-19 147th Street

$1,950 No Fee

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Flushing

36-20 Bowne Street

$2,290 No Fee

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Flushing

132-24 Maple Avenue

$1,875 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

144-25 33rd Avenue

$1,850 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

144-12 34th Avenue

$1,850 No Fee

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Flushing

140-08 Sanford Avenue

$2,234 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

167-10 Crocheron Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

144-70 Roosevelt Avenue

$2,500 No Fee

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Flushing

42-15 College Point Boulevard

$2,150 No Fee

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2. Flushing: Affordable Queens Neighborhood Brimming With Local Attractions

_{You’ll find new construction in Flushing with chic rentals as shown. (From a listing: 144-74 Northern Boulevard East #7J)}

Median Rent: $1,950 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: 7 train; the express 7 can get you to midtown in 30 minutes. LIRR to Penn Station takes 20 minutes.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing Town Hall, Queens Historical Society, and Citi Field.

Flushing is a dense and vibrant area with sleepy pockets of single-family homes as you move away from the center of Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street. Unlike other cheap neighborhoods in Queens, here you will find Flushing Meadows Corona Park, one of the largest in the city with not one but two lakes. Flushing also boasts the Queens Botanical Garden created for the 1939 World’s Fair; the Flushing Town Hall, which holds concerts, including the Louis Armstrong Jazz Jams; and the Queens Historical Society.

Kew Gardens

83-15 118th Street

$1,900 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-16 Lefferts Boulevard

$2,200 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-61 116th Street

$1,972 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-61 116th Street

$2,393 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-83 118th Street

$2,195 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-15 116th Street

$1,900 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

120-05 Hillside Avenue

$1,950 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-14 Lefferts Boulevard

$2,250 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

118-40 Metropolitan Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-15 118th Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-43 118th Street

$1,900 No Fee

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Kew Gardens

83-33 118th Street

$2,450 No Fee

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3. Kew Gardens: A Hidden Village in Central Queens

Median Rent: $1,999 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: Express E and F; expect a 40-minute commute into Manhattan. LIRR to Penn Station takes less than 15 minutes.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: Forest Park, Ralph Bunche House, and it’s a short 15-minute drive to JFK.

Kew Gardens is a little-known gem with a small-town feel. You won’t find this in any of the other cheap neighborhoods in Queens: The main street, Lefferts Boulevard, runs over the only “working bridge” in New York City, meaning the bridge itself is home to local mom-and-pop shops and eateries, some of which have been operating on the bridge for decades. Apartment buildings — many with spacious square footage and 10-foot ceilings — blend seamlessly with Tudor duplexes and two-story houses with deep lawns, including the landmarked Ralph Bunche House.

Out of all of the cheap neighborhoods in Queens, Kew Gardens was one of seven planned communities, which may be why the area has winding streets, towering oak trees, and plenty of lush greenery. It also shares a border with Forest Park, one of the largest parks in the borough, with hilly hiking paths. With plenty of housing stock, easy transportation to Manhattan, and a small-town vibe, Kew Gardens is the best combination of urban and suburban worlds.

Forest Hills

112-15 72 Road

$2,195 No Fee

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Forest Hills

69-81 108th Street

$1,800 No Fee

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Forest Hills

111-45 76 Drive

$2,400 No Fee

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Forest Hills

112-15 72 Road

$1,945 No Fee

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Forest Hills

103-25 68th Avenue

$2,350 No Fee

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Forest Hills

75-46 113rd Street

$1,985 No Fee

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Forest Hills

71-11 110th Street

$2,075 No Fee

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Forest Hills

103-25 68th Avenue

$2,250 No Fee

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Forest Hills

99-21 67 Road

$1,895 No Fee

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Forest Hills

103-19 68 Road

$2,250 No Fee

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Forest Hills

111-45 76 Drive

$2,400 No Fee

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Forest Hills

108-50 71st Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

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4. Forest Hills: A Neighborhood Brimming With Big City Amenities

^{Forest Hills is known for its broad range of housings types. (From a listing: 109-19 72 Road #6)}

Median Rent: $2,100 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: E, F, M, R; express trains are a 30-minute commute into Manhattan. LIRR to Penn Station takes 10 minutes.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills Gardens, and two murals paying tribute to the Ramones.

Yes, Forest Hills is one of the cheap neighborhoods in Queens that made this list! Something about Forest Hills seems to foster talent because the list of celebrities who hail from here is a mile long: From legendary punk band the Ramones and folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel to actor and comedian Awkwafina and fashion designer Donna Karan, to name a few! The area is bisected by Queens Boulevard — with apartment complexes on the north side and multimillion-dollar homes of Forest Hills Gardens to the south. In between, running parallel to Queens Boulevard, is the main thoroughfare Austin Street, where you’ll find plenty of food including local favorite Nick’s Pizza alongside chain stores like Sephora.

Additionally, the historic Forest Hills Stadium, formerly a tennis arena, became a prime music venue in the 1960s, hosting performances by greats such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. It was restored in 2013 and once again plays host to headliners like Drake, Ed Sheeran, and Mumford & Sons. In a nutshell, Forest Hills is a self-contained town, offering everything you could possibly want in a big city.

Rego Park

65-41 Saunders Street

$2,295 No Fee

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Rego Park

64-74 Saunders Street

$2,000 No Fee

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Rego Park

61-25 98th Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Rego Park

63-36 98 Place

$2,400 No Fee

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Rego Park

63-36 98 Place

$2,400 No Fee

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Rego Park

64-85 Saunders Street

$1,800 No Fee

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Rego Park

99-72 66 Road

$1,700 No Fee

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Rego Park

65-38 Booth Street

$2,500 No Fee

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Rego Park

98-19 64th Avenue

$2,100 No Fee

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Rego Park

98-26 64th Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

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Rego Park

65-04 Booth Street

$1,945 No Fee

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5. Rego Park: A Cheap Neighborhood in Queens With Many Shopping Options

^{Many apartment buildings in Rego Park have generous floor plans. (From a listing: 98-76 Queens Boulevard #3A)}

Median Rent: $2,200 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: Local M, R. Expect a 45-minute commute into Manhattan; switching to an express train may cut down commute time.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: The Crescents, an area known for its Tudor-style homes and large lawns.

Upon coming out of the subway, Rego Park’s main artery of Queens Boulevard looks to be dominated by large shopping centers. But while at first glance it may seem like the land of big box stores, Rego Park, like the other cheap neighborhoods in Queens on this list, has many other attractions. For example, the neighborhood is quiet off the main commercial strip, and recent developments mean there are plenty of new apartment buildings, ranging from swanky to modest. There’s also a historic area, known as The Crescents, which was named for the shape of its streets.

Although green spaces seem scarce, large parks like Flushing Meadows and Forest Park are not too far away. Rego Park is also known for its vibrant eateries and community centers. And here’s a fun fact: The neighborhood’s name is a shortened moniker of the original real estate developer, the Real Good Construction Company. And to many residents, that’s just what Rego Park is: a real good place to live.

Middle Village

69-15 Metropolitan Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

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Middle Village

76-10 68th Avenue

$2,299 No Fee

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Middle Village

62-05 84th Street

$1,650 No Fee

Studio |

1

Middle Village

67-13 73 Place

$2,200 No Fee

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6. Middle Village: A Neighborhood With a Quaint Vibe

^{Sizable apartments abound in Middle Village like this 2-bedroom unit with a private roof deck. (From a listing: 78-04 67 Drive #2)}

Median Rent: $2,300 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: Only the M to Metropolitan Ave. Expect a 45-minute commute into Manhattan.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: Juniper Valley Park, St. John Cemetery, All Faiths Cemetery, and Mt. Olivet Cemetery

Located just below Rego Park, Middle Village is a serene, residential neighborhood — possibly because it is surrounded on three sides by cemeteries. (One of these, the St. John Cemetery, is the final haunt for infamous mobster Lucky Luciano.) When it comes to different home types in cheap neighborhoods in Queens, here the housing consists of predominantly squat, one-to-two-story homes and duplexes, which means you can see the sky for miles and miles — a rare perk in New York City. And there’s the lovely, sprawling Juniper Valley Park on the north side with tree-lined walkways, meadows, tennis courts, and playgrounds.

Ridgewood

1920 Harman Street

$2,500 No Fee

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Ridgewood

6-13 Grandview Avenue

$2,100 No Fee

Studio |

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Ridgewood

59-20 67th Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

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Ridgewood

1916 Harman Street

$2,500 No Fee

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Ridgewood

1813 Greene Avenue

$2,490 No Fee

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Ridgewood

60-17 Putnam Avenue

$1,500 No Fee

Studio |

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Ridgewood

59-06 Linden Street

$1,600 No Fee

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Ridgewood

62-14 61st Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Ridgewood

778 Onderdonk Avenue

$2,450 No Fee

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Ridgewood

62-80 Forest Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

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Ridgewood

59-07 Decatur Street

$2,500 No Fee

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7. Ridgewood: Best Kept Secret for Affordable Rentals

Median Rent: $2,546 per month as of December 2021.
Subway Info: L, M. Expect a 40-minute commute into Manhattan.
Notable Attractions & Amenities: Many historical landmarks, including Vander Ende-Onderdonk House

For an idea of what Park Slope was like before the median asking rent shot up to the $3,000s range, head to Ridgewood. Sure, it’s not the most affordable on the list for cheap neighborhoods in Queens, but it’s still notable when compared to other boroughs and Queen’s own Long Island City. Central Ridgewood’s historic district, designated in 2016, runs 40 blocks and comprises some 990 buildings: mostly tan, stone rowhouses with stoops. You can also expect to find mom-and-pop shops and a diverse range of local eateries featuring cuisines from across the globe.

While you will find rental buildings here, many available units are found in multi-family homes. The only real con is the lack of green spaces. But promising developments in the industrial section of Ridgewood may incorporate more greenery. Till then, you’ll have to hang out on your stoop. Good luck with your apartment search!

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