You’re on the hunt for a new place in NYC and don’t know how to navigate all the information available. Here, with the help of your highly knowledgeable friends at StreetEasy®, we share the best tips for finding NYC rentals on our site. Not to brag, but our user-friendly search filters will help you find the best apartment for you based on your specific preferences — for example, must-have amenities like in-unit laundry or outdoor space. 

Ready to learn how to find apartments for rent on StreetEasy? Let’s get started!

Manhattan Rentals Under $3,500 on StreetEasy Article continues below

Upper West Side

47 West 87th Street

$3,350 base rent

Studio |

1

Upper West Side

31 West 85th Street

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

1

Hamilton Heights

684 Riverside Drive

$3,450 base rent

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1

East Harlem

245 E 124th Street

$2,557 base rent

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1

East Harlem

245 E 124th Street

$2,868 base rent

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1

East Harlem

245 E 124th Street

$2,553 base rent

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1

Lenox Hill

1425 York Avenue

$3,400 base rent

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1

Kips Bay

223 East 32nd Street

$3,250 base rent

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1

Kips Bay

140 East 31st Street

$2,700 base rent

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1

Lower East Side

163 Attorney Street

$3,245 base rent

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1

Carnegie Hill

1654 Third Avenue

$3,300 base rent

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1

Financial District

1 West Street

$3,395 base rent

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1

How to find apartments for rent using basic filters

Let’s say you are looking for a rental in Hell’s Kitchen. Just type Hell’s Kitchen into the Location box, enter your minimum and/or maximum price, and the number of bedrooms you want.

Expert tip: When looking at a listing, scroll down and take a peek at the days on market. Has it been on the market for a while, like more than 30 days? “That may indicate that the landlord is having no luck renting the unit. You may be able to negotiate the rent,” says Deirdre Sullivan, Senior Content Strategist at StreetEasy. Psst…there’s another opportunity to strike a deal. More shortly!

How to find apartments for rent with advanced filters

Of course, there are more filters for customizing your search. To the right of the Location box we mentioned earlier, in addition to price and beds/baths, select Pets to filter listings that allow pets.

You can also click More to further customize your search by selecting any combination of filters. Here’s a list of popular options:

• Move-in date: Find listings based on when you need to move in.
• Nearby transit: Filter listings by nearby subway lines.
• Building age: Have a penchant for prewar homes? Prefer a new development? Select that here.
• Keywords: Type in keywords that may be in the listing description, like “rent-stabilized,” “duplex,” or “loft.”

And now for the best part: open the Amenities menu to filter by your desired unit and building amenities. If you really want a dishwasher, in-unit laundry, outdoor space, a doorman, etc., toggle on Must-have to only show listings with those amenities. If you’re more flexible, select the amenity without marking it as a must-have.

Brooklyn Rentals Under $3,000 on StreetEasy Article continues below

Park Slope

640 Carroll Street

$2,950 base rent

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1

Bedford-Stuyvesant

186 Quincy Street

$2,700 base rent

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1

Bay Ridge

6802 Owls Head Court

$2,100 base rent

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1

Crown Heights

1416 Saint Mark’s Avenue

$2,900 base rent

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2

Prospect Park South

45 Hinckley Place

$2,650 base rent

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1

East New York

2840 Atlantic Avenue

$2,674 base rent

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1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

681 Flatbush Avenue

$2,800 base rent

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1

Brownsville

24 East 91st Street

$1,650 base rent

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1

Bedford-Stuyvesant

100 Hart Street

$2,453 base rent

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1

Flatbush

937 Rogers Avenue

$2,950 base rent

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1

Stuyvesant Heights

426 Jefferson Avenue

$2,650 base rent

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1

Flatbush

2001 Nostrand Avenue

$2,384 base rent

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1

StreetEasy makes your apartment search even easier

Adjusting your preferences while searching a specific neighborhood is a cinch. As mentioned, right next to the Location box, you’ll find five more boxes:

• Price: Input your rental budget by typing in or selecting a minimum (optional) and maximum (optional) price.
• Beds/Baths: Specify the number of bedrooms and bathrooms or select Studio.
• Pets: Filter by pets allowed or no preference.
• Amenities: Toggle back and forth for your must-have vs. nice-to-have amenities.
• More: Open up a menu with even more advanced filters.

Expert tip: Mandira Chawla, Product Marketing Manager at StreetEasy, says the must-have vs. nice-to-have amenities feature (referred to as StreetEasy Flexible Search) is a true game-changer. “It’s a convenient way to see all potential listings at once and easily compare them by the amenities you’re interested in — winning!”

Queens Rentals Under $3000 on StreetEasy Article continues below

Astoria

25-07 30th Avenue

$2,200 base rent

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1

Ditmars-Steinway

33-29 Astoria Boulevard North

$3,750 base rent

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Astoria

31-49 36th Street

$2,400 base rent

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Sunnyside

48-55 43rd Street

$2,750 base rent

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1

Murray Hill (Queens)

35-27 163rd Street

$2,600 base rent

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1

Bayside

56-51 Bell Boulevard

$2,650 base rent

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1

Sunnyside

40-39 48th Street

$2,600 base rent

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1

Astoria

23-23 30th Avenue

$3,600 base rent

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1

Maspeth

60-80 55th Street

$2,750 base rent

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1

South Jamaica

155-70 115 Drive

$2,150 base rent

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1

Glendale

83-08 77th Avenue

$2,700 base rent

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1

Astoria

11-55 Welling Court

$3,500 base rent

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1

How to read StreetEasy listings

Now you understand how to optimize your search using StreetEasy filters. But there are more ways to maximize your home search. Here are some tricks for reading and understanding a listing beyond the basics.

Saves

This is a valuable metric for gauging interest in a rental that shows how many StreetEasy users have saved the listing. If you see the numbers rack up fast, consider taking action fast.

Price history

StreetEasy tracks pricing history for rentals, which can be helpful. For example, the price history can reveal how much the rent has increased over time, or if it’s dropped recently. If there’s a dip, it could indicate the landlord is having trouble finding a tenant — which opens up the possibility for negotiating the rent.

Queens Rentals Under $2,500 on StreetEasy Article continues below

South Jamaica

155-70 115 Drive

$2,150 base rent

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South Jamaica

150-41 115 Drive

$2,050 base rent

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1

Woodside

46-10 70th Street

$2,428 base rent

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1

Jamaica Estates

175-05 Wexford Terrace

$2,395 base rent

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1

Jackson Heights

94-18 34th Avenue

$2,338 base rent

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1

Astoria

32-73 31st Street

$2,060 base rent

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1

Jackson Heights

94-18 34th Avenue

$2,360 base rent

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1

Jackson Heights

94-18 34th Avenue

$2,383 base rent

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1

Jackson Heights

37-54 81st Street

$1,950 base rent

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1

Astoria

26-20 30th Street

$1,650 base rent

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1

Ditmars-Steinway

22-28 27th Street

$1,800 base rent

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1

Queens Village

215-17 Jamaica Avenue

$2,200 base rent

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Bonus tips to find apartments for rent

• What if you’re looking for something particular — a duplex, a rent-stabilized apartment, or a building with a gym stocked with Pelotons? Remember, click More to open the advanced filters, and type what you’re looking for into the Keywords box. It might be in the listing description, which can escape the standard filters.
• Never miss a listing by turning on notifications. This lets StreetEasy do the searching for you! Log into your StreetEasy account, then after setting your search parameters and filters, click the blue box on the upper right that says Save search. You’ll receive daily updates of new and updated listings that match your search.
• In the advanced filters, use Virtual touring to show only listings that include a 3D tour and/or video tour. Want to see the place in person? Go to Open house to filter by listings hosting an open house today, tomorrow, or within the next week.

Expert tip: “I can’t stress enough how effective it is that you narrow down your StreetEasy search,” says Sean Ryan, Senior Copywriter at StreetEasy. “Our filters let users cut to the chase and get in touch with homes they actually love — and the data bears that out. Plus, you can save as many precise StreetEasy searches as you want by saving your search.”

What about the StreetEasy app?

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention our app, available for iPhone and Android.

Expert tip: Cristen Brophy, Senior Marketing Manager at StreetEasy, says “The SE app makes it easier to find units while on the go — filter away while waiting for the subway or your coffee order. Don’t forget to check out the amenity filters. Only the three most popular amenities appear automatically. It’s minimal and super easy to navigate, and the adorable icons are a bonus! If there’s something else you’re looking for, tap More.”

Our last bit of advice? Be open-minded about neighborhoods. Try searching for the exact criteria you want without choosing a neighborhood. Be specific in price range, bedrooms/bathrooms, and amenities. Then, see where those apartments are available in the city. You might be surprised to find your dream apartment in an unexpected location.