- The steepest average roommate rent rises in New York have been in Westchester County, up 6.3% year on year, according to SpareRoom's Q2 rental index.
- The Bronx has seen the fiercest demand for rooms, with 5.1 people searching for every room available.
- SpareRoom reveals nine neighborhoods with above-average supply and below-average rents to help roommates target their searches.
Average roommate rents in the New York metro area have risen 1.7% year on year to $1,530 per month according to roommate site SpareRoom.
Its latest rental index data for Q2 2025 also reveals the steepest average increase has been in Westchester County, up 6.3% year on year to $1,323 per month, while the smallest increase was Queens, up 1.4% year on year to $1,271 per month.
Demand for rooms was highest in The Bronx in Q2, with 5.1 people searching per room available, followed closely by Queens (4.9 people) and Westchester County (4.4 people).
| Borough / Area | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2025 | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2024 | Year-on-year change | Number of people searching per room available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Bronx | $1,170 | $1,148 | 1.9% | 5.1 |
| Brooklyn | $1,430 | $1,397 | 2.4% | 3.2 |
| Hudson County | $1,369 | $1,340 | 2.2% | 4.3 |
| Manhattan | $1,866 | $1,805 | 3.4% | 3.0 |
| Queens | $1,271 | $1,254 | 1.4% | 4.9 |
| Westchester County | $1,323 | $1,245 | 6.3% | 4.4 |
| New York metro (NY, NJ) | $1,530 | $1,505 | 1.7% | 2.5 |
Source: SpareRoom rental index Q2 2025
New York rents have risen 16% over the past five years. In a Feb 2025 survey of 731 US roommates by SpareRoom, 72% said they were spending more than 30% of their take-home pay on rent, and 36% of roommates spent more than half.
To help renters target their searches, this table shows nine neighborhoods with above-average supply and below-average rents for New York ($1,530 per month) for Q2 2025:
| Neighborhood | Borough | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ridgewood | Queens | $1,195 |
| 2 | Washington Heights | Manhattan | $1,198 |
| 3 | Hamilton Heights | Manhattan | $1,240 |
| 4 | Crown Heights | Brooklyn | $1,307 |
| 5 | Astoria | Queens | $1,327 |
| 6 | East Harlem | Manhattan | $1,362 |
| 7 | Bushwick | Brooklyn | $1,379 |
| 8 | Bedford-Stuyvesant | Brooklyn | $1,382 |
| 9 | Harlem | Manhattan | $1,456 |
Source: SpareRoom rental index Q2 2025
Matt Hutchinson, director of roommate site SpareRoom, comments: “Just when we think the ceiling of affordability has been reached, roommate rents in New York climb again. Rents in the metro area were forced upwards at an alarming rate post pandemic when demand spiked. Although that chaos has now subsided, average rents have stayed high and continued to rise.
“The suburban shift to Westchester, enabled by remote working and fueled by cheaper rents, is pushing up prices in the area. But the area still offers savings of around $2,500 per year compared to the New York average, which is significant to roommates on tight budgets.
“While renting as a roommate is far less expensive than renting a studio or a one-bed apartment, too many people tell us the proportion of their pay spent on rent is too high to be affordable. Targeting searches more strategically on outer boroughs and neighborhoods with strong supply may help, provided the cost of travel to work is factored in. Roommates could also consider filtering their searches for rooms advertised by homeowners. Living with your landlord is on average 12% cheaper.”