OK, so you need a room in a hurry. It’s August, which means so does everyone else. But don’t panic – we've already given you some great tips on how to reduce your stress levels. Now for some tips on where to find a room.
Let’s start with where there are the most rooms available. That’s simple - Brooklyn and Manhattan account for 84% of the rooms listed on SpareRoom (Queens has 12% and The Bronx 4%).
No big surprises there. But where exactly are these rooms and, crucially, how much do they cost?
For the biggest selection, head to Brooklyn, specifically Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Greenpoint and Williamsburg. There are more apartment shares advertized here than anywhere else in NYC. Average monthly rents range from $1,043 per month (Bed-Stuy/Bushwick) to $1,373 (Williamsburg/parts of Greenpoint).
If your heart is set on Manhattan, the East Village is your best bet in terms of number of rooms available. But (and it's a big but) the average monthly rent is $1,651. Not the most expensive on the island, but far from cheap.
So which neighborhoods have plenty of rooms and cheap (for NYC) rents? Here are the contenders...
Bed-Stuy and Bushwick
These two neighborhoods not only top the list for most rooms in NYC, they're also reasonably priced for Brooklyn, with monthly average rents of $1,043.
Hamilton Heights and Harlem
If Brooklyn is all about the 'Bs' (Bed-Stuy and Bushwick), Manhattan is all about the letter H. If you're prepared to head north for more realistic rents, Hamilton Heights and Harlem come in the top 10 for number of rooms available and have average rents of $1,084.
Washington Heights
Always plenty of rooms on offer and, with average rents of $1,070, one of Manhattan's cheaper neighborhoods.
Ridgewood and Glendale
If Queens is your thing, these are the only two neighborhoods in the top 25 for most rooms. With average rents at $973 they're two of the cheapest options on the list.
Other contenders
East Flatbush/Flatbush-Ditmas Park ($940), and East New York/Highland Park ($908) are also cheaper than most in the top 25.
...or you could Live Rent Free
New York rents aren't cheap; that's a fact. Here's another fact: SpareRoom gives away a month's rent, every single month, to one lucky roommate. Not only that, we also give away a whole year's rent every year. What do you have to do to put your name in the running? Simple, click below.
Finally, we're giving away a free audio download from Ziva Meditation all week. And if that isn't enough, once you've downloaded it we'll enter you into a competition to win an 8 day online meditation course worth $250.
