Living in Canarsie: rent, commute and grades

Brooklyn · Updated October 2026

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Photo: molybdena from Brooklyn, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rent in Canarsie

$1,346 a month

Type of homeA room in a 2-bedroom, shared by two

DOverall

Grades compare NYC neighborhoods with each other. How the grades work.

DWalkability
The average home has 3.5 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 64 places to eat or shop.
Residents: Most residents drive, so living without a car is a bit of a pain. Brooklyn native, Jun 2024
C-Food and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 16 places to eat, 9 kinds of cuisine, 2.5 large grocery stores and 36 open storefronts.
Residents: Authentic Caribbean food is easy to find. Brooklyn native, Jun 2024
C-Parks and green space
94% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 149 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 320 street trees within 300 m of the average home.
Residents: Canarsie Pier is a favorite in summer, with music, barbecues, kids playing and kite flying. Resident, Feb 2025

FCommunity
10% of households moved in since 2018, 3% are roommates sharing a home, 17% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 2 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: Neighbors know one another, which keeps the blocks in check. Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026
FNightlife
About 2 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: There are no busy commercial corridors like North Brooklyn's, so going out means traveling. Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026

BSafety
4.6 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (351 in all).
Residents: Canarsie is no more dangerous than any other part of Brooklyn. Brooklyn native, Jun 2024
B+Quiet
26 noise complaints to 311 per 1,000 residents in 2025, not counting helicopter complaints, and counting each address at most 12 days a year. That measures how often people complain, not how loud it is.
Residents: It is largely quiet, safe and stable. Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026
B-Building upkeep
15.9 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 5.7 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.
Residents: The basement apartment flooded, so the tenant moved out. Former resident, May 2025

CommunityNeighbors know one another, which keeps the blocks in check. Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026
Parks and green spaceCanarsie Pier is a favorite in summer, with music, barbecues, kids playing and kite flying. Resident, Feb 2025
Food and shoppingAuthentic Caribbean food is easy to find. Brooklyn native, Jun 2024
Parks and green spaceOpen spaces and parks are the best thing about living there. Former resident of 15 years, Jun 2024

NightlifeThere are no busy commercial corridors like North Brooklyn's, so going out means traveling. Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026
Building upkeepThe basement apartment flooded, so the tenant moved out. Former resident, May 2025
WalkabilityMost residents drive, so living without a car is a bit of a pain. Brooklyn native, Jun 2024

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Canarsie is no more dangerous than any other part of Brooklyn.
Brooklyn native, Jun 2024
How calm it feels depends on the section, and gang activity persists.
Not a resident, Jun 2024
Emergency calls there included many stabbings and slashings.
Former police officer who worked there, Jun 2024

Street vendors along Flatlands Avenue sell jerk chicken and fresh fruit.
Not a resident, Jul 2025
Food is suburban in style: places along Flatlands Avenue and by the L station, but nothing that stands out.
Not a resident, Jul 2025
The Atlantis Diner on Foster Avenue serves some of the best Mexican food in the area.
Not a resident, Jun 2024

There is little nightlife or restaurant scene; it is mainly a middle class residential area.
Not a resident, Jun 2024

It is largely quiet, safe and stable.
Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026
Much of it is single family homes on quiet residential streets.
Not a resident, Jun 2024

By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourCanarsie

Residents: Residents rely on buses, walking or cabs, with long blocks and no heavy train service. Grew up on the East Flatbush border, Sep 2026

Residents: Canarsie is something of a transit desert. Brooklyn native, Jun 2024

Canarsie is a largely Caribbean neighborhood: a 2022 city study found 84% of its more than 91,000 residents are African American and 46% have roots in the West Indies. Source
Canarsie is a mostly middle-class residential area of single- and two-family homes, detached, semi-detached and in rows, with high rates of homeownership. Source
Rockaway Parkway, Avenue L and Flatlands Avenue are Canarsie's three main shopping streets, lined with family-owned stores, delis, bakeries and restaurants. Source
Canarsie was a quiet fishing village in the early 1800s, then a summer resort after the Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach Railroad opened in 1865. Its Golden City Amusement Park closed in 1939 to make way for the Belt Parkway. Source
Canarsie was suburban in feel after the 1950s and drew many Italian and Jewish families. It gained a large West Indian population in later decades and was primarily Black by the 1990s. Source
Canarsie Pier on Jamaica Bay, part of Gateway National Recreation Area, is used for fishing, picnics and community events, with kayak access from the beach beside it. Source
The L train ends at Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway, at Rockaway Parkway, East 98th Street and Glenwood Road. Source