Living in Cypress Hills: rent, commute and grades

Brooklyn · Updated November 2026

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Rent in Cypress Hills

$1,556 a month, estimated

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

COverall

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

C+Walkability
The average home has 4.6 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 112 places to eat or shop.
C-Food and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 29 places to eat, 12 kinds of cuisine, 2.7 large grocery stores and 46 open storefronts.
Residents: Fulton Street has Ecuadorian and Dominican restaurants, and food in Woodhaven, Bushwick and Ridgewood is an easy bike ride or delivery away. Resident, Sep 2025
City data alone would give C; what residents say in 3 Reddit threads moves it to C-.
CParks and green space
75% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 208 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 445 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

BCommunity
21% of households moved in since 2018, 7% are roommates sharing a home, 19% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 12 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
C+Nightlife
About 10 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

CSafety
7 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (296 in all).
Residents: Together with East New York it feels like one of the most violent parts of Brooklyn, and its 75th Precinct is seen as the borough's worst. Resident near the Woodhaven border, Mar 2024
DQuiet
54 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.
BBuilding upkeep
20.1 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 5 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Food and shoppingFulton Street has Ecuadorian and Dominican restaurants, and food in Woodhaven, Bushwick and Ridgewood is an easy bike ride or delivery away. Resident, Sep 2025

SafetyTogether with East New York it feels like one of the most violent parts of Brooklyn, and its 75th Precinct is seen as the borough's worst. Resident near the Woodhaven border, Mar 2024
Food and shoppingFood tried since moving here has been bland, even an everyday order like a bacon, egg and cheese. New resident, Aug 2024

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Cypress Hills, especially closer to Highland Park, feels okay compared with other parts of East New York.
Not a resident, Aug 2026
The Cypress Hills area is much calmer than it was years ago, if somewhat desolate.
Not a resident, Jan 2024

Certain blocks are very pleasant, with great neighbors.
Not a resident, Jun 2025

There are decent small grocery stores and mom and pop shops.
Not a resident, Mar 2024
Fulton Street has well-liked Dominican spots such as Puerto Plata and Toribio, plus Roti on the Run.
Not a resident, Aug 2024
Puerto Plata, a seafood restaurant, stands out, but little else nearby is worth eating.
Not a resident, Aug 2024

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

Cypress Hills and neighboring East New York are home to immigrant communities from the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Mexico and Bangladesh, according to the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, a group local residents and small business owners founded in 1983. Source
Cypress Hills lies north of Atlantic Avenue and is mostly two and three story row houses, a slightly lower scale than East New York to the south. Source
Fulton Street, under the elevated J and Z trains, is the local shopping and dining street and has kept most of its historic character. Source
Cypress Hills grew after elevated train lines were extended through it in the 1880s and 1890s, linking Queens with Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan. Homes followed the lines, and shops opened on the ground floors of small apartment buildings along Fulton Street. Source
After the abandonment of the 1970s, the city's housing agency and the Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation rehabilitated every vacant building in Cypress Hills and East New York. Source
Highland Park sits on the Brooklyn and Queens border just north of Cypress Hills, surrounded by cemeteries, and holds the now closed Ridgewood Reservoir that once supplied water to both boroughs. Source
Arlington Library, a Carnegie branch at 203 Arlington Avenue at Warwick Street, closed on July 24, 2026 for an infrastructure renovation expected to take about two years. Bookmobile service continues in the neighborhood meanwhile. Source