Living in Ditmas Park: rent, commute and grades

Brooklyn · Updated October 2026

A sunny tree-lined corner with Victorian houses, a crosswalk and street trees.

A sunny street corner lined with large Victorian wood houses and trees.

A large gray Victorian house with a round tower and wraparound porch behind a lawn.

A wide snowy street with bare trees lit by pink dusk sky.

A white mansion with tall columns beside tall green trees.

Photo credits

Photo: Joeyvandernaald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Joeyvandernaald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wil540 art, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wil540 art, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wil540 art, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This guide also covers Prospect Park South, which shares Ditmas Park’s official city boundaries.

Rent in Ditmas Park

$1,656 a month

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

Ditmas Park is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Ditmas Park

B-Overall

Ditmas Park graded

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

Everyday life

C+Walkability
The average home has 4.5 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 179 places to eat or shop.
Residents: A lot is within walking distance, and the Prospect Park loop makes biking around Brooklyn easy, though wide, busy roads make crossings slow. Resident, Oct 2026
CFood and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 45 places to eat, 20 kinds of cuisine, 3.8 large grocery stores and 93 open storefronts.
Residents: There are a few good places to eat in the area, and many more one or two subway stops away. Resident, Mar 2026
City data alone would give C+; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to C.
BParks and green space
67% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 233 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 516 street trees within 300 m of the average home.
Residents: Being this close to Prospect Park is a big plus, and its bike loop connects to much of Brooklyn. Resident, Oct 2026
City data alone would give C+; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to B.

People

B-Community
20% of households moved in since 2018, 7% are roommates sharing a home, 17% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 15 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
B-Nightlife
About 12 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: It is far less lively than Williamsburg or Greenpoint, which residents see as part of the appeal. Former resident of two years, Oct 2025
City data and 7 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

Home and safety

BSafety
4.3 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (170 in all).
B-Quiet
36 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: So many single-family homes give the neighborhood a quieter feel than busier parts of Brooklyn. Former resident of two years, Oct 2025
City data and 4 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.
DBuilding upkeep
46.6 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 14.3 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Who lives there

A mix of ages

What residents say

Residents like

NightlifeIt is far less lively than Williamsburg or Greenpoint, which residents see as part of the appeal. Former resident of two years, Oct 2025
WalkabilityA lot is within walking distance, and the Prospect Park loop makes biking around Brooklyn easy, though wide, busy roads make crossings slow. Resident, Oct 2026
QuietNear the Church Avenue station, street noise is barely noticeable if the apartment does not face the street. Resident, May 2025
Food and shoppingThe neighborhood's diverse cultures show in its wide range of restaurants and food stores. Resident of 5 years, Jul 2024
QuietRandom fireworks happen at most about once a month, mostly around July 4, and the area is a quieter part of Brooklyn. Resident, Feb 2024
Food and shoppingThere is plenty of great Pakistani food, and some of the city's best Mexican food trucks park on Cortelyou Road. Former resident, Sep 2026

Residents don’t like

Food and shoppingNone of the local restaurants or bars are appealing. Resident, Mar 2024
NightlifeThere is very little nightlife; the area suits people who are not looking for it. Resident, Feb 2024
Food and shoppingEating out locally rarely appeals, so groceries from the food co-op and home cooking are the norm. Parent, resident of 10 years, Sep 2026

Show 16 moreShow less

Safety

Both Prospect Park South and Crown Heights are safe; the difference is energy, not safety.
Not a resident, Mar 2026
The area near the Church Avenue stop never felt overly unsafe for a woman in her early twenties, though it is loud at times.
Former resident, May 2025
Living off the Q at Beverly Road felt about as safe as anywhere in the city.
Former resident, May 2025

Food and shopping

There are a few good places to eat in the area, and many more one or two subway stops away.
Resident, Mar 2026
Going out to dinner often means another neighborhood, though a couple of Mexican food trucks are excellent and the Sunday farmers market is loved.
Resident of 10 years, Jul 2024
Overlooked Pakistani and West Indian restaurants on Coney Island Avenue and Church Avenue are very good.
Resident, Sep 2026

Nightlife

The main nightlife is a handful of bars on Cortelyou Road between the train tracks and Coney Island Avenue, plus a few scattered bars.
Resident, Mar 2024
Prospect Park South is quiet and lacks the nightlife of parts of Crown Heights.
Not a resident, Mar 2026
Ditmas Park has lots of bars and venues.
Not a resident, Aug 2025

Walkability

Drivers on the main roads act suburban and ignore pedestrians and cyclists, which makes getting around on foot stressful.
Resident, Feb 2024
The neighborhood has everything you need day to day.
Not a resident, Jul 2024

Quiet

So many single-family homes give the neighborhood a quieter feel than busier parts of Brooklyn.
Former resident of two years, Oct 2025
Caton Avenue is a truck route with heavy commercial traffic all day.
Not a resident, Oct 2026

Parks and green space

Being this close to Prospect Park is a big plus, and its bike loop connects to much of Brooklyn.
Resident, Oct 2026
Residents enjoy the green space and how close Prospect Park is.
Resident, Dec 2025
Streets are tree-lined with Victorian houses and a peaceful, suburban feel.
Not a resident, Feb 2026

Getting around from Ditmas Park

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

18 Av F
Beverley Rd Q
Church Av BQ
Cortelyou Rd Q
Newkirk Plaza BQ

Residents: Getting to other parts of the city is easy. Resident of 5 years, Jul 2024

Residents: Transit options near Church Avenue include the B35 and B68 buses, the B and Q at Church, and the F and G at Fort Hamilton. Former resident, Oct 2026

What to know about Ditmas Park

Ditmas Park is a neighborhood of free-standing houses on tree-lined streets, built around 1900 as a suburb. In November 2025 the city made Ditmas Park West a historic district, joining the Ditmas Park Historic District of 1981. Source
Ditmas Park grew on the Ditmas family's farm, which the family held from the late 1600s. From 1902 the land was prepared for houses: in Ditmas Park West the developer graded it, added sewers, sidewalks and paved streets, and put electric and telephone lines underground. Source
Many of the area's detached houses were built in the early 1900s in the Victorian style, which is why the city calls these blocks Victorian Flatbush. Homes in its historic districts are typically two and a half to three stories. Source
Prospect Park South and Ditmas Park are among the planned suburbs that followed Tennis Court, begun in 1886 as the first development of its type in Flatbush. Together they give much of Flatbush its suburban character of large frame houses. Source
Cortelyou Road, Newkirk Avenue, Coney Island Avenue and Flatbush Avenue carry the local shops, zoned with commercial overlays for retail and services among the houses. Source
Cortelyou Library, the neighborhood's public library branch, opened in 1983 after residents pressed for it since planning began in 1969. Source