Living in Hollis: rent, commute and grades

Queens · Updated October 2026

A quiet road with bare trees and a brick apartment building along the sidewalk.
A stone church front with a rose window and wooden doors.
A low cream building with shops beside a crosswalk.
A new platform with an exit sign and houses beyond the tracks.
A brick gatepost with a stone ball marks an entrance with a bus passing behind.
Photo credits

Rent in Hollis

$1,213 a month

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

Hollis is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Hollis
DOverall

Hollis graded

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

Everyday life

  • DWalkability

    The average home has 3 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 79 places to eat or shop.

  • DFood and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 16 places to eat, 10 kinds of cuisine, 1.4 large grocery stores and 49 open storefronts.

  • FParks and green space

    62% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 28 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 389 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

People

  • DCommunity

    14% of households moved in since 2018, 4% are roommates sharing a home, 20% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 3 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

  • DNightlife

    About 3 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

Home and safety

  • CSafety

    7 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (155 in all).

  • BQuiet

    30 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: Peaceful for the most part, a good fit for anyone who enjoys calm. Former resident, Oct 2024

  • CBuilding upkeep

    24.7 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 9.8 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Who lives there

  • A mix of ages

What residents say

Residents like

Residents don’t like

  • SafetyHarassment on Hillside Avenue and repeated car break-ins on one nearby block, with little police response. Resident, Sep 2025
Show 5 moreShow less

Safety

Food and shopping

Quiet

  • Suburban quiet most of the year, except holidays, when house parties can run until early morning.

    Not a resident, Sep 2025

Getting around from Hollis

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Hollis
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourHollis

Residents: A two fare zone: bus to the subway or an express bus means a longer commute unless the LIRR works for you. Former resident, Oct 2024

What to know about Hollis

  • Hollis is a landmark of Queens hip-hop. In the 1980s, as hip-hop broke into the mainstream, 203rd Street in Hollis was where stars like Run-DMC could be seen hanging out. Source
  • The corner of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue was renamed Run-DMC JMJ Way in 2009. A 2023 NYC Tourism guide points fans to a mural there honoring the group's DJ, Jam Master Jay. Source
  • Salt-N-Pepa are Hollis natives. Their debut album sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to go platinum. Source
  • Homes in Hollis and neighboring St. Albans began going up around the turn of the 20th century, and a housing boom after World War I made the area a low-density, middle-income neighborhood. Source
  • Much of Hollis is one- and two-family detached houses on small lots. In 2007 the city rezoned 317 blocks of St. Albans and Hollis to lower-density or contextual districts so new buildings match that pattern. Source
  • Part of the Battle of Long Island, early in the Revolutionary War, was fought here: American Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull was captured at a tavern on what is now Jamaica Avenue, and Woodhull Avenue in Hollis is named after him. Source

Moving to Hollis? Find a roommate who wants to live there too.

Free on iPhone and Android, at 800+ colleges and in NYC.

Scan to get Bunky

Free onApp StoreGoogle Play

Check it out on the App StoreCheck it out on Google Play
App StoreGoogle Play

Free on iPhone and Android

More NYC neighborhoods

Queens

45 neighborhoods

Manhattan

30 neighborhoods

Brooklyn

40 neighborhoods

The Bronx

35 neighborhoods

Staten Island

16 neighborhoods

See every neighborhood on the map

Sources

Facts about Hollis:

Data behind the grades: