Living in Kensington: rent, commute and grades

Brooklyn · Updated October 2026

A snowy stretch of Church Avenue with a bookshop and a bakery at street level.
A row of tan and cream row houses on Caton Avenue under a blue sky with wispy clouds.
A snowy Church Avenue block with shopfronts and cars.
A prewar brick apartment building with a bay window and shops at street level.
A neighbourhood playground with trees and play equipment in spring light.
Photo credits

Rent in Kensington

$1,550 a month

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

Kensington is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Kensington
A-Overall

Kensington graded

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

Everyday life

  • B-Walkability

    The average home has 4.7 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 191 places to eat or shop.

    Residents: The subway is five minutes away on foot and the grocery store ten. Resident, Jul 2026

    City data and 6 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

  • BFood and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 45 places to eat, 21 kinds of cuisine, 8.2 large grocery stores and 97 open storefronts.

    Residents: There is decent food nearby, along with everyday services like nail salons. Former resident, Apr 2026

    City data and 6 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

  • B+Parks and green space

    90% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 293 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 483 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

    Residents: Living within walking distance of Prospect Park and its dog pond was a highlight. Former resident, Apr 2026

    City data alone would give B; what residents say in 3 Reddit threads moves it to B+.

People

  • BCommunity

    21% of households moved in since 2018, 8% are roommates sharing a home, 18% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 11 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

  • C+Nightlife

    About 9 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

Home and safety

  • ASafety

    2.8 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (108 in all).

    Residents: The neighborhood feels very safe. Resident of 5 years, Jul 2024

  • BQuiet

    28 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: Most houses on the blocks have driveways, and crickets can be heard at night. New resident, Sep 2026

    City data alone would give B+; what residents say in 5 Reddit threads moves it to B.

  • DBuilding upkeep

    35 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 11.6 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

    Residents: The apartment was run down, though the neighborhood was a good place to start out. Former resident, Apr 2026

Who lives there

  • Young families

What residents say

Residents like

Residents don’t like

Show 18 moreShow less

Community

Food and shopping

Nightlife

Walkability

  • Biking is great, with the Ocean Parkway bike path running to Prospect Park and down to Coney Island.

    Resident of 5 years, Jul 2024

  • Being able to walk to many different shops is a plus, even if it takes time to learn which is best for what.

    New resident, Nov 2025

  • Crossing Ocean Parkway is unpleasant enough to keep some people from shopping on the other side.

    Not a resident, Jul 2024

Quiet

Parks and green space

Building upkeep

  • A first apartment in the neighborhood had the worst roach infestation the renter had ever seen.

    Former tenant, Jul 2026

  • A studio building has an elevator that always works, cheap clean laundry, and neighbors who look after the place.

    Resident, Jul 2026

Getting around from Kensington

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Kensington
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourKensington
  • Church Av FG
  • Ditmas Av F

Residents: Transit options are good, and the beach is close. Former resident, Apr 2026

Residents: Transit is very good: the F and G with an express stop at Church Avenue, the B and Q nearby, and express buses to Manhattan. Resident of 5 years, Jul 2024

What to know about Kensington

  • Kensington has a Bangladeshi community centered on the McDonald Avenue and Church Avenue corridor. In October 2022 a section of McDonald Avenue was officially co-named Little Bangladesh to celebrate it. Source
  • Ocean Parkway, a city Scenic Landmark, runs south through Kensington from Church Avenue. The landmarks commission calls it the first road of its kind built in the United States, a tree-lined promenade and green belt with benches, playing tables and a bicycle path. Source
  • Ocean Parkway grew out of an 1866 idea by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to extend a pleasure drive from Prospect Park to the ocean. Construction began in 1874, reaching Kings Highway in 1875. Source
  • Kensington is mostly residential, with brick row houses, detached one-family Victorian houses and apartment buildings. Prewar brick apartment buildings line Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenue, and many are co-ops. Source
  • Coney Island Avenue, on Kensington's eastern edge, is a 100-foot-wide main road lined with low- and mid-rise buildings holding homes, shops and community facilities, with some auto and warehouse businesses. Source
  • Kensington Library opened in November 2012 in a new, environmentally friendly building on 18th Avenue. The branch dates to a 1908 deposit station started by a PS 134 mothers' club and the Kensington Improvement League. Source

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Sources

Facts about Kensington:

Data behind the grades: