Living in Lenox Hill: rent, commute and grades

Manhattan · Updated October 2026

Cherry blossoms along the Roosevelt Island promenade with the Queensboro Bridge beyond, Lenox Hill.

Queensboro Bridge at sunset from the East River greenway, Lenox Hill.

Queensboro Bridge lit at dusk from the East River Greenway, Lenox Hill.

Skyline and the Queensboro Bridge from the East River, Lenox Hill.

Roosevelt Island Tramway over Second Avenue with the skyline, Lenox Hill.

Photo credits

Photo: Banfield, CC BY-SA 2.5 ar, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Eden, Janine and Jim from New York City, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Qtaa, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: YagoYaguarundi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jdforrester, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This guide also covers Roosevelt Island, which shares Lenox Hill’s official city boundaries.

Rent in Lenox Hill

$2,944 a month

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

Lenox Hill is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Lenox Hill

A+Overall

Lenox Hill graded

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

Everyday life

BWalkability
The average home has 4.7 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 715 places to eat or shop.
Residents: Errands are convenient around 60th and Second. Resident, Sep 2026
City data alone would give A-; what residents say in 7 Reddit threads moves it to B.
B+Food and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 187 places to eat, 35 kinds of cuisine, 8.7 large grocery stores and 495 open storefronts.
Residents: Grocery choice on Roosevelt Island is very limited, and many residents carry bags back from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's on the subway. Resident, Jun 2026
City data alone would give A; what residents say in 10 Reddit threads moves it to B+.
BParks and green space
100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 104 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 440 street trees within 300 m of the average home.
Residents: From 62nd and Lexington both the East River and Central Park are within walking distance. Former resident, Sep 2026
City data and 6 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

People

ACommunity
35% of households moved in since 2018, 10% are roommates sharing a home, 28% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 121 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
BNightlife
About 95 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: Around 62nd and Lexington there are lots of bars. Former resident, Sep 2026
City data alone would give A; what residents say in 7 Reddit threads moves it to B.

Home and safety

A+Safety
2.6 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (198 in all).
Residents: Living near 62nd and Lexington felt very safe. Former resident, Sep 2026
City data alone would give A; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to A+.
BQuiet
29 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: 69th and First is louder than the York Avenue blocks around 80th Street. Former resident, Jan 2026
City data and 8 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.
A+Building upkeep
4.7 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 3.3 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.
Residents: A building on East 77th between Second and Third has had no problems with rats or insects inside. Resident, Feb 2025
City data alone would give A; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to A+.

Who lives there

Recent grads and young professionals
Older residents

What residents say

Residents like

SafetyLiving near 62nd and Lexington felt very safe. Former resident, Sep 2026
Food and shoppingYork Avenue in the 70s has some nice cafes and coffee shops. Resident, Mar 2025
NightlifeAround 77th Street and Second Avenue there are plenty of good bars. Former resident, Jan 2025
QuietEast 66th between First and Second is a very quiet street, with few businesses and mostly residential foot traffic. New resident, Aug 2025
Parks and green spaceRoosevelt Island is very green, with parkland and paths looking out on Manhattan and Queens. Former resident, Mar 2026
Building upkeepA building on East 77th between Second and Third has had no problems with rats or insects inside. Resident, Feb 2025

Residents don’t like

Food and shoppingGrocery choice on Roosevelt Island is very limited, and many residents carry bags back from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's on the subway. Resident, Jun 2026
NightlifeEverything on Roosevelt Island closes very early. Former resident, Aug 2026
Quiet69th and First is louder than the York Avenue blocks around 80th Street. Former resident, Jan 2026
WalkabilityLiving on Roosevelt Island means relying almost entirely on public transit to get anywhere. Resident, Feb 2025
QuietRush hour honking from Queensboro Bridge traffic is noticeable near 65th and Second. Resident, Mar 2025
QuietAround 62nd and Lexington it is a bit noisy from traffic, and the many subway lines bring heavy foot traffic. Former resident, Sep 2026

Show 21 moreShow less

Safety

Walking home late at night from the F at 63rd Street to East 66th has always felt safe.
New resident, Mar 2025
Children on Roosevelt Island can walk to and from school alone from about age eight.
Resident of almost 50 years, Apr 2026
Roosevelt Island is safe.
Resident of about 10 years, Mar 2026

Food and shopping

Near East 66th there are good groceries, including Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe's and a farmers market on 67th, but restaurants are lacking.
Former resident of 3 years, Mar 2025
Groceries near East 76th include a small Whole Foods at 70th and Third, with Trader Joe's on 61st Street.
Resident, Jan 2025
Roosevelt Island has about a dozen restaurants, a few bodegas and one larger grocery store; some residents order groceries from Astoria.
New resident, May 2026

Nightlife

Around 62nd and Lexington there are lots of bars.
Former resident, Sep 2026
East 66th near First Avenue is quiet at night, but livelier spots are a short walk up or down Second Avenue.
Former resident of 3 years, Mar 2025
Not much goes on at night around East 66th; the livelier scene is further north toward Yorkville.
New resident, Mar 2025

Walkability

Errands are convenient around 60th and Second.
Resident, Sep 2026
There is no vet, emergency vet or urgent care on Roosevelt Island, so appointments mean leaving the island.
Former resident, parent, Jun 2026
From 65th and Second, almost anything you need is close by.
Resident, Mar 2025

Quiet

Roosevelt Island is quiet enough to hear birds singing and kids playing.
Resident of 30 years, Feb 2025
Roosevelt Island was quiet enough to sleep well.
Former resident, Jun 2026
Roosevelt Island is quieter than other parts of the city, with less to do.
Resident, Jun 2026

Parks and green space

From 62nd and Lexington both the East River and Central Park are within walking distance.
Former resident, Sep 2026
The East 70s are especially pretty in spring, when the street trees and flowers bloom.
Former resident, Mar 2025
From East 66th, the park and the East River waterfront are both a short walk.
Former resident of 3 years, Mar 2025

Building upkeep

Building quality on Roosevelt Island varies: some are mediocre while the Riverwalk buildings are excellent.
Resident, Jun 2026
A fourth floor walk-up near 70th and Second has had no bugs or mice in three years, with a monthly exterminator visit.
Resident of 3 years, Dec 2023
Around 75th and Second, rats have not been a problem inside buildings.
Resident, Sep 2025

Getting around from Lenox Hill

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

72 St Q
Roosevelt Island M

Residents: From 62nd and Lexington it is easy to get almost anywhere in the city. Former resident, Sep 2026

Residents: On Roosevelt Island, F train waits of 15 to 27 minutes are common, the ferry runs about hourly, and tram lines with tourists reach 45 minutes. Resident, Jun 2026

What to know about Lenox Hill

Rockefeller University, a biomedical research university founded as an institute in 1901, opened its laboratories in 1906 at York Avenue and 66th Street, on the site of the former Schermerhorn farm. Source
The Mount Vernon Hotel Museum at 421 East 61st Street is one of the few 18th century buildings left in the city. Built in 1799 as part of a country estate, it became a day hotel for New Yorkers escaping the crowded city from 1826 to 1833. Source
The Treadwell Farm Historic District, on East 61st and 62nd streets between Second and Third avenues, is two tree-lined blocks of three- and four-story brownstone houses, most built about a century before the city designated the district in 1967. Source
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, founded in 1894 as a free kindergarten for immigrants, is among the oldest settlement houses in the United States and still runs education, food and senior programs. Source
Roosevelt Island, in the East River, is two miles long and at most 800 feet wide. Known in the past as Blackwell's Island and then Welfare Island, it was redeveloped as a residential neighborhood in the 1970s, and the Roosevelt Island Tramway links it to East 60th Street and Second Avenue. Source