Living in Mott Haven: rent, commute and grades

The Bronx · Updated October 2026

A row of pink and tan brick rowhouses with arched windows and stoops stands under a deep blue sky.
Brownstone and brick rowhouses with arched windows and bare tree branches under a clear sky.
Pink and brown rowhouses with decorative brickwork line the block behind parked cars.
Three connected brick houses with stoops and a corner tower stand along a quiet street.
A coffee shop with a COFFEE sign sits at the foot of new high-rise apartment towers on a sunny street.
Photo credits

This guide also covers Port Morris, which shares Mott Haven’s official city boundaries.

Rent in Mott Haven

$1,725 a month

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

Mott Haven is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Mott Haven
DOverall

Mott Haven graded

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

Everyday life

  • B+Walkability

    The average home has 5 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 290 places to eat or shop.

    Residents: Biking is easy, with quick rides to Randall's Island, Queens and Manhattan. Former resident of 4.5 years, May 2026

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

  • CFood and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 57 places to eat, 16 kinds of cuisine, 5.9 large grocery stores and 177 open storefronts.

    Residents: New developments brought better and more varied restaurants to what had been a food desert. Former resident of 4.5 years, May 2026

    City data alone would give B; what residents say in 15 Reddit threads moves it to C.

  • C-Parks and green space

    100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 181 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 444 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

    Residents: A walkable strip of parkland along the Harlem River has been a nice addition. Former resident of 4.5 years, May 2026

    City data alone would give B+; what residents say in 8 Reddit threads moves it to C-.

People

  • CCommunity

    15% of households moved in since 2018, 3% are roommates sharing a home, 19% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 20 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: Feels very safe as a woman because neighbors are friendly and look out for one another. Resident, Jan 2026

  • C+Nightlife

    About 16 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: Entertainment options are very limited compared with other parts of the city. Former resident of 4.5 years, May 2026

    City data alone would give B; what residents say in 10 Reddit threads moves it to C+.

Home and safety

  • FSafety

    18.7 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (1,056 in all).

    Residents: The walk from the newer buildings to the 4 and 6 trains can feel sketchy at night. Former resident of 4.5 years, May 2026

    City data and 19 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

  • C-Quiet

    57 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: Fireworks are the worst noise of the summer, loud even on a high floor. Resident of over 2 years, Aug 2026

    City data alone would give D; what residents say in 7 Reddit threads moves it to C-.

  • CBuilding upkeep

    45.6 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 12.2 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

    Residents: Across the new complexes, the larger the property, the more trouble with cleanliness, maintenance and water pressure. Resident of over 2 years, Aug 2026

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

Who lives there

  • Families with kids

What residents say

Residents like

Residents don’t like

Show 21 moreShow less

Safety

Food and shopping

Nightlife

Walkability

Quiet

Parks and green space

Building upkeep

Getting around from Mott Haven

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Mott Haven
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourMott Haven
  • 138 St-Grand Concourse 45
  • 149 St-Hostos 245
  • 3 Av-138 St 6
  • Brook Av 6
  • Cypress Av 6
  • E 143 St-St Mary's St 6

Residents: Well connected, with the subway three blocks away and a short bike commute to Midtown. Former resident of 4.5 years, May 2026

Residents: Commuting in and out of Manhattan from the waterfront buildings was very fast. Former resident, Apr 2026

What to know about Mott Haven

  • Mott Haven, in the southern corner of the South Bronx, has drawn attention in recent years for a wave of new businesses, especially on and around Bruckner Boulevard. NYC Tourism also points to several historic districts scattered through the neighborhood. Source
  • 138th Street and Bruckner Boulevard are Mott Haven's main commercial corridors, with more shops on the side streets, according to a 2022 city study. Source
  • Mott Haven is named for industrialist Jordan L. Mott, who opened an ironworks on the Bronx side of the Harlem River in 1828 and built his house near the foundry. Source
  • Mott Haven was the first part of the Bronx built up with rowhouses. The Mott Haven East Historic District keeps a small enclave of rowhouses and tenements, built between 1889 and 1903, on East 139th and East 140th streets between Willis and Brook avenues. Source
  • Mott Haven is building up fast: a 2022 city study counted a dozen new mixed-income residential towers under construction, mostly in the southwest corner along the Harlem River, next to the bridges to Manhattan. Source
  • Mott Haven was a center of the Bronx piano industry: factories sprang up east of Third Avenue from the 1880s, and by 1919 the Bronx had more than 60 piano factories. The former Estey Piano Company Factory, with its corner clock tower at Lincoln Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard, is a city landmark. Source
  • St. Mary's Park, reached from Third Avenue along Bergen and Brook avenues, is the largest park in the South Bronx. Source
  • Port Morris is named for Gouverneur Morris II, who attached a small island called Stony Point to the mainland and created what NY1 reported in 2015 is still the only deep-water port in the Bronx. The area grew into an industrial village. Source

More of Mott Haven

Moving to Mott Haven? 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

The Bronx

34 neighborhoods

Manhattan

30 neighborhoods

Brooklyn

40 neighborhoods

Queens

46 neighborhoods

Staten Island

16 neighborhoods

See every neighborhood on the map

Sources

Facts about Mott Haven:

Data behind the grades: