Living in Ocean Hill: rent, commute and grades

Brooklyn · Updated November 2026

Callahan-Kelly Playground in Ocean Hill.
Hull Street Community Garden, Ocean Hill.
Farmers Garden in Ocean Hill.
Prospect Plaza townhouses in Ocean Hill.
DCA Apartments townhouses in Ocean Hill.
Photo credits

Rent in Ocean Hill

$1,842 a month

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

Ocean Hill is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Ocean Hill
C+Overall

Ocean Hill 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 155 places to eat or shop.

    Residents: Simple errands can mean a long trip by subway or bus. Former resident of about four years, Aug 2024

  • DFood and shopping

    Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 31 places to eat, 16 kinds of cuisine, 2.8 large grocery stores and 83 open storefronts.

    Residents: Has been something of a food desert, with some improvement over the years. Former resident of about four years, Aug 2024

    City data alone would give C+; what residents say in 4 Reddit threads moves it to D.

  • BParks and green space

    100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 34 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 543 street trees within 300 m of the average home.

People

  • A-Community

    20% of households moved in since 2018, 11% are roommates sharing a home, 26% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 9 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: Neighbors are relaxed and friendly. Resident, Aug 2025

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

  • CNightlife

    About 8 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.

    Residents: A few decent bars, with more toward Bed-Stuy and Bushwick. Former resident of about four years, Aug 2024

    City data and 5 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.

Home and safety

  • C-Safety

    11.3 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (450 in all).

    Residents: Coming home very late at night has never been a problem. Resident, Aug 2025

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

  • CQuiet

    46 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.

  • DBuilding upkeep

    47.8 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 11 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Who lives there

  • Recent grads and young professionals
  • Lots of roommates

What residents say

Residents like

Residents don’t like

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Safety

Community

Food and shopping

Nightlife

Walkability

Quiet

Parks and green space

Getting around from Ocean Hill

Map of New York City neighborhoods shaded by travel time by subway or bus from Ocean Hill
By subway or bus, arriving by 9:00 on a weekday:Under 30 min30 to 45 min45 to 60 minOver an hourOcean Hill
  • Broadway Junction AC
  • Chauncey St JZ
  • Ralph Av C
  • Rockaway Av C

Residents: Close to the J, A, C and L trains. Former resident of over 3 years, Sep 2024

What to know about Ocean Hill

  • New elevated train lines, opened between 1885 and 1889 along Fulton Street and Broadway, brought real estate development and a jump in the number of school-age children. Public School 73 at Rockaway Avenue and MacDougal Street, built in 1888 and 1895, went up to serve them and is now a city landmark. Source
  • In 1967 and 1968 Ocean Hill-Brownsville was one of three neighborhoods where the city tested community-run school boards. The local board's dismissal of 19 educators in May 1968 set off citywide teachers' strikes and led to a reorganization of the city's school system. Source
  • Ocean Hill's housing is mostly one- and two-family houses and walk-up apartment buildings on small lots. Larger exceptions include the four 14-story NYCHA Ocean Hill Apartments near Broadway and Mother Gaston Boulevard. Source
  • Ocean Hill's shops line Fulton Street and Broadway. To the south, the Atlantic Avenue viaduct carrying the Long Island Rail Road cuts the neighborhood in two. Source
  • Besides the Broadway Junction subway complex (A, C, J, Z and L), Ocean Hill has a Long Island Rail Road stop: East New York station, at Atlantic and Van Sinderen avenues. Source
  • Callahan Kelly Playground, about 3.9 acres with playgrounds, fitness equipment and a handball court, was the largest open space in the city's East New York rezoning study area. Source
  • Saratoga Library, a Carnegie branch opened in 1908 with a Spanish tile roof, became New York City's first library with a garden designed by the Horticulture Society of New York in 1997. Source

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Sources

Facts about Ocean Hill:

Data behind the grades: