Living in Washington Heights: rent, commute and grades

Manhattan · Updated October 2026

A cobblestone lane of wooden row houses with porches and shutters under a blue sky on Sylvan Terrace.

Cyclists ride down a car-free Broadway lined with shops and awnings on a sunny day.

A row of prewar townhouses with stoops and street trees on Jumel Terrace.

A long public staircase descends past iron railings to a sunlit street of prewar apartment buildings.

The stone tower of The Cloisters rises above green spring foliage.

Photo credits

Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: SWinxy, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rent in Washington Heights

$1,666 a month

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

Washington Heights is cheaper with roommates

Find people looking in Washington Heights

B+Overall

Washington Heights graded

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

Everyday life

A+Walkability
The average home has 5 of 5 everyday needs within a 10-minute walk (grocery store, restaurant, cafe, subway station, park) and about 476 places to eat or shop.
Residents: Around 157th Street, lots of small bodega style shops cover daily household needs on foot. Resident of 20 years, Apr 2026
A-Food and shopping
Within a 10-minute walk of the average home: about 76 places to eat, 22 kinds of cuisine, 6.8 large grocery stores and 352 open storefronts.
Residents: The area around 171st and Amsterdam has really great food. Resident, Aug 2026
City data and 15 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.
A+Parks and green space
100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park of an acre or more, with about 401 acres of parkland within 1 km and about 538 street trees within 300 m of the average home.
Residents: 171st and Amsterdam sits across from Highbridge Park, which is always beautiful. Resident, Aug 2026
City data alone would give A; what residents say in 8 Reddit threads moves it to A+.

People

B+Community
20% of households moved in since 2018, 11% are roommates sharing a home, 22% of residents are 22 to 34, and there are about 38 cafes and bars within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
A-Nightlife
About 29 bars, clubs and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol on site within a 10-minute walk of the average home.
Residents: There are a few bars on Broadway near 163rd, plus a Thai bar on St. Nicholas between 164th and 165th. Resident, Jul 2026
City data alone would give B+; what residents say in 7 Reddit threads moves it to A-.

Home and safety

C-Safety
6 murders, robberies, felony assaults and burglaries were reported per 1,000 residents in 2025 (904 in all).
Residents: Near 171st and Amsterdam people smoke crack right outside buildings, though they leave politely when asked. Resident, Aug 2026
City data alone would give C; what residents say in 11 Reddit threads moves it to C-.
FQuiet
76 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: Hudson Heights is super quiet. Resident, Apr 2026
City data and 15 resident threads on Reddit agree on this grade.
DBuilding upkeep
55.7 serious housing code violations (class B or C) were issued in 2025 per 100 rented homes, and there were 20.2 heat or hot water complaints per 100 rented homes.

Who lives there

Lots of roommates
Recent grads and young professionals

What residents say

Residents like

Food and shoppingThe area around 171st and Amsterdam has really great food. Resident, Aug 2026
NightlifeThere are a few bars on Broadway near 163rd, plus a Thai bar on St. Nicholas between 164th and 165th. Resident, Jul 2026
WalkabilityAround 157th Street, lots of small bodega style shops cover daily household needs on foot. Resident of 20 years, Apr 2026
QuietHudson Heights is super quiet. Resident, Apr 2026
Parks and green spaceNear Fort Washington Ave and 181st there are parks, hawks and coffee. Former resident, Feb 2025
SafetySafe with basic precautions like not running in parks after dark; package theft is the most likely crime. Resident, Mar 2026

Residents don’t like

SafetyNear 171st and Amsterdam people smoke crack right outside buildings, though they leave politely when asked. Resident, Aug 2026
Food and shoppingThere is no major drugstore south of Dyckman Street since Rite Aid closed, only small independent pharmacies. Resident, Jan 2026
NightlifeThere is little to do socially in Hudson Heights; expect to travel downtown for going out. New resident, Feb 2025
QuietBridge traffic was too loud to sleep through, so the household paid for window inserts that cut bedroom noise significantly. Resident, Jul 2026
Parks and green spaceNear 157th Street, Riverside Park is only a thin strip and Highbridge Park needs care. Former resident with young kids, Apr 2026
SafetyWomen get catcalled at least once a day. Former resident, Aug 2026

Show 19 moreShow less

Safety

Drug users on the street are a persistent frustration for long time residents.
Resident of almost 25 years, Jan 2026
Safety is shaky, but people who carry themselves confidently tend to be left alone.
Grew up in Washington Heights, Oct 2025
Car break ins are common around the 160s near Broadway, so a garage is the safer choice for a car.
Not a resident, Jan 2026

Food and shopping

Dominican and Latin food options are plentiful and excellent.
Grew up in Washington Heights, Oct 2025
Around St. Nicholas and 163rd there are many grocery stores within easy reach.
Resident, Jul 2026
Grocery stores are poor; Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are about 10 minutes away by subway at 125th St.
Resident, Mar 2026

Nightlife

Near 157th Street there are places to hang out, such as the Alehouse, Penny Jo's and a coffee shop on 158th Street.
Resident, Apr 2026
Going out in the neighborhood itself is easy and frequent.
New resident, Aug 2025
There is no real LGBTQ nightlife since the local gay bars closed.
Resident of about 15 years, Feb 2025

Walkability

Restaurants and laundromats are plentiful near St. Nicholas and 163rd, with subways close by.
Grew up in the area, Jul 2026
Near St. Nicholas and 163rd, a school, a bookstore, a cafe, parks and historic sites are close enough to visit often on foot with a baby.
Parent who lives nearby, Jul 2026
The area is hilly, so places that look close on a map can be a harder walk than expected.
Not a resident, Jul 2026

Quiet

West of Broadway it is quiet.
Moved from Westchester, Mar 2026
Apartments facing the river on Haven Avenue get steady engine and motorcycle noise from the George Washington Bridge ramps.
Resident, Jul 2026
Near 157th Street it can get loud.
Resident of five years, Apr 2026

Parks and green space

171st and Amsterdam sits across from Highbridge Park, which is always beautiful.
Resident, Aug 2026
The Hudson River Greenway is close for jogging and biking, and there is a nice walking path at Edgecombe Avenue and 165th.
Resident, Jul 2026
Plenty of green spaces are easy to reach.
Former resident of about 3 years, Aug 2025

Building upkeep

Housing quality is much better than in Central Harlem, though most buildings are prewar without in-unit laundry.
Not a resident, Oct 2026

Getting around from Washington Heights

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

157 St 1
163 St-Amsterdam Av C
168 St 1AC
175 St A
181 St A
181 St 1
190 St A
191 St 1
Dyckman St A
Dyckman St 1

Residents: Around St. Nicholas and 163rd both the A and C trains are easy to reach. Resident, Jul 2026

Residents: Transportation from Bennett Avenue and Hudson Heights is easy. Resident, May 2026

What to know about Washington Heights

Washington Heights is known as "Little Dominican Republic". Dominicans are by far its largest Latino group (62% in a 2019 city study), and people come from across the city to eat and shop at long-standing Dominican-owned restaurants and businesses on Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue. Source
The 157th Street subway station opened in 1906 and set off a building boom of apartments and tenements, first filled by Irish, Greek and Jewish immigrants. After World War II came Spanish-speaking arrivals: Puerto Ricans, then Cubans, then Dominicans. Source
Broadway runs north and south through the middle of Washington Heights and meets St. Nicholas Avenue at 168th Street, where the 1, A and C trains stop. The two avenues are the neighborhood's main shopping corridors. Source
The George Washington Bridge Bus Station on 178th Street is a transit hub for buses to and from New Jersey, with connections to several subway and bus lines. Source
Washington Heights filled with apartment buildings after the Broadway subway arrived in 1904. The landmarked Audubon Park Historic District, West 155th to West 158th Street, holds 19 large apartment houses built between 1905 and 1932 on what was once John James Audubon's estate. Source
Audubon Terrace, between 155th and 156th streets off Broadway, is a landmarked early 20th century cultural complex that holds the Hispanic Society Museum & Library and the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Source
The United Palace at 4140 Broadway and 175th Street opened in 1930 as one of Loew's "Wonder Theatres". It has more than 3,000 seats and is now an arts and cultural center. Source
Fort Tryon Park is 67 acres of hilltop parkland over the Hudson, given to the city in 1935 by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and designed by the Olmsted Brothers. It is a city, state and federal scenic landmark and includes the Heather Garden. Source