Can you afford Flatbush?
Income needed for the $2,900/month median 1-bedroom in Brooklyn.
Median 1-BR rent
$2,900/mo
Borough
Brooklyn
Transit to Midtown
35 min
Price tier
Mid
Required income at each lifestyle tier
Gross annual income (pre-tax) required for the $2,900 median rent at each rent-to-income ceiling. Rough estimates for a single filer; the calculator below does the precise math.
Frugal (30%)
$170,520/yr
Moderate (35%)
$146,160/yr
Comfortable (40%)
$127,890/yr
Estimates use a 32% combined effective rate (federal + NY State + NYC tax + FICA + SDI/PFL) for the $80-200k single-filer band. Use the calculator below for your exact income and filing status.
Quick check for Flatbush
You'd take home about $5,578/month. Recommended rent range: $1,116–$1,952.
Flatbush median 1-BR rent is $2,900. Your ceiling falls $948 short of the median.
Want the full breakdown (debt, household, every neighborhood)? Run the full affordability calculator →
About Flatbush
Flatbush is a Brooklyn neighborhood with a median 1-bedroom asking rent of $2,900/month — meaningfully cheaper than Brooklyn's median of $3,200. The vibe is concise: caribbean food, family-friendly, multiple subway options.
Transit to Midtown averages 35 minutes, which is a longer-than-average commute for Brooklyn. That number is a one-way subway time during off-peak; rush-hour reality can run 5-10 minutes longer.
It sits in the mid tier ($2,500–$3,500), which is typical of working-class and lower-middle-class NYC neighborhoods that haven't been heavily gentrified.
If you're using the affordability calculator to test Flatbush, the question to ask is whether your recommended rent ceiling clears $2,900. At a frugal lifestyle (30% of net income on rent), that requires meaningfully higher gross income than at moderate (35%) or comfortable (40%). The full /afford tool models the exact thresholds with your debt and household size; the quick check above is calibrated for a single renter with no debt.
Similar Brooklyn neighborhoods
Closest median rents in the same borough — usually the next options to evaluate.
Common questions about Flatbush
What salary do I need to afford Flatbush?
The median 1-bedroom asking rent in Flatbush is about $2,900/month. The simple-but-useful answer: at a 30% rent ceiling (frugal lifestyle), you need monthly net income of roughly $9,667. At 35% (moderate) it drops to about $8,286 net per month. The calculator above does the full federal/state/NYC tax math for any gross income you enter — that's the more accurate number to use.
Is Flatbush a good NYC neighborhood?
Flatbush is a Brooklyn neighborhood — caribbean food, family-friendly, multiple subway options. "Good" depends on lifestyle: someone optimizing for nightlife will rate Flatbush differently than someone optimizing for school district or commute time. The data points to keep in mind: 35 minutes to Midtown by subway, median 1-bedroom around $2,900/month.
How long is the commute from Flatbush to Midtown?
About 35 minutes on the subway during off-peak hours, one way. Rush-hour reality typically adds 5-10 minutes due to crowding and minor delays. For specific lines and stops, check /subway for current MTA alerts.
Is $2,900 a fair rent for Flatbush?
$2,900 is the median 1-bedroom asking rent from current listings (StreetEasy, RentHop, Craigslist, LeaseBreak aggregated via Leaseswap NYC), last refreshed May 2026. That means roughly half the 1-bedroom listings in Flatbush ask more, and roughly half ask less. Specific units vary based on building age, walk-up vs elevator, square footage, and how recently the lease was set. A unit asking 20-30% above this number isn't necessarily overpriced — it might be a luxury building in the same neighborhood.
Where should I look if Flatbush is too expensive?
Use the main /afford tool — set Brooklyn as your borough preference and the calculator will surface every cheaper option on our curated list, sorted by transit time. The "stretch options" zone shows what opens up if you flex 5 percentage points on the rent ceiling. For neighborhoods we don't cover, the general rule of thumb in NYC is: the next stop further out on the same line is usually 10-20% cheaper for the same overall feel.