Can I afford Bedford-Stuyvesant?
A large central Brooklyn neighborhood with one of the country's biggest collections of intact brownstone and limestone rowhouses, a deep history as a center of Black life in New York, and a rental market dominated by small buildings.
Page last checked: October 3, 2026Cited figures; see Sources below. These are market data points, not calculated by this site.
What these numbers actually cover
Corcoran’s rent figure is an average, not a median, of leases reported signed in August 2026, based on each unit’s last asking price. Corcoran notes actual rents may be lower and that the count may include furnished or short-term rentals. A few expensive leases pull an average up, so it can run higher than what a typical lease here costs.
The sale figure covers Corcoran’s combined Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens & Bushwick submarket. It counts co-ops and condos only. Much of Bed-Stuy’s housing is 1-3 family townhouses, which this report doesn’t include, so it isn’t a townhouse price. Corcoran called Bed-Stuy’s August average rent a record for the neighborhood.
Why the two dates differ
The rent is from Corcoran’s August 2026 Brooklyn rental report and the sale price from its second-quarter 2026 Brooklyn sales report: two reports on different schedules. We show each figure’s own period rather than one shared “as of” date.
What it would take
See the calculated section below for the income needed to rent or buy at these figures, using this site’s own calculator assumptions. To size up move-in cash, try Cost to Move.
What it takes to live here
The figures below are calculated (not cited market data) by running Bedford-Stuyvesant's average rent and median sale price (shown above) through this site's calculator assumptions (40× rent rule, co-op/condo DTI limits). They assume no other monthly debts and don't check against real savings. Open the linked calculator to run your own numbers.
| Rent at the average (Rent Calculator) | $170,760/yr income needed |
| Buy the median co-op (Co-op Calculator) | $232,991/yr income needed |
| Buy the median condo (Condo Calculator) | $183,111/yr income needed |
Sources
Market data changes constantly. Verify current figures against the source above before relying on them for a real decision.
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Brooklyn borough guide → · Browse all neighborhoods → or check your exact numbers on the Housing Reality Check.