NYC Affordability Calculator

Rent Alone Doesn't Tell the Full Story

A $3,500/month apartment in one neighborhood could cost you $1,000+ more than a $4,000 apartment elsewhere—once you factor in transportation, groceries, and daily living.

💰 Save up to $12,000/year

How We Calculate Affordability

🏠

Housing

60%

Rent compared to area median. Lower rent means more money for savings and experiences.

🚇

Transportation

20%

Transit access to work hubs. Good transit saves 10+ hours/week and eliminates car costs.

☕

Daily Living

10%

Walkable cafes, restaurants, services. Reduces delivery fees and car-dependent errands.

🛒

Groceries

10%

Access to budget grocery stores. Save $100-200/month vs premium-only areas.

💡 Higher scores = Lower true cost of living

Community Stories

Hear from people who've used the calculator

Jason K.

Student SBS, 11th Grade

It's cool seeing classmates build something that actually solves a real problem. My family's been looking at apartments and this makes it way easier to compare neighborhoods you'd never think to check out.

Dr. Michael R.

Faculty Computer Science

This demonstrates exactly what we hope students achieve—taking real datasets, applying meaningful analysis, and presenting it in a way that's genuinely useful. The weighted scoring shows solid data understanding.

Susan L.

Family SBS Parent

It's impressive to see students tackling real-world problems. When we were apartment hunting years ago, something like this would have saved us weeks of research. Great practical application.

David M.

Resident Brooklyn, 8 years

I've moved three times in the city. Wish I had this before my first lease in Manhattan—didn't realize how much cheaper and just as convenient some Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods were.

Data Sources

Transparency about where our data comes from

🏠

Housing & Rent Data

Zillow

Rental listings manually collected from Zillow.com, including addresses, prices, and property details. Updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.

🚇

Transit Accessibility

Google Distance Matrix API

Real-time transit duration calculations to major employment hubs (Financial District, Midtown Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn) using public transportation.

☕

Daily Living Amenities

Google Places API

Coffee shops, restaurants, and cafes within a 0.5-mile radius. Measures neighborhood walkability and access to daily conveniences.

🛒

Grocery Store Access

Google Places API

Grocery stores categorized by price tier (budget: Trader Joe's, Aldi, Target; regular: ShopRite, Food Bazaar; premium: Whole Foods) within 0.5 miles.

📊 All scores are normalized on a 0-100 scale based on NYC-wide distribution. Data is refreshed periodically to maintain accuracy.