TerraVue

TerraVue / Markets / New York, NY

Should you buy or rent in New York, NY?

Over the past 20 years, New York home prices have risen 3.82% a year; over the past three, 4.14%. TerraVue's forward estimate, which weights both, is 4.04%. That is essentially in line with the national average.

Past 20 years3.82%actual, per year
Past 3 years4.14%actual, per year
Forward est.4.04%+0.01pp vs national
Median rent$2,742across 108 ZIPs
5 year 4.20% 10 year 5.54% 20 year 3.82% Forward est. 4.04% NATIONAL 4.0%
Annualized appreciation over each look-back window, from FHFA repeat-sales data. “Forward est.” is the blended estimate TerraVue simulates with (60% long-run, 40% recent 3-year).

What this means for a buyer

Appreciation is only one side of the buy-vs-rent question, but it's the side people guess at most badly. At the forward estimate of 4.04% a year, a home in New York would gain roughly 49% in value over a decade — before any of the costs that actually decide the question: closing costs, maintenance, property tax, the mortgage interest you'd pay, and what your down payment would have earned invested instead.

Worth being explicit about what that estimate is: it blends the 20-year record (3.82%) with the last three years (4.14%), so a market in a sharp recent run-up or correction lands between the two rather than at either extreme. It is an estimate, not a forecast anyone can guarantee — which is exactly why TerraVue simulates a range of outcomes instead of quoting one number.

Rent is the other side. At a median of $2,742, the yearly rent bill in New York is about $32,904. Whether buying beats that depends almost entirely on the price you'd pay and how long you'd stay — which is what the simulator is for.

Run it on an actual property

This page describes the New York market as a whole. Whether buying beats renting depends on the price you'd pay, your down payment, and how long you'd stay — TerraVue simulates about 1,000 market scenarios on those inputs and returns the probability, not a single guessed number. It'll start with 11368's real appreciation and rent already loaded.

Analyze a property free →

Appreciation by ZIP code in New York

Averages hide a lot. Across New York's 108 ZIP codes, long-run appreciation ranges from -1.63% to 10.03% a year — a spread of 11.7 percentage points. Over a 10-year hold, that difference compounds into a substantially different outcome for two buyers in the same city.

ZIPAppreciation/yrRecent 3yrRentBachelor's+
10459 10.03% 12.76% $2,983 14%
11231 8.19% 5.13% $4,402 69%
11216 8.13% 6.74% $3,449 55%
11355 6.92% 9.31% $2,550 23%
10475 6.77% 11.24% $1,166 26%
10468 6.76% 16.37% $2,332 15%
11226 6.74% 7.44% $2,907 35%
10457 6.70% 9.25% $2,721 15%
11103 6.38% 5.87% $2,844 53%
11213 6.01% 3.91% $2,965 32%
11415 5.84% 9.59% $2,486 51%
11105 5.81% 7.04% $2,996 53%
10463 5.70% 7.82% $2,733 43%
10472 5.68% 7.45% $2,917 14%
11104 5.41% 4.18% $2,828 50%
10473 5.37% 7.61% $3,535 22%
11372 5.33% 4.51% $2,370 34%
11212 5.25% 6.72% $2,775 16%
10467 5.09% 7.43% $2,709 22%
11416 4.92% 7.28% $1,748 26%
11427 4.91% 6.83% $1,740 35%
11433 4.87% 6.37% $3,066 17%
11208 4.81% 5.48% $3,131 15%
11435 4.75% 6.12% $2,352 33%
11414 4.65% 7.36% $3,000 31%
11230 4.64% 5.68% $2,691 43%
11207 4.62% 4.77% $3,191 19%
11374 4.54% 6.05% $2,991 52%
10470 4.44% 6.16% $2,783 39%
11692 4.42% 6.49% $3,439 29%
11385 4.39% 5.55% $3,229 33%
10309 4.39% 6.68% $1,971 37%
10303 4.26% 6.00% $3,328 28%
11238 4.24% 1.21% $3,978 70%
11412 4.19% 5.08% $3,200 25%
11225 4.15% 1.25% $3,138 46%
11426 4.14% 5.99% $2,039 42%
11215 4.14% 0.09% $3,975 80%
11360 4.12% 5.43% $2,896 51%
11422 4.10% 5.40% $1,940 30%
11418 4.05% 5.11% $2,837 30%
11429 4.05% 4.85% $1,668 27%
11362 4.03% 6.30% $3,950 53%
11228 4.01% 4.28% $2,852 38%
11203 3.93% 4.05% $2,881 26%
11368 3.89% 2.09% $2,750 14%
10466 3.84% 4.80% $2,994 24%
11691 3.83% 4.71% $3,185 25%
11236 3.79% 4.23% $3,244 28%
11379 3.78% 4.53% $2,586 36%
10308 3.77% 5.20% $1,762 41%
11361 3.74% 4.34% $2,623 47%
11432 3.72% 4.19% $2,369 37%
10471 3.72% 4.83% $2,575 59%
10306 3.67% 5.08% $2,509 32%
11220 3.65% -0.08% $2,625 25%
11364 3.60% 4.47% $2,889 48%
10301 3.56% 4.88% $2,983 40%
11413 3.54% 3.92% $3,200 29%
10312 3.46% 4.69% $2,614 39%
11204 3.46% 3.24% $2,733 30%
10465 3.42% 4.45% $2,703 29%
10314 3.42% 4.16% $2,897 37%
11420 3.42% 3.78% $2,013 21%
11210 3.41% 3.82% $2,767 39%
11436 3.40% 3.09% $1,582 23%
11423 3.40% 3.38% $1,785 35%
11417 3.36% 3.54% $1,822 26%
10469 3.35% 3.78% $2,838 28%
11369 3.34% 3.59% $1,821 22%
11367 3.27% 3.34% $2,494 44%
11223 3.27% 2.14% $2,799 34%
11693 3.25% 3.52% $2,885 36%
10461 3.25% 4.08% $2,498 27%
11428 3.23% 3.22% $1,787 27%
11218 3.22% -1.76% $3,043 50%
11365 3.19% 3.42% $2,589 38%
10464 3.19% 5.01% $1,868 54%
11375 3.16% 2.92% $3,170 62%
11419 3.16% 2.99% $1,899 20%
10310 3.15% 3.79% $2,855 32%
11366 3.12% 3.16% $2,975 52%
11357 3.12% 2.98% $2,655 37%
11373 3.09% 1.50% $2,505 30%
10304 3.09% 3.56% $2,709 31%
11434 3.01% 2.43% $2,742 22%
11411 2.95% 2.78% $1,691 33%
11370 2.92% 0.88% $2,648 25%
11378 2.90% 2.32% $2,611 27%
10305 2.88% 2.92% $2,925 33%
11224 2.79% 1.37% $3,298 34%
10302 2.77% 2.95% $3,166 29%
11229 2.73% 2.28% $2,565 41%
11234 2.64% 2.15% $2,673 38%
11358 2.61% 2.25% $2,629 36%
11004 2.60% 2.38% $3,800 48%
10462 2.56% 2.22% $2,722 28%
10307 2.54% 2.62% 39%
11235 2.53% 1.91% $2,858 50%
11214 2.38% 0.44% $2,708 32%
11354 2.35% 1.66% $2,659 30%
11209 2.23% 0.75% $2,440 53%
11421 2.21% 1.37% $2,300 27%
11219 1.65% -3.58% $2,668 20%
11694 1.12% -0.47% $2,538 43%
11377 1.11% -1.57% $2,878 32%
11356 0.41% -2.76% $2,803 24%
11363 -1.63% -6.02% $2,994 56%

Sorted by long-run blended appreciation. Green is at least 0.5pp above the national average, red at least 0.5pp below; smaller gaps are left neutral. ZIPs shown as links have their own detail page.

How these numbers are calculated

Appreciation comes from the FHFA House Price Index — a repeat-sales index that tracks the same homes over time, which is why it isn't distorted by a change in the mix of what sold in a given year. TerraVue reads it at the ZIP level, back to 1975 where coverage allows.

The forward estimate blends 60% of the longest available look-back (20 years where available) with 40% of the most recent 3 years. Long-run history is the more reliable signal, but a market that has genuinely changed pace should not be ignored — the 60/40 split is the compromise, and it's the same figure TerraVue's simulation uses.

The national comparison is the population-weighted average of these same blended ZIP-level figures, so it compares like with like.

The FHFA index measures rates of change, not price levels. These pages therefore describe how fast prices have moved, never what a home costs — that number depends on the specific property, and it's the one input you supply when you run an analysis.

Common questions

Is it better to buy or rent in New York, NY?

It depends on the price of the specific home and how long you'd stay. What the data settles is the market backdrop: over the past 20 years New York, NY home prices have risen about 3.82% a year, and TerraVue's forward estimate is 4.04% — above the national average of 4.02% — against a median rent near $2,742. TerraVue runs about 1,000 scenarios on a specific price to return the probability that buying beats renting, plus the breakeven year.

How fast are home prices rising in New York, NY?

Over the past 20 years, about 3.82% a year; over the past three, 4.14%. TerraVue's forward estimate blends the two at 4.04%. All of it comes from FHFA repeat-sales data across 108 ZIP codes, and individual ZIPs range from -1.63% to 10.03% on that same forward basis.

Which New York ZIP code has appreciated the most?

10459 at 10.03% a year, versus 11363 at -1.63% — a spread of about 11.7 percentage points a year within the same city.

What is the average rent in New York, NY?

Around $2,742 — the median across the city's ZIP codes, from the Zillow Observed Rent Index (all homes).