Being single in New York City can seem overwhelming, but it is actually easy to date and meet other singles in the Big Apple.
Many New Yorkers are single, so you will have no problem meeting other singles if you are willing to put yourself out there.
You have an even better chance of meeting someone if you know where singles live and the best neighborhoods for singles.
This article will detail where most single people in New York live and the best neighborhoods for single men and single women.
We will also explain how much it costs to live alone as a single person in the city, if it is hard to date in NYC, and how to meet other singles in the city.
Contents
Is NYC Good For Singles?
New York City is a great place to live for singles since there are so many people in the city to meet.
According to Town Charts, more than fifty percent of New Yorkers are single, and over forty percent have never been married.
Furthermore, of the single people in New York City, over forty-five percent of the single men are under thirty, and a total of seventy percent of single men are younger than forty. As for women, just over forty percent are under thirty, and a total of sixty-three percent are under forty years old.
If you are single in New York City, you will have no problem finding other single people to be friends with or date, no matter your age. In the next section, we have the most popular neighborhoods among single people.
Where Do Single People Live In NYC?
If you want to date in New York City or even just find other singles to hang out with, you should know where they live if you want a higher chance of meeting them.
Single people in the city tend to live in a few different neighborhoods in different boroughs, so you can find a place where single people live no matter what part of the city you are in.
This section has the top five best neighborhoods in NYC for singles. These neighborhoods all have plenty of singles living in them.
They also all have plenty of places to meet new people, such as bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, to make your search for a relationship easy.
West Village, Manhattan
The West Village is part of Greenwich Village near downtown Manhattan. It is arguably the best place to live and socialize as a single New Yorker. If you are young and want to meet new people who are also single, you will find thousands in the neighborhood where more than half of the residents are under forty years old.
Part of the High Line is in the West Village, one of the best places in New York to take a date if you want to have a conversation but want to skip the dinner and drinks.
If you want to have dinner or go to a bar, you can find plenty of nice places to explore in the West Village. Finally, if you enjoy dating in coffee shops, there are many local cafes where you can meet people or go on dates.
The West Village is also an aesthetically pleasing neighborhood with romantic vibes. The beautiful streets and buildings will add romance to your date, even if you are just walking through the neighborhood with a potential partner.
East Village, Manhattan
On the opposite side of the West Village is the East Village, another great downtown neighborhood for singles. If you are a young, single person, New York University is between the East and West Villages, so you can find other people dating like you.
There are many unique places to try dating in the East Village, especially if you want a change from the typical dinner and drinks. There are a lot of arts and cultural venues in the neighborhood that have shows and events.
First, multiple live music venues and a few poetry clubs and cafes make for a unique date spot, especially if you want to date someone with an interest in art and music. The neighborhood also has many theaters, including off-Broadway shows that pair great with a dinner date at one of the neighborhood’s many restaurants.
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in north-central Brooklyn, and it is one of the borough’s best places for singles.
So many singles live in the neighborhood, you will have no problem finding a date.
If you want to meet someone, there are many nightclubs in Bushwick that are fun to visit with your single friends or on a date. The nightclubs have a variety of themes, and many are LGBTQ+ friendly.
For a more laid-back environment, you can try dating at one of the many coffee shops or bars.
Taking a date out for drinks is a great way to get to know them, or you can socialize at the bars if you are trying to meet someone.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Northwest of Bushwick and across the East River from downtown Manhattan is Williamsburg, another Brooklyn neighborhood. Williamsburg is known for being a trendy young neighborhood. More than forty percent of the people who live in Williamsburg are young adults between twenty-five and forty-four.
If you prefer dating at a bar or nightclub, Williamsburg is perfect for you. There is a lot of nightlife in the area. The clubs have fun themes and good drinks to help you find a romantic partner or meet new people.
The neighborhood also has lots of great food if you want to have a romantic dinner date. You can find all kinds of food, and dinner and drinks are the perfect way to get to know a potential new partner in Brooklyn.
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is in the northwest corner of Queens, right across the river from Manhattan, New York. More than forty percent of people living in Queens are between twenty-five and forty-five, and many of the people in that age group are single.
Astoria is a beautiful neighborhood lined with a homey-neighborhood feel which can help spark some romance when you are there to meet a date.
Astoria has some unique places that are great for going on dates. The Museum of the Moving Image and the Socrates Sculpture Park are both in the neighborhood. There is also Bohemian Hall, an old beer garden that is a great place to get drinks and socialize.
Finally, Astoria Park has plenty of places for a romantic picnic, and there are always people enjoying the park if you want to meet someone.
As you will read in the next section, living alone can cost more since you do not have a partner to split apartment costs with. However, real estate in Astoria is cheap compared to other neighborhoods, especially those in Manhattan.
How Much Does It Cost To Live In NYC As A Single?
If you are single in New York City, your cost of living may be higher since you do not have someone to split your expenses with.
While you can have a smaller apartment, like a studio or a one-bedroom, the rent cost for one person is higher than if you were sharing a two-bedroom or smaller and splitting the cost of the apartment.
According to Street Easy, single New Yorkers pay an average of $14,370 more per year for rent since they are living alone.
However, the extra rent amount varies by borough. In Manhattan, the extra rent cost for singles is highest at $16,500 annually on average. In Brooklyn, singles pay $13,170 more per year on average, and in Queens, it is $11,100 more.
Part of the reason for the higher rent prices is that singles tend to live in more expensive neighborhoods, which also have the most studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Where Should A Single Woman Live In NYC?
As a single woman in New York City, you want to live in a neighborhood where you can meet people whether you are looking for a relationship or casual dating.
There are many neighborhoods where single women tend to live, with more than thirty percent of residents in the area being single women.
The five neighborhoods in this section have the highest percentage of single women residents. The rent prices listed are the median monthly price for studio and one-bedroom apartments, which are the most popular among singles.
First, Morningside Heights in Upper Manhattan has the most single women making thirty-eight percent of the people living there. The median rent in the neighborhood is $2,600.
Next, Manhattanville is made up of thirty-seven percent single women. Out of the five neighborhoods in this section, Manhattanville has the lowest median rent at just under two thousand dollars per month which is cheap for NYC.
Gramercy Park is another neighborhood in Manhattan, and thirty-five percent of the neighborhood’s residents are single women. The median rent price is $2,950 per month.
Midtown South and Stuyvesant Town have thirty-three and thirty-one percent single women living there, respectively. Both have high median rent prices compared to the other three neighborhoods for single women. The median rent price for both neighborhoods is just under thirty-six hundred dollars per month.
Where Should A Single Man Live In NYC?
Single men want a fun place to live with lots of opportunities to meet new people. The five neighborhoods in this section all have a significant amount of single men living in them.
There are also many great places for singles to hang out, like restaurants, coffee shops, and nightclubs where it is easy to meet someone.
Like the section above, the rent prices listed in this section are the median monthly rent for studio and one-bedroom apartments.
The neighborhood with the most single men is Midtown West, where they make up thirty-six percent of the neighborhood. Rent in the neighborhood is three thousand dollars per month.
A third of residents in both the East Village and the West Village are single men. Rent in the West Village is significantly more expensive at $3,350 per month versus $2,500 per month in the East Village.
Bushwick in Brooklyn and West Harlem in Manhattan have single men who make up thirty-one percent of their population. Rent prices are similar in the two neighborhoods. Bushwick’s rent price is $2,175 per month, and West Harlem is two thousand dollars.
Is Dating Hard For New Yorkers?
Dating is easy for New Yorkers if you are willing to put yourself out there and meet other singles.
There are millions of people in New York City, so you will have no problem finding other single people to date.
If you live in any of the neighborhoods listed in the sections above, you will have an even easier time meeting other singles.
Even if you do not live in the neighborhoods, you can hang out in them, and you could have a good chance of meeting a new significant other.
The next section has ways and places to meet people in New York City.
How To Meet Singles In New York City?
Even if you already live in one of the neighborhoods full of singles, you may be wondering how to meet some other people.
There are a few common ways that singles meet each other.
Through mutual friends
Your friends may know other singles to whom they can introduce you or even set you up on a date.
Ask your friends if they know anyone they think you would be a good match with, and they can put you and another single person in contact.
Having your friends set you up is great since they know you well, and the person they introduce you to is likely someone you could hit it off with.
Dating Apps
In the last few years, dating apps have become the primary way single people meet each other, especially in big cities.
The biggest dating apps are Hinge, Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, and OkCupid. They each have something unique about them, but all of them help you meet someone no matter what you are looking for.
An app can be an easy way to meet someone because there is no pressure to meet them until you chat first on the app. If you are both interested, you can exchange numbers and plan to meet up.
When using dating apps, be safe and trust your instincts. If something seems off, do not meet up with someone and do not stay in contact with them.
At a bar, restaurant, or club
If you are outgoing, you can approach people and strike up a conversation with them when you are out. While you do not know who is single and who is not, you can ask as you talk to them.
Single people like to go to bars and nightclubs, but you can also socialize at coffee shops, museums, and theaters. Also, some singles events are held in the city, and they are often free to attend.
Conclusion
The Big Apple is brimming with single people, whether those waiting for the right person or those who want to start over.
As suggested from our article, there ae many places and opportunities where you can find individuals with similar status.
If you’re single and thinking on moving to NYC to make new friends, or find a new flame, you may want to plan things over so you won’t be overwhelmed by the city.
In case you’ve finally decided that New York is your best place to mingle as a single, you may need a professional mover to help you transport your stuff from another city or state. We’ve reviewed the best NYC moving companies to help those who are moving to the empire state.
We also looked into cheap NYC movers if you’re in a budget and you should check that out.
Sources:
- streeteasy.com/blog/neighborhoods-singles-nyc/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushwick,_Brooklyn
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Village,_Manhattan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Village
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg,_Brooklyn
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria,_Queens