Single New Yorkers gravitate to these neighborhoods

The neighborhoods that most single New Yorkers choose to live in differ by gender and whether they’re from out of state or New York-born. This info comes courtesy of the latest StreetEasy study that delves into the so-called “single’s tax,” or premium that New Yorkers pay to live alone, alongside other facets of city living for unmarried folks. (So romantic, right?)

The study found that the neighborhoods with the highest share of unmarried New Yorkers born out of state are all in Manhattan, and have some of the highest rents in the city. Unmarried New Yorkers born in the city or state settle in quite different neighborhoods, owing in part to their drastically lower median income of $31,808 compared to $51,273 for New York transplants.

Singles born out of state gravitate to neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan and Midtown—where studios and one-bedrooms aren’t in short supply—like West Village, Flatiron, East Village, Midtown West, and Morningside Heights. Median rents for studios and one-bedrooms here span from $2,500 in the East Village to $4,000 in Flatiron.

Singles born in New York tend to gravitate to neighborhoods with much lower median rents, like Stapleton and Clifton in Staten Island, Mott Haven and Morrisania in the Bronx, and East Harlem. Median rents for studios and one-bedrooms in these neighborhoods range from $1,500 in Morrisania to $1,900 in East Harlem.

Unmarried men and women also gravitate to similar areas, but often choose neighborhoods that are adjacent to each other. For example, Midtown West ranks among the top five neighborhoods with the highest share of single men while the same goes for single women in Midtown South. Similar match-ups are found again, respectively for men and women, with West Harlem and Morningside Heights, and East Village and Stuy Town.

Bushwick is the outlier here, posing as the only neighborhood outside of Manhattan among the most popular for single men (because of course it is.)

Thinking about living alone? Prepare for the “single’s tax”: It costs $14,730 more annually to live alone in a median-priced studio or one-bedroom citywide. Of course that varies by borough—that figures rises to $16,500 in Manhattan and drops to $13,170 in Brooklyn and $11,100 in Queens. Happy hunting—for house and spouse.