142 Columbia Heights
Photo: Curbed; Photo: Douglas Elliman

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Listen, it’s not like getting an apartment in New York has ever been easy. But you could probably argue that it’s never been harder than it is now. The most awful studios regularly rent for thousands upon thousands of dollars, and there are lines of prospective buyers out the door. Here we find the apartments that are actually worth it, the ones that are truly worth the price, and the ones that are surprisingly affordable for their hardwood floors from all over the internet.

I decided to circle the Brooklyn waterfront this week, visiting only neighborhoods that border the water. I’m drawn to these neighborhoods, many of them have a maritime-transportation feel. I started at the tip of Brooklyn, in the Heights, then headed down through Columbia Heights to Red Hook, then to Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, and beyond.

If I learned anything from my search this week, it’s that I should move to Bay Ridge, a neighborhood full of gorgeous mansions. (See 131 76th Street, a neoclassical-style home with a semicircular porch, and 8200 Narrows Avenue, an Arts and Crafts-style mansion known in the neighborhood as the “gingerbread house.”) But I didn’t just rely on that! I also found a lot of really great and affordable one- to three-bedroom apartments in the area.

$1,550, 1 bedroom: That’s how much all studio apartments should cost. I love the light that’s in this apartment – I don’t hate what they did to the bathroom and the whole house still has some of its original charm! The kitchen is also huge; it’s not relegated to a hallway nor does it take up half of the living room.

$2,6250, 2 bedrooms: stunning, well-preserved two-bedroom apartment in a limestone terraced house. The bay windows are beautiful and the floor is painted just perfectly – not too much, not too little. Just right. And the bathroom with the blue tiles!

$3,300, 2 bedrooms: OK, not as cheap and much more renovated. But it retains some of its original charm – hardwood floors, some fun pendant lights and chandeliers. Plus, the building itself is cool – a 1920s Tudor-style building a block from the water.

$3,200, 2 bedrooms: Two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a two-family house. Good floors, bad recessed lighting, good Tiffany lamp!

$2,650, 2 bedrooms: Nothing special, but there is so much space and a very nice bay window. After you have seen the hideous Art– Marble floors in the kitchen and replacing all the ceiling lights, that’s going to be pretty awesome.

$2,290, 1 bedroom: It’s spacious, it’s classic, it has tiled bathrooms, beautifully painted floors, and it’s just a few blocks from the water.

$3,000, 3 bedrooms: This one has a pastel dollhouse theme that I’d love to learn more about… plus, this place is bursting with space.

$3,800, 2 bedrooms: So. Lots. of. windows! The living room is pretty and calming, there’s a washer/dryer, and I don’t hate the kitchen! The accent wall that separates the living area from the kitchen is, well, hideous, but maybe something can be done about it. And besides, it needs to be painted. It needs to be painted.

$3,900, 1 bedroom: New construction in a boutique complex called 121 Pikeman. Looks chic and small. I think the white oak gives it that upscale feel, not to mention the floor to ceiling windows. I like the dividers, but I don’t let them fool me – instead of creating the illusion of more space, they seem to constrict the apartment even more. But it’s still nice.

$8,500, 3 bedrooms: Flood zone or not, this house is just so darn cute. Three-story 19th century townhouse with the most charming garden that you enter through a small door off the kitchen. Other highlights include: the floating wooden staircase and the soaking tub.

120 Pioneer Street.
Photo: Outlive

$4,795, 1 bedroom: This price is a rude awakening after already seeing the stock levels of SP and BR. But if we look past what we can’t change, I like the ship-like feel of this garden apartment. The windows in the kitchen are a nice touch, and the door leading out to the garden is also… It’s cosy in here, and I dig it.

139 Henry-Str.
Photo: Clocktower Properties

$3,200, Studio: Those east-facing, oversized windows make the prospect of studio living even more appealing. The built-in cabinets are also a highlight here. And, oh my gosh, there’s a sliding ladder – so you can reach those books you’ve placed at the top of the shelf.

$14,000, 1 bedroom: Obviously this is just for fun. This place is one of the most bizarre apartments I’ve seen in a long time. There are ten rooms and only one of them is a bedroom. I’m getting aesthetic whiplash, it’s a totalist, maximalist nightmare here.

3 Pierrepont-Str.
Photo: Corcoran

$3,100, Studio: Overpriced, but this studio is still something special. Art Deco building, lovely modernizations of the (tiny) kitchen and it’s located on a sought-after fruit street!

$4,200, 1 bedroom: As close to the fruit streets as possible without being a fruit street! And that’s all I have to say about this somewhat disappointing but nice one-bedroom apartment in a pre-war building. Contrary to expectations, at least there is a dishwasher.

$3,975, 1 bedroom: Absolutely beautiful, not outrageously expensive one-bedroom apartment in a prime BK location. It’s insulting that the advert describes it as “spacious” – the affordable living is clearly evident and I commend the current tenants for that, but it is not “spacious”.

$13,000, 2 bedrooms: Well, that’s cool: Norman Mailer used to live here!!!!! And he renovated the fourth floor to make it feel like a ship. That explains the totally bizarre, totally amazing two-story wood and glass atrium. And according to his son, Michael Mailer, several of Mailer’s ex-wives lived in the house at the same time.

$6,999, 4 bedrooms: Another oddly configured, ship-like apartment. Four bedrooms don’t seem possible, there are Perhaps two. Perhaps. But there is a lot to like here! The tiles in the kitchen, the bright bedroom in slide 8, the hardwood floors.

$2,750, Studio: It’s just cute, okay? Let’s leave it at that.

$2,400, 2 bedrooms: I’m crazy about this one. I even love the subway tile galley kitchen. Those moldings! Those shiny hardwoods! That price!

In case I haven’t successfully convinced you to move to Southwest Brooklyn, I thought I’d do a price comparison here to highlight the contrast between Brooklyn Heights and Bay Ridge. First up, we have this annoyingly attractive (or is it just masterfully staged?) three-bedroom apartment in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights.

140 State Road.
Photo: Dandrea Craig Realty

Don’t get me wrong, this place has a lot going for it: the white cabinets and the gray tiled backsplash, the large bathtub and the paragon staircase. Are you willing to pay $9,950 a month for the pleasure of waking up to a pyramid-shaped skylight? Maybe. But let’s head over to Bay Ridge, where we have this beautiful, Semi-detached housewith 8 rooms, 3 bedrooms And 2.5 bathroomsThere is still a lot to be done here – the floors could be sanded, the lights are not that great, a new coat of paint wouldn’t hurt. But this house feels like a house – almost suburban with its own parking garage, veranda and winter garden!

314 83rd Street.
Photo: Citi Nest