Forest Hills Among NYC's Best 'Cheap' Neighborhoods: Report

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- Forest Hills residents are living the high life for a low(ish) cost, at least according to one new report that puts the Queens neighborhood among the city's best "cheap" areas.

Forest Hills ranked among the top 10 local spots in New York City where residents can "get the high life at a (relatively, anyway) low price," according to a special study done for the New York Post by Localize.city.

The site, which analyzes city data at a hyperlocal level, scored each area on affordability and quality of life factors, which included the ease of their commutes, crime rates, noise complaints, green spaces and bike friendliness, according to the newspaper. The top 25 percent of the city's most expensive areas were also taken out to ensure prices didn't get too out of hand.

Forest Hills was No. 2 on the list, though it's unclear whether the results were ranked in order. Buyers from across the city are drawn to the combination of tranquility and amenities that the quaint neighborhood offers, Keller Williams agent Andres Soto told The Post.

Such was the case for Lesley Li, who told the newspaper she moved to the the area after falling in love with its mixture of tree-lined suburbs and modern shopping and dining options.

“You have places like Sephora, clothing stores, good ramen and Chinese food, and good bars,” she said.

And while living in Forest Hills may not be a bargain, it's still likely going to be cheaper than neighboring Queens areas with booming development. Soto told the New York Post a one-bedroom condo that costs $800,000 in Astoria or Long Island City would go for about $600,000 in parts of Forest Hills.

But the neighborhood doesn't feel cheap to some of the residents who live there.

The article was posted in a Forest Hills community Facebook group, drawing mixed reactions from several of its more than 13,000 members.

"Maybe 'best value' based neighborhoods would have been better," wrote one commenter.

Another argued, "Forest Hills hasn’t been cheap since the IND subway reached it in 1936."

Some countered that all good neighborhoods come with a cost, and the neighborhood's was lower than most.

"Forest Hills is much cheaper than most desirable neighborhoods in Brooklyn," wrote one commenter. "And Queens for that matter."

Queens neighborhoods Flushing and Woodhaven also made the Post's roundup of best cheap neighborhoods.

Lead photo via Patch