The forgotten borough that a lot of New Yorkers quietly fall in love with - more space, a real yard, parks and beaches, and neighborhoods that still feel like neighborhoods. Here is an honest local's guide to the moves people are making in 2026, what it costs, and how you actually get to work.
The story is the same one I hear from buyers every week. They loved their apartment in Brooklyn or Manhattan, then the family grew, the rent kept climbing, and they wanted a yard, a driveway, and a little quiet. Staten Island answers that. Inside the same city, with the same MetroCard, you can trade a walk up for a detached house with a garage and grass to mow.
The trade you make is commute time, and that is the honest part of this guide. If your job is a daily desk in Midtown, know that going in. But for hybrid schedules, remote work, and jobs in Brooklyn or New Jersey, the math has shifted hard in Staten Island's favor. You get more home, more land, and a genuinely different pace of life while staying a New Yorker.
This guide walks through the three things that decide whether the move works for you - the neighborhood, the commute, and the cost - plus the lifestyle that keeps people here once they arrive.
Staten Island is really three islands in one. The North Shore is the most urban and the closest to the ferry. Mid Island sits in the geographic and commuting middle. The South Shore is the suburban, single family heartland. The right pick depends on how you weigh commute against space and price.
If you want to go deeper on a specific area, I have written full local guides to the neighborhoods people ask me about most. Start with Annadale for classic South Shore family living, then browse the rest in the community guides.
Here is the truth without the sales gloss. The famous free Staten Island Ferry runs from St. George to Lower Manhattan and is a genuinely pleasant ride, but you have to get to St. George first, usually by Staten Island Railway or a local bus. Once in Manhattan you connect to the subway. Door to Midtown, many commuters plan on roughly an hour or more each way.
Express buses are the other big option. They run directly from many neighborhoods into Manhattan, so you skip the transfer, though they cost more than a local fare and depend on traffic over the Verrazzano. For jobs in Brooklyn, the bridge makes the drive very reasonable. For New Jersey jobs, the Outerbridge and Goethals crossings often make Staten Island the shortest commute in the whole city.
The takeaway - match your neighborhood to how you actually commute. A ferry first commuter should look near the railway or express bus lines. A New Jersey or Brooklyn commuter has far more freedom to chase space and price on the South Shore.
Staten Island is not cheap - it is New York City - but it is consistently the borough where your housing dollar stretches furthest. You generally get more square footage, more land, and more parking per dollar than in Brooklyn or Manhattan. Property taxes, insurance, and commuting costs all factor in, so budget the whole picture rather than the sticker price alone.
I am deliberately not throwing precise price figures at you here, because the market moves and a number I type today can be wrong next month. For where prices actually sit right now, and for what a specific home is worth, get a current read rather than a guess.
This is the part the commute conversation misses. Staten Island has more parkland per person than any other borough, miles of South Shore and East Shore waterfront, and a food scene that punches well above its size. It is a place where kids ride bikes, neighbors know each other, and you can be at a beach, a nature preserve, or a great slice within minutes of home.
People move here for the house and stay for the community. That is the pattern I see over and over as an agent who works these blocks. If that sounds like the life you want, the rest is just picking the right neighborhood and the right home.
I am Joseph Ranola, Associate Broker and Team Leader of the Bridge and Boro Team at Real Broker LLC. I help buyers and sellers across Staten Island and Brooklyn, and my clients have made me one of the most trusted names in the borough.
For buyers who want more space, a yard, and a quieter pace while staying inside New York City, Staten Island remains one of the best values in the five boroughs in 2026. You typically get more square footage and land for your money than in Brooklyn or Manhattan, in exchange for a longer commute to Midtown.
It depends on your priorities. The South Shore neighborhoods like Annadale, Tottenville, and Great Kills lean single family and quiet. Mid Island and the East Shore offer a mix of homes and shorter commutes. The North Shore near St. George is closest to the ferry and most urban. The right fit comes down to commute, budget, and lifestyle.
Most commuters use the free Staten Island Ferry from St. George to Lower Manhattan, often paired with the Staten Island Railway or a local bus. Express buses run directly into Manhattan from many neighborhoods. Drivers use the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn or the Outerbridge and Goethals to New Jersey.
Prices vary widely by neighborhood, home type, and condition. Staten Island generally offers more house for the money than the rest of New York City, but the only way to know what a specific home costs today is a current market read. Use the free home value tool or call for live numbers.
Let's talk about your commute, your budget, and the neighborhoods that actually fit your life. No pressure, just a real conversation with someone who works this market every day.