Manhattan neighborhoods claim nearly every spot on the city’s list of most expensive places to live, with median rents pushing well beyond what most New Yorkers can afford.

A new analysis reveals the stark divide between Manhattan’s luxury enclaves and the outer boroughs, where working families increasingly struggle to find affordable housing. Tribeca tops the list with median rents exceeding $6,000 per month, followed closely by SoHo and the Upper East Side.

“The numbers tell the story of two different cities,” said Maria Santos, a housing advocate from the Bronx who has tracked displacement patterns across the five boroughs. “While Manhattan becomes a playground for the wealthy, families in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx face their own rent pressures.”

The Financial District and Chelsea round out the top five most expensive neighborhoods, with studio apartments routinely listing for more than entire family homes cost in parts of Staten Island or the outer reaches of Queens.

Brooklyn manages just three spots on the expensive list, concentrated in gentrified areas like DUMBO and Park Slope, where longtime residents have watched corner bodegas transform into artisanal coffee shops and rent-stabilized apartments convert to luxury condos.

“My grandmother raised five kids in a two-bedroom in Park Slope,” said James Rodriguez, who grew up in the neighborhood but now lives in Sunset Park. “That same apartment rents for more than my parents ever made in a year.”

Queens and the Bronx remain largely absent from the top-tier pricing, though neighborhoods like Long Island City and Mott Haven have seen dramatic increases as developers market them as affordable alternatives to Manhattan living.

The Bronx, where the median household income remains the lowest among the five boroughs, shows the widest gap between local wages and housing costs. Even neighborhoods not making the expensive list have seen rents climb faster than incomes.

Housing advocates point to the data as evidence that the city needs stronger rent protections and more affordable housing development across all boroughs, not just Manhattan’s luxury towers.

“Every neighborhood deserves investment,” Santos said. “But that investment should serve the people who already call these places home.”