Staten Island, New York Real Estate Market Guide: Prices, Neighborhoods and Timing

Staten Island is a seller-leaning market in September 2026, with median single-family home prices sitting in the range of $680,000 to $720,000 depending on the neighborhood and condition. That figure represents a meaningful climb from where the borough stood just two years ago, driven by persistent inventory shortfalls and continued demand from buyers who have been priced out of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Where Prices Sit in September 2026

Price per square foot on Staten Island currently averages between $380 and $450 for single-family homes, a fraction of what buyers pay in comparable neighborhoods across the harbor in Brooklyn. Two-family homes, which are common throughout the North and Mid-Island sections, typically list between $750,000 and $950,000, with rental income from the second unit helping buyers offset carrying costs. Condominiums and co-ops represent a smaller share of the market here than in any other borough, but they do exist, primarily in the St. George and Stapleton corridors near the ferry terminal.

For broader context on how Staten Island fits into the overall New York City housing picture, Norada Real Estate's NYC market forecast notes that the outer boroughs have continued to absorb demand as Manhattan prices remain out of reach for a large share of buyers. Staten Island's relative affordability within the five boroughs continues to draw first-time buyers and move-up buyers alike.

Inventory and Days on Market

Active listings on Staten Island remain tight. The borough consistently carries fewer than 1,000 single-family homes for sale at any given time, and well-priced properties in move-in condition are going under contract in under three weeks. Homes that need work or are priced above recent comparable sales are sitting longer, sometimes 60 to 90 days, which gives buyers negotiating room on those specific listings.

The inventory picture has improved slightly from the extreme lows of 2023 and 2024, but it has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Sellers who bought before 2020 are often reluctant to give up low fixed-rate mortgages, which keeps supply constrained. That dynamic is not unique to Staten Island, but it is particularly pronounced here because so much of the housing stock is owner-occupied single-family homes rather than investor-held rental units.

2. Staten Island Neighborhoods: What the Housing Stock Actually Looks Like

Staten Island spans 58 square miles and contains more than 60 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own character, price range, and commute profile. Understanding the geographic split between North Shore, Mid-Island, and South Shore is the first step in narrowing your search.

North Shore: St. George, Stapleton, and New Brighton

The North Shore is where Staten Island's urban energy concentrates. St. George sits at the foot of the Staten Island Ferry terminal, offering a 25-minute boat ride to Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan at no cost. The neighborhood contains a mix of Victorian-era row houses, pre-war apartment buildings, and newer condo conversions. Median prices in St. George and Stapleton run lower than the borough-wide average, often in the $500,000 to $650,000 range for single-family homes, which reflects the older housing stock and the ongoing revitalization of the waterfront.

New Brighton and Tompkinsville sit just north of St. George along the harbor. These blocks contain some of Staten Island's oldest residential architecture, including late 19th-century Italianate and Queen Anne homes on steep hillside lots with views of the harbor and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Lot sizes here are typically smaller than Mid-Island or South Shore, and homes often require updating, which creates opportunities for buyers willing to take on renovation projects.

Mid-Island: Westerleigh, Castleton Corners, and New Springville

Mid-Island neighborhoods represent the core of Staten Island's single-family residential market. Westerleigh and Castleton Corners feature Cape Cods, colonials, and split-levels built primarily between the 1940s and 1970s, on lots ranging from 3,500 to 6,000 square feet. Median prices in these neighborhoods typically fall between $650,000 and $780,000 depending on updates and lot size.

New Springville, anchored by the Staten Island Mall and the Richmond Avenue corridor, offers more contemporary housing stock including attached townhouses and newer single-family builds from the 1980s and 1990s. The neighborhood is roughly 10 miles from the ferry terminal via the Staten Island Expressway, which translates to a 20 to 35-minute drive depending on traffic conditions. Bus connections to the ferry and to the Staten Island Railway are also available along Richmond Avenue.

South Shore: Tottenville, Great Kills, and Eltingville

The South Shore holds Staten Island's largest lots and newest construction. Tottenville, at the southernmost tip of New York City, sits roughly 18 miles from the ferry terminal and offers a quieter, more suburban feel with streets lined by colonials and center-halls built from the 1990s onward. Median prices in Tottenville and neighboring Prince's Bay push into the $750,000 to $900,000 range for well-maintained four-bedroom homes on 5,000 to 8,000 square foot lots.

Great Kills and Eltingville sit closer to the geographic center of the South Shore and offer a middle ground in both price and commute time. The Staten Island Railway stops in both neighborhoods, giving residents a car-free option to the ferry. Great Kills Harbor is a working marina with recreational boating access to Lower New York Bay, and the surrounding streets contain a dense concentration of 1960s and 1970s ranches and split-levels that are popular with buyers looking for one-story living.

3. What Drives Prices on Staten Island

Price on Staten Island is shaped by a specific set of factors that differ from the rest of New York City. Understanding them helps buyers evaluate whether an asking price is reasonable and helps sellers position their home correctly.

Lot Size, Home Type, and Age of Construction

Lot size is a primary value driver on Staten Island in a way it simply is not in Manhattan or most of Brooklyn. A 6,000 square foot lot commands a meaningful premium over a 3,000 square foot lot even when the homes sitting on them are nearly identical. Buyers should pull lot dimensions from the NYC Department of Finance's ACRIS database and compare them directly across listings rather than relying on listing descriptions alone.

Home type matters as well. Two-family homes carry a premium because the rental income from the second unit is a concrete financial benefit. Detached single-family homes command more per square foot than attached or semi-attached homes, and newer construction from the 1990s onward typically fetches more than older homes of equivalent size unless the older home has been substantially renovated.

Commute Access and Transit Proximity

Proximity to the Staten Island Railway adds measurable value to homes within walking distance of its 22 stations. The railway runs from St. George to Tottenville along the eastern spine of the island and connects directly to the ferry terminal. Homes within a half-mile of a railway station in neighborhoods like Dongan Hills, New Dorp, or Bay Terrace tend to sell faster and at slightly higher prices per square foot than comparable homes farther from transit.

For buyers who commute by car, proximity to the Staten Island Expressway interchanges matters more than railway access. The Expressway connects to the Goethals Bridge toward New Jersey and to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge toward Brooklyn. Rush-hour travel times from Mid-Island to Lower Manhattan via the Expressway and the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel can run 45 to 75 minutes, which is a meaningful consideration when evaluating neighborhoods.

New Construction vs. Existing Homes

New construction on Staten Island is concentrated primarily in the South Shore, where remaining buildable land exists. Builders are delivering detached colonials and center-hall homes in the $900,000 to $1.2 million range with modern layouts, open-concept kitchens, and attached garages. These homes appeal to buyers who want to avoid renovation costs, but they come with longer commutes to Manhattan and sometimes limited landscaping on newly subdivided lots.

Existing homes throughout the North and Mid-Island sections offer more established streetscapes, mature trees, and proximity to the ferry, but they often require kitchen and bathroom updates. Buyers who can budget for $50,000 to $100,000 in renovations on a correctly priced existing home can frequently end up with more space and a better location than a new build at a higher price point.

4. Timing the Staten Island Market: When to Buy and When to Sell

Timing matters on Staten Island, but the seasonal patterns here do not always mirror what you read about national housing trends. The borough's market has its own rhythm, shaped by its commuter base and its predominantly owner-occupant pool of buyers and sellers.

Seasonal Patterns Specific to Staten Island

Listing activity on Staten Island peaks in April and May, when sellers list ahead of the summer and buyers are motivated to close before the school year ends. September, which is where we sit right now, marks a secondary surge as buyers who paused over the summer return to the market with renewed urgency. Inventory is typically lower in September than in spring, which means less competition among listings but also fewer choices for buyers.

For sellers, listing in September 2026 can be effective because the pool of serious buyers is active and pre-approved, with fewer casual lookers than in the spring rush. Homes that are priced accurately and presented well are moving in two to three weeks. Sellers who overprice relative to recent comparables are finding that buyers in this market are disciplined and will wait rather than stretch.

If you are thinking about what it takes to price a home correctly and move it quickly, the article on what consistently sells homes the fastest in New York covers the core principles that apply across the five boroughs.

Rate Sensitivity and Affordability Windows

Staten Island buyers are more rate-sensitive than buyers in Manhattan because the purchase price is financed at a higher loan-to-value ratio. A 30-year fixed mortgage on a $700,000 home with 20 percent down produces a principal and interest payment of roughly $3,700 to $4,000 per month at current rates, which is a meaningful monthly commitment for households earning in the $120,000 to $160,000 range. Any movement in mortgage rates of half a point or more noticeably shifts buyer purchasing power here.

Buyers who are watching rates should work with a lender to understand their exact payment at multiple rate scenarios before committing to a price range. Locking in a rate once you are under contract is standard practice, and some lenders offer float-down provisions that allow you to capture a lower rate if rates drop before closing. On Staten Island, where closings on single-family homes typically take 60 to 90 days, that window matters.

5. What Buyers and Sellers Need to Know Before They Act

The practical considerations for transacting on Staten Island differ from the rest of New York City in several important ways. Both buyers and sellers benefit from understanding these specifics before they commit.

Buyer Considerations Unique to Staten Island

Most Staten Island transactions involve single-family or two-family homes rather than co-ops or condos, which means the closing process looks different from what buyers encounter in Manhattan or Brooklyn. There is no co-op board approval process, no board interview, and no months-long application review. Buyers submit an offer, negotiate a contract, complete inspections, secure financing, and close. The typical timeline from accepted offer to closing runs 60 to 90 days for a conventional purchase.

Property inspections are especially important on Staten Island given the age of much of the housing stock. Homes built in the 1950s and 1960s may have original electrical panels, galvanized plumbing, or oil heating systems that require evaluation. Buyers should budget for a full home inspection, a separate sewer scope inspection, and a radon test, particularly in Mid-Island neighborhoods where radon levels have historically been a concern worth checking. Total inspection costs typically run $800 to $1,500 depending on the scope.

Flood zone status is another factor that does not apply uniformly across the island. South Shore properties near the waterfront and low-lying areas of the North Shore carry FEMA flood zone designations that require flood insurance, adding $1,500 to $4,000 or more annually to carrying costs. Buyers should verify flood zone status through FEMA's Flood Map Service Center before making an offer on any property near the waterfront or in low-lying terrain.

Seller Considerations and Capital Gains Planning

Long-term homeowners on Staten Island are sitting on substantial equity gains. A home purchased for $350,000 in 2010 that now sells for $700,000 generates $350,000 in gross profit, which can trigger capital gains tax liability above the current federal exclusion of $250,000 for single filers and $500,000 for married couples. Sellers who have lived in the home as their primary residence for at least two of the last five years can use this exclusion, but those with gains beyond the threshold should consult a tax professional before listing.

There is active legislative discussion around expanding these exclusions for long-term homeowners in high-cost markets. A proposed federal bill called the NEST Egg Protection Act would raise the capital gains exclusion for senior homeowners in markets like Staten Island, potentially reducing the tax burden for sellers who have held their homes for decades. The bill has not passed as of September 2026, but sellers in that situation should monitor its progress with their tax advisor.

New York State and New York City also impose transfer taxes on the sale. The state transfer tax is 0.4 percent of the sale price, and the city imposes an additional 1 percent on sales under $500,000 or 1.425 percent on sales of $500,000 and above. These costs are typically paid by the seller. Sellers should factor them into their net proceeds calculation alongside broker commissions and attorney fees.

For a deeper look at how pricing and timelines play out when selling in New York, the guide on selling a home in New York: pricing, timeline and what to expect covers the process from listing to closing in detail.

If you are also considering how the broader New York City market compares to what you are seeing on Staten Island, the New York City real estate market guide for 2026 provides a borough-by-borough context that helps put Staten Island's numbers in perspective.