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In the last three years, Queens has turned from the most affordable borough into one of the most expensive, according to a new report from New York University.
The report, commissioned by the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, measured the average income of borough residents and compared it to prices they are paying toward their rent and mortgages. It found a consistent pattern that Queens residents are paying more for housing while earning less.

In 2002, rent payments burdened Queens tenants less than residents in any borough, accounting for only 27.4 percent of their total income. By last year, that rent burden had increased to 31.7 percent of resident’s income, second only to Manhattan, the report said.

During the same period, the average market price for a unit in a 2-4 family house rose from $173,255 to $230,000, also the second most expensive in the City. For a one family building, the average market price increased to $388,000, up almost $100,000 from three years ago.

These increases have happened while the median income for Queens residents has declined, dropping from $48,162 to $45,000, the report said. The conflicting trends have led more residents to take on expensive debt and live in less desirable conditions, officials said.

Cloe Tribich, a spokeswoman for Housing Here and Now, an affordable housing advocacy group, said that as the market has grown more competitive, people increasingly are forced to live in lower quality housing. The NYC report ranked Queens the most crowded borough and the second worst in terms of overall housing quality.

“There has to be something going on in the market to pressure people to live in the conditions they are now living in,” Tribich said. “Our group is working with banks and landlords to make sure that quality, affordable housing can still be a realistic possibility in New York City.”

Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), along with other elected officials, has attempted to create more affordable housing by calling on developers to include cheaper units in their new buildings. Gioia fears that New York could lose its middle class as housing grows more and more expensive, making it lose the character that has defined it.

“This study confirms what I’ve been saying for years,” Gioia said, “that until you are wealthy, it’s very expensive, and in some cases too expensive, to buy a home in New York City.”

Some believe market forces are not the only factor driving up real estate prices. In the last 10 years, the government has weakened rent stabilization laws, allowing landlords to raise rents dramatically, according to Bob Katz, a lawyer for Queens League of United Tenants, a group that lobbies for tenants rights.

The majority of long-term Queens residents are senior citizens living on fixed incomes, Katz said, making hikes in their rent an enormous burden on their living standards. Unlike young couples that often flee to the suburbs for cheaper housing, these older residents are forced to stick it out, Katz said.

“They have to make a choice: this month it’s the food or the rent,” Katz said. “We have plenty of seniors eating cat food, and I’m totally serious about that.”