Rents in This Luxurious NYC Apartment Complex Start Shockingly Low at $782

A one-bedroom apartment in an ultraluxury building, positioned on Manhattan's Upper West Side and bursting with top-notch amenities, normally starts at $3,465 a month but can now be snapped up by a select few for a ridiculously low $782.

To score one of 55 spectacular rental deals in this building, you'll need to enter the New York City affordable housing lottery through Housing Connect—and bring lots of luck and patience.

Three Waterline Square, at 635 West 59th, is one of three towers making up the Waterline Square complex, which encircles a 2.6-acre public park designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects and connects to Riverside Park South.

The 214-unit towers feature 167 rentals and 47 condominiums, each with separate entrances.

One four-bedroom apartment in this building runs a whopping $35,625 a month. Yet, right now a three-bedroom can be had for $1,569.00 a month through the lottery system.

To live in such luxurious style for less than the typical monthly cost of an NYC parking space, there are strict income requirements for participating in the housing lottery.

To qualify, you can make no less than $31,783.00 and no more than $126,240.00 annually. Yes, an income that would mean you're rich in most states still means you can live in affordable housing in the Big Apple.

And, even if you qualify, you will be put on a waiting list. New York City housing waiting lists are notoriously mysterious. Your name could come up tomorrow—or never. Essentially, you throw your hat in the ring and pray to your higher being of choice.

Should you win a stunningly affordable unit in this ultrachic building with sweeping river views, you'll celebrate harder than a New York Knicks fan after the Finals.

Then, you'll take a gander at the plethora of building amenities at your fingertips: a spa with a sauna and steam room, a landscaped terrace, children's play spaces, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a co-working space, a 12-seat dining room with a catering kitchen, media room, great room with two fireplaces, and a golf simulator.

Inside the tower's 90,000 square foot, three-level underground fitness facility, you'll find an indoor tennis court, squash court, rock-climbing wall, half-pipe skate park, golf simulator, indoor soccer field, 25-meter, three-lane lap pool, children's pool, two-lane bowling alley, recording studio, screening room, and various fitness studios for pilates, boxing, and yoga.

Additional amenities include a gardening studio, cards parlor, games lounge, and dedicated pet facilities with washing and training stations. Check out photos of the jaw dropping list of amenities here.

Three Waterline Square is also smack-dab in one of the best areas of Manhattan—within strolling distance of Hudson River Park, the Intrepid Museum, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and only three crosstown blocks to Central Park.

What is the affordable housing lottery?

Why would developers offer this steal when luxe city apartments like the ones being offered at Three Waterline Square could be rented out for so much more money? Because the city offers tax abatements for developers willing to set aside a certain amount of apartments for lower income residents.

While New York has the third-highest share of millionaires in the country, according to Realtor.com® data, plenty of people in the city do not have that kind of money. Whether it's your barista or bartender, delivery person, vet tech, or car share driver, those without millions to spare make the city thrive.

They, too, deserve a high-end apartment with a pool and rock-climbing wall.

"As New Yorkers struggle with rising housing costs, the affordable housing units available through Housing Connect allow New Yorkers at a range of income levels to apply for new affordable rentals, re-rentals of affordable homes, and affordable home ownership opportunities," Kim Moscaritolo, deputy press secretary of NYC Housing Preservation & Development, tells Realtor.com.

"The affordable homes on Housing Connect are an integral part of our city's housing stock. For the more than 10,000 families who received affordable housing through HPD’s Housing Connect in 2025, they have been life changing—a shorter commute, a bedroom of their own, a safe place they can finally call their own." 

The city's affordable housing lotteries are managed by Housing Connect NYC. You can check out all the program's offerings here.

How can you snag an affordable apartment inside this luxe building?

Other than visiting the Housing Connect website and applying, there isn't much more you can do to increase your odds.

Douglas Elliman top 1% rental agent Keyan Sanai, who lives in a building with 20% affordable units, tells Realtor.com, "Nobody really knows how it works. It's like figuring out how magic works."

If your name does get chosen out of the thousands who will no doubt apply, don't assume you'll be moving in the next day.

"Even though your name was pulled in the housing lottery, it doesn't mean that you have automatically gotten an apartment," choreographer Merete Muenter previously told Realtor.com about winning her $623 a month studio apartment in a luxury midtown Manhattan building. "You have to go through a very stringent application process once your name is drawn, and it's way more involved than just showing a few recent pay stubs."

She advises applicants for affordable housing to monitor, save, and organize their financial information and have it ready in case they make it to the next step.

In fact, the process can be so arduous, that it isn't uncommon for people to get overwhelmed and drop out of it.

"When you’re trying to hit a certain income requirement, [the housing authority] factor in every penny, so it is important to make sure everything is listed correctly and that every cent is counted, because it does matter," Mike Halden, a former Broadway dancer who won a $689-a-month one-bedroom place in the same building, told Realtor.com.

If a one-bedroom at this preposterously low rent in the lavish Three Waterline Square complex sounds good to you, take your chances and apply here.

Don't delay, as the entry process for this lottery ends June 23.