# What do you pay for rent? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996 "2010-01-22T16:01:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/61 "2010-01-23T19:53:36Z")
Suburbs of Albany NY, $700, 900 sq ft 2/1 2nd floor apt, nothing included. Kind of a mixed bag neighborhood, there are three trailer parks on my street and a few houses in the 1mil range, and no houses below 300k I believe. It’s about half the distance ~15mi from where my gf goes to school, and where I work. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/62 "2010-01-23T20:10:37Z")
> [@Dr.Love](#): > > Also central-ish Tucson. $700 for a decently-sized two-bed-one-bath townhouse. All appliances were brand new when I moved in. No private yard, which I’m going to be looking for in my next place. I’m _also_ central-ish Tucson. $735 for a 2 bed, 1 bath townhouse, private backyard, no A/C (evaporative cooling only). Decent neighborhood, though it’s busier than I like. I’m right off the bus lines, which keeps my costs down - I don’t have to pay for parking where I work. Note that if I’d renewed for a year lease, it would have been $710, but I’m hoping to get out of this town. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/63 "2010-01-23T20:13:06Z")
Right now, $185 for a fifth of a house less than two minutes walking distance from campus. Last year was $192 for a significantly nicer house, but almost a mile’s walk from campus. Definitely not looking forward to real-world rent prices next year. I’m in a mostly-college-student neighborhood in Walla Walla, WA. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/64 "2010-01-23T20:53:00Z")
$1025 per month for a cramped one-bedroom apartment in Redondo Beach, CA (about six miles south of Los Angeles International airport if you’re not familiar with the area). It’s a ridiculously low rate, given that it’s in a quiet, safe neighborhood just a block and a half from the beach. I’ve lived here for 14 years, and my lease expired 13 years ago. I’d like a larger place to live, but currently, saving money is more important. ---
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/65 "2010-01-23T21:32:03Z")
1000 euros a month, everything included, for a small 2 bedroom flat on the south coast of France. Roughly similar to what we were paying in the UK for about the same size flat (though that was only 1 bedroom) - but [the view](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4227559039_ba63bab29e.jpg) here is [better](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2717/4254432524_3b9a4cc2b1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/66 "2010-01-23T22:14:32Z")
Good Lord, I’m glad we don’t rent anymore or live in a more expensive area (which appears to be just about anywhere). Mr. S owned half of this house when we got married, and we bought out his sister a few years later, in 1993. Had it almost paid off in 2006, and then we refinanced to pay off credit cards (about a third of the value of the house :eek: ) Current mortgage payment is $285/month for a large but unfinished house on 9 acres in rural WI. Yearly property taxes are about $1100, and insurance is about $900. So I guess that comes out to about $450/month for housing, not counting utilities. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/67 "2010-01-24T03:56:49Z")
$995/month, about 1100sq ft, 5 1/2 apartment (double living room, 1BR, dining room, large kitchen and one bathroom), facing a 40 acre park, in walking distance of absolutely everything, or easy transit. Steet parking is free on this street, but requires a permit for adjacent ones. We pay hydro (electricity and heating/hot water) on top of that, as well as phone, cable, etc. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/68 "2010-01-24T04:30:50Z")
$460/month for a 350 sq ft studio includes utilities, cable, and internet. Its a mother in law, accessed from an alley. The parking arrangements are awesome considering I have a truck that might as well say “Break glass for free computer parts” on the side of it. I have a huge 7’ tall corrugated steel rolling gate to get in and out. When its closed, nobody could even tell I am home let alone mess with me or my truck. ---
**Author:** ![Omgalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/41988e/32.png) [@Omgalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omgalion)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/69 "2010-01-24T05:04:25Z")
$1560 per month (about US$1733) for a 2.5 bedroom house in a reasonably inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia. This is considered relatively cheap for a house here, but I am amazed that I could rent a decent apartment in NYC for less. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/70 "2010-01-24T15:16:18Z")
I live in a Virginia suburb about 30 miles from Washington, DC. I pay $1600/mo for a 3BR, 2.5BA three-level townhouse: eat-in kitchen plus separate dining room, end unit, spacious LR and master BR, finished basement, fenced-in back yard, 1-car garage, dishwasher, washer/dryer, hardwood floors. The only things included in the rent are trash pickup and the HOA (homeowner’s association) fees: I’m responsible for the gas, electric, cable/internet, water and sewer, yard maintenance, etc. That’s pretty typical for a townhouse rental around here, though lease terms vary. I’ve seen many 2BRs with no garage renting for this much or more, so I feel like this is a good deal. I live 5 minutes from a bad neighborhood and 10 minutes from a great neighborhood: I would call mine “good.” It’s mostly quiet, and I don’t worry about walking my dog at night or anything (I’m a single woman). I like the location, too: less than a mile from a gas station and a shopping center with a big-name grocery store, close to the “great” neighborhood with lots of good shops and restaurants, 15 minutes from my choice of 2 dog parks, close to several major roads, etc. I’m 38 and have never been interested in owning a place before, but I’ve been in this house for 7 months now and I think I might love it. Enough that when my lease renews I’m going to ask the property manager if some kind of rent-with-option-to-buy deal might be possible (when I moved in he told me that the homeowner might be thinking about selling, and asked – only half-jokingly – if I’d be interested in buying the place). > [@The\_Truculent\_Gentleman](#): > > $6,500 for a 1,100 sq ft two bedroom in Manhattan. It’s on 72nd street, next door to the Dakota. Beautiful full service building, pre-war but completely renovated two years ago. My uncle and his wife recently moved to London, and decided to rent their awesome 2BR condo in Manhattan (84th between the park and Columbus) while they’re out of the country. I love NYC and was a frequent visitor to their place: I would _love_ to have moved, but I knew they could get an amount similar to what you’re paying. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/71 "2010-01-24T15:50:18Z")
When I lived in LA, I paid $1,100 to live in a one bedroom apartment in the barrio. It was a horrible neighborhood, the people in my building apparently didn’t realize that there were receptacles for trash, but I stuck around for the hardwood floors, and because West LA was too expensive. I now live in a nice one bedroom in a nice neighborhood in downtown Minneapolis and pay $665 + electricity. My electricity bill for the month as $7.36. Sunshine tax indeed. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/72 "2010-01-24T20:24:41Z")
Holy cow, I thought rents here were high until reading some of these. Granted, my rent is not average, we got a good deal because the place was a damned dump when we moved in and we cleaned/fixed it up a LOT. 2 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen, dining room, living room, laundry room, screened porch with fenced yard in Key Largo, FL for $1,000/month + utilities. block and a half from the water, 10 minute walk to work. All tile, not in great shape but not a hole either, perfectly average and in a safe neighborhood. About 1,200 sq feet or so, grass yard (unusual here, most people put down peat rock). ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/73 "2010-01-25T01:28:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > A comfortable one bedroom, all utilities included, on campus just a half-mile or so from my office, and with the best view in town, for something like $525. I lived in Peter Koch Tower for a while. Rent was less than $400 month about 12 years ago. Not high enough for a good view, but my one friend was on the top floor with an awesome view I envied. Now in an expensive suburb of DC, $1467/mo. for rent for a 950 sq. foot 1 BR/1BA apartment in a decent (but certainly not luxurious) apartment complex built in the 1970s. Utilities extra but it’s close (2 miles) to the Metro and has a washer/dryer/dishwasher. I’m lead to believe this is cheap compared to equivalent local places, which I find very depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/74 "2010-01-25T01:40:31Z")
Northern Nevada: $1200 for 1700sq feet in a new townhouse Dubai: $1350 for 500 sq feet in a good part of town (Jumeirah for those familiar with it) Prague: we own, but rent would be about $1500 for 900 sq feet in our building. ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/75 "2010-01-25T03:35:14Z")
Orange County, California. One bedroom apartment, full size washer and dryer (mine), two garages, only twelve apartments in the little complex, no one above or below us, $1,075 per month. Utilities are on me. **Mrs. toofs** works 2.5 miles from home. I am a similar distance. Very convenient. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/76 "2010-01-25T05:07:37Z")
Okinawa, great neighborhood. Our rent is about $2300 USD/mo for the bottom half of a duplex. No utilities are included. Three bedroom, total crap kitchen, w/d, 1 bath, 1000 sf. Has a tiny yard, but an [excellent view.](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_-5yydCIzUDo/SGQ1KjcgarI/AAAAAAAABw4/udBwVZFiciY/s640/DSC01766.JPG) We’re only paying that because of the way the military pays for rent around here. You can’t pocket any unused rent allowance, so of course you’re going to use it all. The apartment would probably go for $800 to $1K on the local market, but because of the Americans living off-base and the government’s willingness to pay basically whatever is asked, Americans pay MUCH more. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/77 "2010-01-25T05:11:45Z")
$300 for my bedroom in a two-bedroom apartment in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. Don’t know the square footage, but it’s a decent sized apartment. Nice comfy living room (the furniture was given to me by these Costa Rican guys). I bought a full-sized fridge for $30 from a guy in Metairie. Bathroom with shower + tub, sink, and one toilet that is currently not working. The apartment also has a balcony accessible from both bedrooms. And someone wired our building for free cable. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/78 "2010-01-25T05:31:00Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > St Louis…more specifically University City…$525 rent/trash/water…I pay heat and electric, Oh and cable/internet of course! > > Large 1 bedroom (listed as two) with LR,Kitchen and crappy bath and a den/office (so called second bedroom)…very under-maintained. > > On great bus lines and fairly safe neighborhood. > > You get what you pay for! > > ymmv Affordable! I’m currently living on Washington Ave. downtown in a loft, which would go for around 1800-2000 a month. Fortunately, it’s part of my compensation; unfortunately, I need the cash more than I need this cool living space and am trying to avoid moving in with the Parents! Good to know there may be an affordable solution for me. Love U City! ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/79 "2010-01-25T05:53:47Z")
$825 a month, brand new apartment, 2BR, 2BA in Raleigh, NC about 5 minutes from downtown. ---
**Author:** ![MitzeKatze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996/80 "2010-01-25T06:08:47Z")
This thread is making me feel both bad about how much I pay in rent and good about it- I thought it was incredibly high but it looks like I am getting a deal compared to some. We rent a 3-story townhouse in a complex with a fenced back yard that is small enough that it is describes as a “patio”. 4 bedrooms (more if you count the finished basement which we do use as a bedroom and a rec room) 3 bathrooms, huge laundry room with concrete floor and drain so that I could theoretically hang my laundry to dry, but tiny, dismal kitchen. We do have a large dining room with a fireplace though I would have preferred a large kitchen and tiny dining room. One covered parking spot (carport) and 3 assigned parking spots in the communal parking area. The townhouses were built in the 70s and aren’t particularly well-maintained so it is not luxurious or anything, but also not a total dump. And it is the only complex in the area that would allow my huge dog (most limit dogs to 30 lbs or less). I don’t know the square footage but it is more than 2600 (the size of the 2 bedroom units in this complex). Master bedroom is huge, other bedrooms are good sized. For this privilege we pay $1140 per month in rent and we pay all of own utilities. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-pay-for-rent/525996.md?page=5)