T^hat's a useless topic. Regional variations make comparisons impossible.

I paid $90 a month for a 3-bedroom house, fully furnished ... but that was 20 years ago, in Mexico. Similar houses in a trendy suburb were renting for $300.

Well, we could compare location and price - then it becomes an interesting discussion. Rent in Switzerland tends to be high everywhere. On the countryside one pays less, but would have to add the expense of a car (due to not being close to a train station) which is out of this world. DH and I got really lucky with our apartment. We have four rooms, plus a live in kitchen, separate bath and toilet, and a huge terrace about 35m2. We pay CHF 1570 (ca.USD 1200) a month not including electric and gas. If we would be living in Zürich, we would have a difficult time finding a two room place for that price.

wow...Switzerland!
Yeah I remember paying 275.00 $ in the early 90's in Cleveland Ohio for a one bedroom. The only problem was no screens on windows ..flies from the alley dumpster would lay eggs in my apt....sick!
Rent is so different in Indiana opposed to Ohio or even Florida...the differences are so weird...is it the same with milk and bread prices I wonder?!
I once paid $679.00 for a 2 bedroom apt...sea foam green carpet! I loved it. I hated writing out the checks or money order tho...I like my money. LOL!
Our friend came here from Indiana and has sticker shock...says there you get 2-4 x's bigger place to live.
wahhhh! I wanna move.

Sheesh, I charge more than anything reported so far for one-bedroom walk-ups.

Sheesh, I charge more than anything reported so far for one-bedroom walk-ups.

I pay $200 a month for my cabin. It measures 10 1/2 x 14 1/2 feet downstairs and has a loft with the angled ceiling so I can't stand up in it. There is an outhouse just a short walk away. If I wanted running water in the same size building, rent would be about $500! I live in Alaska.

I pay $2850 for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath, living room, dining room, study in a pre-war elevator building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is an amazing steal! I used to pay the same for a 1-bedroom with combined living/dining in a full service building.

Ok Rayona, I will never complain again about writing that check for my living space....As for you... Upper West Manhattan... I can see how that is a great price. Would love to hear what living there is like. How do you find it to be? Actually I am dying to hear about the places every one lives in....Alaska OMG.
Little ordinary Ohio here..but it's home sweet home.
This town is turning into fastfood hell.

Lurker here (now ex-lurker I suppose)

I live in mid-east Wisconsin. At my old apartment on the other side of town, I paid $625 + all utilities for a 3 bedroom rat-hole (for many reasons) right next to the fire department, RR tracks, & busy street. At the apartment I'm in now, I pay $545 + elec. for two bedrooms in a secured building which includes: 6' x 13' patio, my own garage plus separate storage area, two cats - they weren't included, I brought them with me ;-), and brand new kitchen appliances & AC. Plus it's on a cul-de-sac, so it's nice & quiet. It's like I died & went to apartment heaven. Sigh...

My sister out in Sac,California (which is where I prefer to live) would have to pay at least twice as much if not more for something this nice.

I used to live in Rapid City, SD. The rent is basically the same down there, but the pay checks are *much* smaller.

: ) oddly enough, the lowest rent I ever paid was the $400/month I paid for 800 sq ft, with covered porch, off-street parking, and 1/4 of the garden plot in a 1910 'kinda Craftman' style house in Oakland, CA... mind you, I could toss pennies from the porch roof onto I-580...but it was a steal, and the landlord let me do anything I wanted (painted the window trim mis-matched greens and purples all over the house, wound up painting the downstair's neighbor's kitchen for her, covered the chain link fence in vines) and when the roomate was working, he paid half the rent : )

when my boyfriend and I started looking for an apartment together in Bucks County, PA (north of Philly) we were painfully aware that it takes a lot of room for a woman with a full floor loom and a guy with 5 guitars and 4,000 comic books to set up house... the only apartment we found that MIGHT have fit us was $1600/month...

instead, luck allowed us to purchase a house. a basement dry enough to store books in, an attic that will make a nice weaving room next year, and while the closets are only 8" deep (it's a hundred years old) the 'spare' bedroom makes a great walk-in closet.

and, thanks to the low-low intrest rates, our mortgage is *drumroll, please- I am proud of this* $850/month, including property taxes and insurance.

right on chinacat $ 850.00 is sweet.

Ummmm....I think I might win this one....well, up to this point I do...lol

I moved into a "loft" apartment with a roommate in downtown Dallas 2 years ago and paid $1400.00 per month for rent...omg, we must have been TOTALLY NUTS!! It was an old converted flour mill and all the walls, ceilings and floors were concrete and all the plumbing and A/C was fully exposed...incredibly difficult to decorate but still a pretty cool place. I had been convinced (by the roommate) that it was "THE PLACE TO BE"...LOL

That was then, this is now...just bought a home here in Kentucky and got an awesome deal on it because it was in the middle of a remodel when we bought it ($439 a month) and we'll have it paid off in 5 years but we just left an apartment where we stayed for 2 years and it was a 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath and our rent was $589 a month...much better deal...we didn't have all the "eclectic" (read "fruitcake") neighbors, but I sure loved that rent...;-)

I am curious where you are in Ohio diydana... I am in Columbus.

Let me see, we just recently got out of a rental house where we were paying $1050 a month, which was a steal! Although there weren't many other rental homes in or around the area they were going much higher. It was a great house, 1450 ft2, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, quiet street, awesome schools but a CRAZY landlord!! Couldn't have paid enough to deal with her for one more day!!

I just can't imagine paying over $2800/mo - I am an Ohio girl and just can't imagine the cost of living in NYC...

~P

I can probably beat you for low.

My first apt. in NYC was in Washington Heights, and we paid $700 month; my share was $350. Then I moved to a $600/mo place, and my share was $300.

Now we own our apt. and our mortgate was $1,000, and the maintenance is $450. We finished off the mortgage, and now just pay the maintenance.

I bought my condo (a fixer upper, but still, I own it) 13 years ago. My mortgage is less than what some people pay for their cars (think $350 a month). In fact, a BMW costs more than my mortgage! I have a lake view, and the value of the place is now triple what I originally paid for it. The assessemnt is high, but included all utilities except the phone. The total cost is about $650.00 a month, and this for a place in the high rent district with a lake view.

nice, SAG1 : )

there is currently (for the past generation or so) a housing run in my county- everyone not only wants to live here- they want a McMansion...so the CHEAPEST twin for sale in the developments is 200K...we bought ours for 92K, and will put 20K into it in the next five years-

and I think these newbies will all be appalled when they find out that new construction is NOT superior. that particle board is NOT the miracle board that the builders claim, and that Pella windows and new insullation will NOT make up for 20 foot ceilings-

and everyone will start wanting hundred year old houses like we bought ; )

right on...i love the 100 yr old houses...the charm....the stability...
I would never ever ever...did i say never?
yes never never...EVER
do you hear me? NEVER!
lol!
sorry....freaked out.
I would never pay for a new house.
At the town meetings here ppl crawl out of the wood work with backed up sewers...leaking basements and faulty windows. They want answers from the council men...why does my house suck?....buyer beware.
We bought my condo 5 yrs ago.
Paid only 69,000 $ for it.
We put 10,000 down.
Condo's around here going for 89,000-94,000 $
The lady that was here wanted out really bad....
hehehhe!
I do have a maint. fee of 125.00$ a month.
However...still cheaper then rent.
For those fellow Ohioians I live in Medina County...Cleveland is 27 miles north up I-71

Here in Phoenix we live in one of the nicer areas and live in a "luxury apartment complex". Our 1200 sf 2 bed 2 bath with LR, DR, washer/dryer in the apartment, LOADS of closet space, tile floors and all appliances is $960/month. This also includes use of the pool, fitness center, hot tubs, saunas, basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts. We also have gas BBQ grills all over the complex, and a rec center with full kitchen, sofas, chairs and big screen for use anytime.

We have yet to hear any of our neighbors (the people next to us have little kids, too) so it is really quiet. I swore I would never live in another apartment, but until we buy a house here I am happy where we are!!!

My rent has been pretty varied over the years. Over a decade ago, I rented a very small 1 bed, 1 bath upstairs apartment with a friend and the rent was $850/mo. in SE Michigan. About 9 yrs ago, my new husband and I rented a 2 bed, 1 bath very old run-down mobile home near Ft Riley Kansas (we were just married, he had recently joined the Army) for $375/mo. Luckily, we weren't there long before we were able to move into base housing. After base housing, leaving the military and one home purchase/sell later, we found ourselves renters again a little over a year ago. We moved from SE Michigan (a fairly high-cost housing area) to SE Kentucky (a fairly low-cost housing area) and rented a 2 bed, 1 1/2 bath townhouse for $425/mo. Just a couple of weeks ago, we moved into a 3 bed, 2 bath quite large home for $650/mo. Which is kinda funny, because around here that rent is high but considering the size of the home, it seems very reasonable to us! It has a living room, family room, den, office, attached garage and a large dining room. Ahhh... space.

I've been a lurker here for several weeks, glad I finally registered. :)

We currently pay $1500 for a two bedroom apartment (~1000 sq. feet) in a decent area of Los Angeles -- we were lucky, and got a really good deal on it, because it normally goes for around $1900. We like the area a lot, because it's right on the ocean/marina, and the neighborhood feels safe to us, unlike some areas we've lived in LA :)

I live in Marin COunty, north of San Francisco. I was paying $1750 for a 2 bed/2 bath (890 square feet), and it was a steal. Now we just purchased our first home for $530,000. It is not anything spectacular, but houses appreciate here about 10% (in a bad year). Therefore it is well worth the high initial price. Although the lifestyle is a little more confined than what you could get for over 500K elsewhere. I love the people here. And the atmosphere, although everyone (in the heartland and stuff) think that we are weird liberal cooks! Plus, living in a metropolis like SF suburb, with feeling like you are in the countryside, this is quite rare. No crime, and the nature is spectacular.

here i sit and get the chills when i read 1,750 dollars..
puke! i would just about die every time if i wrote the check out for that amount. have ems on stand-by please.

I have really enjoyed reading this board. So interesting. I don't rent I own, but don't beat me up about it. I have to post just because this is so interesting and I think that most people want to know what is going on out there with everybody else, so here goes.
I live in KY. so the cost of living is cheaper here and housing is also.
I had a home built (not with patical board) on a 1 acre lot. It is a three bedroom, one bath, kitchen, dining room, living room, garage and small basement for 53,700. The house is brick and we live in a cul-de-sac. That was ten years ago, now the same house still only goes for 65,000.
Location Location Location
But you have to really want to live in KY. LOL

I live in southwest MO and my first apartment was a one bedroom (about 450 sq ft) and we paid $319/mo and that included utilities. Second apartment was a street over and was also a one bedroom (about 700 sq ft) and we paid $425/mo, utilites not included, but garage parking. Third apartment was in a different city and was a one bedroom (about 800 sq ft) and was $650/mo, utilities not included. The apartment I live in now is in the same city as the first two and it a two bedroom/ two bath (about 900 sq ft) and I pay $415/mo, utilities not included. I live in a differnt part of town than the first two, in a nicer area.

My boyfriend recently bought a four bedroom house and he pays only about $100 more now than he was paying in rent for a two bedroom apartment.

My first apartment was in a luxury complex- 2 bedrms, 2 ba, living rm with a fireplace, eat-in kitchen and a balcony. all for 690/mo, that was in '96-'98. I just found out that the rent is now in the 900's - Greensboro, NC.

In Washington, DC -before buying a condo- I had an apartment with 2 bedrms, 1 ba, kitchen, living rm, dining rm and huge windows for 675/mo - '98-'01. That was an amazing deal since it was in a great/safe location and walking distance of a metro station. Also all other similiar apartments I looked at went over 900-1,000/mo.

Now I own a house with a mortgage payment under 500/mo - 3 bedrms, 1 ba, kitchen, living rm, dining rm, mudroom, full basement, 1/2 wrap around porch, large windows, built in 1945. In western NC.

lowest rent I ever paid - $490 for a studio apartment in Albany (Colonie) New York in the early 90's

most rent I ever paid was $2500 for a 1 bedroom in New York City in midtown. Paid that two years ago.

I guess I can say the cheapest rent I paid was living at home as I went to school...paid the cable & water bill which was around $60 month at worst.

Before that...during my younger & more wild times, I had lived with a girlfriend in a studio in FL. for $305 mo. I remember it was advertised at $295 mo...but the landlord raised it by $10 because there were 2 of us! We were there for a year.

After the lease was up, we moved to a carport converted into an apt. (getting a visual?) Crappy, but it was in a house with friends and they only charged us $100 mo. I believe. 6 months there, we broke up, and I stayed about one more month and decided to go back to school and GO HOME and pay to stay in a nice clean home...great choice! :)

I now live in a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. When I moved out here, I didn't want to rent, so I bought a studio condo...about 475 sq. ft. It has an L-shaped living/dining room, full kitchen, bath, extra fairly large back room w/washer/dryer, and outside balcony w/large storage room. I'm on the 3rd floor (top) and on the end, so there is no one above me and I only share one common wall...and that condo is vacant most of the year! Very peaceful, plus the living room sliding glass door that leads to the balcony has great views of the mountains and some untouched desert land...plus distant city lights at night.

I've appointed it very tastefully...lot more I want to do. First thing is tile the vinyl kitchen/bath floors!

Oh, I forgot the whole point of this topic! My mortgage is just $246 mo...only 19K more and I can burn the mortgage! Plus I pay association dues of $110 mo. Not too shabby in a very fast growing area where homes have risen 20% or more the past couple years.

In east central Indiana, I have paid 300/mo for my share of a house. Last year it was a 2 bedroom rundown apartment on the top floor with a balcony that wasn't safe to walk on (college town... landlords that don't really care about their buildings). This year I share a 3 bedroom house with a basement. Still a crappy college house, but better than the last. Neither places we have had to pay utilities and the laundry was free.

My girlfriend and I are moving to Chicago in a month and we just found an apartment over the holiday weekend. We are going to live in a very residential neighborhood in a 3 story apartment building with 6 total apartments. We will live on the top floor in the north apartment. 2 bedroom, 1200 sq feet= very large apartment. new walls, electricity, plumping, appliances, etc. we are paying 900/mo and that includes heat and water. We feel that is is a steal as all the other apartments we looked at were much smaller and run down and didn't include any utilities. Now we are counting down the days!

Very interesting topic!

I live in a pretty exclusive suburb of one of the nicest cities in Mexico. I pay $950 USD a month for a three bedroom, 3-1/2 bath house with studio, TV room and storage room, central round hallway with huge circular stairs to the second floor. I could buy this same house for about $100,000 USD. This same house would sell for about $75,000 USD in different cities. This one is the third most expensive place in Mexico.

We used to rent an even bigger house in the city for $625, but the neighborhood wasn't very classy. It was nice, we liked it, but had the opportunity to move out of the city, so we did.

Marti in Mexico

Back in September, diydana asked about Alaska. I lived in Alaska (actually in Kodiak Alaska, an island) for almost 8 years in the '80's. We owned a fourplex in Kodiak at that time. The two bedroom units rented for $800 and the three bedroom was $950. They were what I would call average units, nothing special except a beautiful view from the kitchen window of the boat harbor and mountains.

Now we have own a weekly rental on the ocean. It rents for $1350 a week during the season and $1500 month during the winter. Its only 1000 square feet, 2 bedrooms 2 baths, but right on the Atlantic Ocean.

Interesting topic even if I am late to join in