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As others have said, look to cities with population loss, or cities that are stagnant or losing economic growth.
Think of these regions and cities:
Jackson, MS
Charleston, WV
Huntington, WV
Toledo, OH
Akron, OH
Youngstown, OH
Peoria, IL
Rockford, IL
Binghamton, NY
upstate NY and upstate PA cities
Erie, PA
Small cities in Arkansas or Louisiana
Flint, MI
Basically target areas that are declining/stagnant, for decades. Prices are cheap in these areas, or landlords will be desperate to rent.
Along these lines....what do studios cost in cities?
All I know is that in Chicago, in a safe neighborhood not near downtown, you can find studios ranging from $900-$1,200. Typically in vintage buildings.
Quick look in Hoboken and looks like dated ~500 sqft studios (typically in basement apartments) look to be $1,600-1,900. In newer rental buildings they are $2,500-3,000 (also ~500 sqft, but with building amenities).
To the original question, I'd imagine those prices are nearly impossible to find anywhere you'd actually want to live and/or has a functioning economy.
As others have said, look to cities with population loss, or cities that are stagnant or losing economic growth.
Think of these regions and cities:
Jackson, MS
Charleston, WV
Huntington, WV
Toledo, OH
Akron, OH
Youngstown, OH
Peoria, IL
Rockford, IL
Binghamton, NY
upstate NY and upstate PA cities
Erie, PA
Small cities in Arkansas or Louisiana
Flint, MI
Basically target areas that are declining/stagnant, for decades. Prices are cheap in these areas, or landlords will be desperate to rent.
In the above cities, maybe only Charleston, Youngstown, and Flint (and some smaller cities) have studio apartments in the below 500 price range. NY cities are averaging $900-$1100 these days. Even Jackson and Akron are over $1000.
In the above cities, maybe only Charleston, Youngstown, and Flint (and some smaller cities) have studio apartments in the below 500 price range. NY cities are averaging $900-$1100 these days. Even Jackson and Akron are over $1000.
I dunno man, I did a quick bit of research, and found these:
Granted, these may be in semi-dicey to "just ok" areas, and the apartments might be in worn condition or not the best. But if you do searches, there are studios/1 beds for under $500/month in these, and many other areas.
The areas are gonna be borderline/not ideal, but it's a bargain still, at least, if you are looking to cut rent costs.
Granted, these may be in semi-dicey to "just ok" areas, and the apartments might be in worn condition or not the best. But if you do searches, there are studios/1 beds for under $500/month in these, and many other areas.
The areas are gonna be borderline/not ideal, but it's a bargain still, at least, if you are looking to cut rent costs.
I stand corrected on the under $500, then. In looking at the above list, there are only 10 apartments, total, that are at or below the OPs $450 number, and that would be Akron (4), Dayton (1), and Bowling Green (4). So, for the OP, maybe Akron or Dayton would have the most to offer.
Of the 3 cities I listed, I was surprised to see that only Flint (1 apartment) and Charleston (2 apartments) available at $450 or less using your source.
What about downtown Detroit/Flint Michigan in an old project high rise??
This is true. part of the problem is that no one wants to live in the cheap places. They are cheap for a reason. I could buy a city block in the rust belt for the price of a house in Palm Beach, but why would I want to do that?
Granted, these may be in semi-dicey to "just ok" areas, and the apartments might be in worn condition or not the best. But if you do searches, there are studios/1 beds for under $500/month in these, and many other areas.
The areas are gonna be borderline/not ideal, but it's a bargain still, at least, if you are looking to cut rent costs.
Not sure about the other cities, but the 2 in Binghamton are actually in solid areas, with one in Downtown. I'm wondering if they are marketed to college students that may share a house with that rate per person/room though.
You may be able to find something in select Upstate NY cities/neighborhoods in decent areas for maybe around $600, give or take, at the lowest and these are usually small and/or older Studio apartments. That is even surprising, relative to many areas of the country.
I live in Greenville, NC, (95K population, plus a huge university) and I live in a fairly new (three years old) apartment complex in the "good part of town" that features a decent amount of space, but no amenities like a swimming pool, etc. I pay just under $800 per month for a one bedroom unit. Greenville doesn't really have studio apartments, but there are several 'old school' apartment complexes that are cheaper than mine, (though $450 is probably unrealistic just about anywhere in the U.S.). Some are in decent areas of town, but the trade-off is that the units are dated in terms of old appliances and such. These complexes used to cater to college students, but students now prefer to live in the newer student apartments where they can rent one room per semester in a shared three or four bedrooms unit.
Greenville is about halfway between Raleigh and the coast, is a hub town to all the surrounding rural towns, and has been growing steadily for 40 years. Terrain is flat, and weather tends to be mild to hot March to October. We have "hoodie weather" in the fall and late winter. Doesn't generally get terribly cold, but will have a one or two snow scares per winter where we generally only get an inch or two that will shut us down for a day. Sometimes we're on the inland path of hurricanes, but it's not as intense as being right on the coast. We've had issues in the past with flooding around the river and creeks in the days after a hurricane due to a ton of storm water needing a place to end up. Basically north of the river is vulnerable to flooding. Most of the town is south of the river. Employment will largely depend on occupation. Not really a tech town, but a major medical and university town, plus a few factories, a ton of service jobs, and in increase of independently owned restaurants and food trucks. Two or three hours to the beach, depending on which one you go to, and 1.5 hours hours to Raleigh/Durham area. Some people love Greenville, some people get bored here. Me? As much as I sometimes would prefer to be somewhere more "exciting," it's not cost-prohibitive to be here and traffic isn't insane either (though long-time locals might disagree on that point). Greenville, NC may not have everything you want, but it does have everything you need.
If Greenville, NC isn't for you, then keep in mind the idea of older apartment complexes in college towns as possibly a more affordable way to find an apartment. The current trend is for college students is to share a unit with multiple people, but pay by the room in new, modern, amenity-filled complexes where they can live only amongst other students without being in a dorm. The older, traditional complexes that students now shun still need tenants, and not all of them are in bad locations. They may be bland and may be in need of updates, but they're cheaper than modern market-rate apartments. If you want cheap, you'll have to make some kind of trade-off. There's nothing nice and still cheap anywhere in the U.S. anymore.
Last edited by Phil A. Delphia; 03-23-2022 at 08:24 PM..
Doubt you will find anything market rate at those prices there, though (along with Youngstown) probably are the closest. Really, if your price point is that low, you probably qualify for section 8 or a city/county housing agency (if background check passes).
Unfortunately, $300 to $500 a month is virtually impossible to find anywhere unless you are going through a slum lord.
every taken a look at the hoops you have to go through to find and rent a subsidized unit? It's like getting security clearance from the CIA. Complete invasion of privacy. That is if you can even find one of these units without a years waiting list. Also many are in isolated areas in small towns.
I live in Greenville, NC, (95K population, plus a huge university) and I live in a fairly new (three years old) apartment complex in the "good part of town" that features a decent amount of space, but no amenities like a swimming pool, etc. I pay just under $800 per month for a one bedroom unit. Greenville doesn't really have studio apartments, but there are several 'old school' apartment complexes that are cheaper than mine, (though $450 is probably unrealistic just about anywhere in the U.S.). Some are in decent areas of town, but the trade-off is that the units are dated in terms of old appliances and such. These complexes used to cater to college students, but students now prefer to live in the newer student apartments where they can rent one room per semester in a shared three or four bedrooms unit.
Greenville is about halfway between Raleigh and the coast, is a hub town to all the surrounding rural towns, and has been growing steadily for 40 years. Terrain is flat, and weather tends to be mild to hot March to October. We have "hoodie weather" in the fall and late winter. Doesn't generally get terribly cold, but will have a one or two snow scares per winter where we generally only get an inch or two that will shut us down for a day. Sometimes we're on the inland path of hurricanes, but it's not as intense as being right on the coast. We've had issues in the past with flooding around the river and creeks in the days after a hurricane due to a ton of storm water needing a place to end up. Basically north of the river is vulnerable to flooding. Most of the town is south of the river. Employment will largely depend on occupation. Not really a tech town, but a major medical and university town, plus a few factories, a ton of service jobs, and in increase of independently owned restaurants and food trucks. Two or three hours to the beach, depending on which one you go to, and 1.5 hours hours to Raleigh/Durham area. Some people love Greenville, some people get bored here. Me? As much as I sometimes would prefer to be somewhere more "exciting," it's not cost-prohibitive to be here and traffic isn't insane either (though long-time locals might disagree on that point). Greenville, NC may not have everything you want, but it does have everything you need.
If Greenville, NC isn't for you, then keep in mind the idea of older apartment complexes in college towns as possibly a more affordable way to find an apartment. The current trend is for college students is to share a unit with multiple people, but pay by the room in new, modern, amenity-filled complexes where they can live only amongst other students without being in a dorm. The older, traditional complexes that students now shun still need tenants, and not all of them are in bad locations. They may be bland and may be in need of updates, but they're cheaper than modern market-rate apartments. If you want cheap, you'll have to make some kind of trade-off. There's nothing nice and still cheap anywhere in the U.S. anymore.
Thanks for the reply. If you have any specific apts in mind 500 and under, pm me the names. I looked at greenville and decided the rents are way too high there.
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ok but have you
