Housing MarketReal Estate

Want to live in a big city on a small budget?

A big city living experience is still attainable in these affordable surrounding neighborhoods

With a lack of new construction plaguing the housing market, many people are left to rely on the rental market, which saw record-low vacancies in 2019.

Add that up and that means it’s getting more expensive to live in the city, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t affordable options.

To that end, realtor.com found some cities that have affordable surrounding neighborhoods.

“I expect affordability to very much remain a main challenge for the housing market in 2020 for both buyers and renters, partly because there’s very limited new-housing supply,” says George Ratiu, senior economist for realtor.com, in a release.

Realtor.com uncovered the highest city to rent in is San Francisco, where a one-bedroom goes for $3,473. In the San Francisco metro, the Sunset District, located just about five miles outside of town, it was found to be the most affordable surrounding city, with one-bedroom rent going at $2,380.

Fellow California city Los Angeles was also ranked among the top of the list. With median one-bedroom rent at $2,199, the neighboring city of Windsor Hills had median one-bedroom rent at $1,657.

And the lowest? Median one-bedroom rent in Houston is at $1,035. Meanwhile in its most affordable neighborhood, in Mission Bend, located about 20 miles West of the Texas metro, the median one-bedroom rent is $700.

Another Texas metro, Dallas, also sits on the lower end of the list. There, the median one-bedroom rent is $1,180. In its most affordable neighborhood, Northwest Dallas, the median one-bedroom rent is $747.

“For young professionals looking for a place to rent, the major trade-offs center around location, proximity to public transit and amenities, as well as building features,” Ratiu said.

From New York to San Francisco, here are more affordable neighborhoods to live outside of the country’s largest cities:

Philadelphia, PA
Median one-bedroom rent: $1,495
Most affordable neighborhood: Somerton
Median one-bedroom rent in Somerton: $800

Atlanta, GA
Median one-bedroom rent: $1,425
Most affordable neighborhood: Dunwoody
Median one-bedroom rent in Dunwoody: $871

Chicago, IL
Median one-bedroom rent: $1,450
Most affordable neighborhood: Elmwood Park
Median one-bedroom rent: $1,150

Miami, FL
Median one-bedroom rent: $1,700
Most affordable neighborhood: Kendall West
Median one-bedroom rent in Kendall West: $1,251

New York, NY
Median one-bedroom rent: $2,960
Most affordable neighborhood: East Elmhurst
Median one-bedroom rent in East Elmhurst: $1,755

Washington, DC
Median one-bedroom rent: $2,200
Most affordable neighborhood: Chevy Chase
Median one-bedroom rent: $1,838

Boston, MA
Median one-bedroom rent: $2,500
Most affordable neighborhood: West Roxbury
Median one-bedroom rent in West Roxbury: $2,186

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