DC rent? Forum

[Wanderingdrock]

I'm likewise looking for a place to live near the red line and near Union Station.

Can't believe some of the prices I'm hearing.

Yeah I feel like a lot of people on this thread got COVID deals because I’m likewise having trouble finding anything in the range discussed.

People on TLS, and also Reddit, consistently understate real-world living costs. They will claim you can get an awesome Manhattan apartment for $2500 per month ($83 per day!)

I think their goal is to suggest they have special local know-how and street smarts and therefore can bend a highly efficient real estate market to their will.

I posted above about my apartment near Woodley Park Metro. It was a great area, 800 sqf, and came with utilities for sub-$2k/month. It's now ~$2100 according to the rental company's website. It was just old, is all. As others are saying, just depends on what you're looking for, but there are lots of old buildings in great areas for affordable prices.

[Anonymous User]

I really does depend on how nice you want your neighborhood and unit to be. Three months ago friend of mine rented a two-bed in Brentwood that's a sub 10-minute walk to the red line for $1500. It's a perfectly comfortable, well maintained apartment. You can bike to the mall in 20 minutes and be at union station in sub-20 minutes if you time the train correctly. He complains it's pretty quiet and boring, so it just depends on the preferences and what a dollar's worth to you.

I think this is particular to DC as well, you can get an English basement somewhere for pretty cheap, but if you want amenities or are particular about your neighborhood then it's gonna be the 2.5-3k range

[Anonymous User]

I really does depend on how nice you want your neighborhood and unit to be. Three months ago friend of mine rented a two-bed in Brentwood that's a sub 10-minute walk to the red line for $1500. It's a perfectly comfortable, well maintained apartment. You can bike to the mall in 20 minutes and be at union station in sub-20 minutes if you time the train correctly. He complains it's pretty quiet and boring, so it just depends on the preferences and what a dollar's worth to you.

I think this is particular to DC as well, you can get an English basement somewhere for pretty cheap, but if you want amenities or are particular about your neighborhood then it's gonna be the 2.5-3k range

This has been my experience as well. Amenities + nice/convenient neighborhoods = $2750+ for a 1BR. Now comparing that to NYC, it’s pretty affordable, compared to smaller cities you’re obviously paying a hefty premium to live in DC.

[Anonymous User]

In terms of apartment quality per dollar, on the Red Line and close to the core, you are not going to do better than Union Station or NoMa as your stop. Just zero in around there and you will find a handful of very similar luxury apartments at very similar price points. I paid a premium for a high floor unit with a south/west view of the good stuff. But I think $2750 as the floor is not quite right. You can get a 1BR for under that price, in a fairly new building, with good amenities, in one of these locations.

The one piece of advice I would offer is that grocery store proximity has become a huge luxury to me, so the Union Station stop (on the east side, along H Street) has apartments near Giant and Whole Foods, and NoMa is near Harris Teeter and Streets Market. Living in an apartment that was in the same building as one of these grocery stores was truly life changing for me in a good way when biglaw hours are really crushing, but if you don't mind lots of takeout or delivery, then maybe it doesn't matter as much.

[Anonymous User]

I pay $2,440 for a nice 1 bedroom in Shaw in a big building. But similar units are several hundred dollars more per month for new leases now, so I expect my rent will go up when the lease turns over.