Apartments offer great opportunities to live in a city without the commitment of buying a home, making it easier to travel, try out new places & cultures and experience the world. These month-to-month or yearly leases allow people to experience more ephemeral lodging and greater chances for exploration. Here are some of the best cities for apartment living in the world.
Photo Credit: Ben Husmann
In America, New York City is one of the best cities for apartment living. The city of skyscrapers and brownstones makes living in a house either utterly improbable, as costs and availability of houses (especially in Manhattan where they are almost non-existent) are well outside most people’s incomes, or (if you’re in one of the burrows such as Staten Island, Queens or the Bronx) limiting in terms of being able to check out the city. With the wealth of neighborhoods and apartment styles, living in a house in New York City is almost a sin; you could spend a lifetime bouncing from apartment to apartment, from neighborhood to neighborhood, and from burrow to burrow—encountering new adventures, restaurants, people and local hot spots with each new apartment. Chicago is very similar in that respect; though significantly smaller, Chicago is still the third largest city in America and one full of diverse and unique neighborhoods best explored through apartments.
Staying in North America but leaving the country, Vancouver and Toronto are fantastic entries into the category of best apartment living. These very accessible cities offer much of the same city life as New York or Chicago but with the rents that are aggregately lower and, with Vancouver, surrounded by a landscape not found near most American cities. The mountains surrounding Vancouver make for excellent winter sports, and their proximity to the Pacific means generally lowered temperatures that other cities at that longitude; the amount of water in the city means you could even rent an apartment on the water! Vancouver is also one of the greenest cities in the world with their emphasis on green buildings and technology.
On the other side of the world, Melbourne ranks as the number one most livable city according to the Economist, based on the quality of living conditions, average rent, and various lifestyle options—though public transportation is a bit of a problem. Sydney is another great option in Australia but the higher rent and denser population might not be as alluring (or more alluring, depending on who you are).
Europe has some fantastic cities for apartment living, and many hidden gems that are on the rise. Vienna in Austria came up as the Economist’s runner-up behind Melbourne with their Central European location and middle-ranged apartments (compared to the rest of Europe, London and Dublin being among the most expensive). Vienna is also very much an apartment city, with the majority of houses located along the outskirts and littered with a variety of affordable restaurants and shops. Hamburg, Germany is on the rise as well and according to The Guardian is one of the top five best cities to live in the world. Hamburg’s HafenCity is an on-the-rise apartment neighborhood like London’s Olympic village on steroids. A bike-friendly city, Hamburg is easy to get around in, leaving you more time to explore the resurgent red-light district, artist studios and experimental theater groups; plus, Hamburg has jobs!—sadly not something many cities these days can boast.
Hong Kong and Singapore remain some of the most popular cities in Asia, attracting a lot of expats from all over the world due to the level of business being conducted by companies there. Both cities have been greatly influenced by the West while still retaining their own culture (Singapore’s official language is even English!), making them great spots for Westerners looking to dip their toes into Asian life.
Last but certainly not least is the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentinean capitol has been called the Paris of South America, bursting with culture, European architecture, natural beauty and booming commerce—and their average rental prices are about twenty-percent of those in New York. Compared to other cities in South America that continually come up in the world’s best places to live, Sao Paolo and Bogota, Buenoes Aires offers the best quality of life at the cheapest rates.
Apartments offer the unique opportunity to live anywhere in the world; and with this list, hopefully you’ll take advantage of the opportunity and explore the world.
About the author: Robert Mansions writes about apartment living for Apartment Guys In Chicago.
