The garden studio smelled like a basement. Not bad, exactly. Just that cool, slightly earthy smell you get in a lower level after a wet week in March. The agent showing it opened a window and said it "just needs air," and I nodded and wrote "damp?" in my notes app with a question mark I already didn't believe.
That was the second of three apartments I toured over two weekends this month. My move fund is at $2,700 after three months of saving, my raise to $49,800 kicked in this month, and I want a lease that starts June 1. So it's time to compare real places instead of rental signs.
The three contenders
A Skokie one-bedroom near Old Orchard, $1,450. Bright, newer windows, an actual bedroom with a door, and a parking spot included in the rent. Ten minutes from my office. The catch: heat is not included. The unit has its own gas heat, and the gas stove is on the same meter.
An Evanston garden-level studio, $1,375. South Evanston, close to the lake, recently painted, heat and water included. Half below ground. The windows are at sidewalk level, so the view is ankles. Parking was street only, with a permit.
An Evanston top-floor studio, $1,295. Third floor of a 1920s brick courtyard building, short walk to the Main Street Purple Line stop and Metra. About 480 square feet. Heat and water included. Gas stove, no dishwasher, no central air. A spot in the back lot for $50 a month. And a window over the courtyard with an old tree right outside it, which I'm trying very hard not to let make the decision for me.
All-in monthly cost
Rent is the headline. Here's what each one costs per month once I add the things the rent doesn't cover, using estimates from the listings, the buildings and what friends pay:
Skokie one-bedroom: $1,450 rent + about $90 a month for gas averaged over the year (much more in January) + about $50 electric + $0 parking = about $1,590.
Evanston garden studio: $1,375 rent + about $35 electric + about $10 a month for a street parking permit, averaged = about $1,420. Plus whatever a dehumidifier costs to buy and run.
Evanston top-floor studio: $1,295 rent + about $40 electric + $50 parking = about $1,385.
Internet, renters insurance and laundry would be about the same at all three, so I left them out of the comparison.
The Skokie place is the nicest apartment of the three, and it's the one I can't really afford. At about $1,590 all in, the apartment alone would eat more than half of my new take-home, which is about $2,886 a month now with the raise. A bedroom door is lovely. It's not $200 a month lovely.
The garden studio is the cheapest in Evanston on paper, but it's only $35 a month less in total than the top floor, and it felt damp. I'm a person whose job is reading the fine print on medical bills. I know a "just needs air" when I hear one. Mold, a running dehumidifier and stuff stored on the floor getting musty are all costs too, even if they don't come on a bill.
The top-floor studio has the lowest all-in number. It also has three flights of stairs, no AC and a kitchen that's basically a hallway with a stove. My dad, who came on the second tour, opened every cabinet, ran the shower for a full minute and checked the water pressure in the kitchen sink. His verdict: "Good bones. Hot in August." He's probably right on both counts.
Where I'm leaning
The top floor in Evanston. Lowest monthly cost, close to the train for weekends in the city, heat included for the winter, and it's still only 12 to 15 minutes to the office in Skokie. The trade-offs are real: summer heat, stairs with groceries, and washing dishes by hand.
Before I apply, I'm checking my credit score and pulling my reports again, since the application means a screening. I'm also reading the full sample lease, especially the parts about the deposit, the parking spot and whether a window air conditioner is allowed. Then I'll apply in early April, if it's still available.
Rent will still be about 45% of my take-home. I keep writing that sentence down to make sure I'm saying it to myself plainly. It's high. I'm choosing it anyway, with my eyes open, because I've done the math for the rest of the budget and it works, just without much slack.
