### High-End Living at Lower Rents
Mention the words “high-end apartments,” and what might immediately follow is the assumption of “high-end rents.” However, a recent RentCafe report challenges this notion. In their study, *Luxury for Less: Best Zip Codes for Upscale Living at Lower Rents*, RentCafe analyzed various regions and zip codes to determine where renters can find luxury apartments without paying premium rates.
To identify these zip codes, RentCafe’s research team examined approximately 10,000 areas, narrowing the data to locations with a high concentration of quality apartments in desirable neighborhoods. The study focused on places where:
– The average rent was below the city-wide norm for luxury apartments.
– Monthly rent costs accounted for less than one-third of typical local income.
### Key Findings
– Texas leads the list with 44 zip codes offering luxury rentals at lower costs, followed by Colorado with 22 zip codes.
– Austin, TX, ranks as the city with the most zip codes featuring affordable luxury apartments.
– Seattle provides the largest rent savings for upscale living.
– The top 100 zip codes for high-end yet affordable apartments offer rents between $120 and $880 below the respective city averages, with nearly half of these zip codes located in Western and Southwestern cities.
Additional insights revealed that Seattle, Scottsdale, AZ, and Madison, WI, offer significant savings on quality apartments. Notably, Seattle’s 98116 zip code ranked as the top location for upscale living at a lower cost.
The report emphasized that in the highlighted cities and zip codes, “renters can find great deals because most rentals are high-end, yet typical rents remain below the city average for this unit type.”
