5 Great 2-Bedroom Apartments for $1500 a Month

Salem Harbour photos: University City Housing via Zillow

While some in this city may be experiencing sticker shock over rising apartment rents, the stats we see suggest that this still remains an affordable place to rent compared to most of our peers. The latest figures from Apartment List show that the median rent for a 2-bedroom home in Philadelphia is a mere $1,160 per month, just a smidgen below the national median of $1,170 per month and well below the rents in New York, Boston or Washington.

What’s more, rents here are rising at a modest rate: 1.1 percent in the past year, compared with 1.5 percent for Pennsylvania and 2.0 percent nationally.

Within the region, however, rents vary widely, with median monthly two-bedroom rents ranging from a low of $980 in Pottstown to a high of $1,540 in West Chester.

With that in mind, we decided to venture around the region to see what $1,500 a month or thereabouts would get us in the way of a two-bedroom apartment. It didn’t take us long to find these five fine specimens:

Salem Harbour marina

Bucks County: Salem Harbour Apartments, Bensalem (above) | 2-bedroom units with one or two bathrooms range in size from 1,045 to 1,190 square feet, $1465 to $1640 per month. Cats and small dogs welcome in select buildings; nonrefundable deposit and additional rent apply

This 75-acre apartment community offers amenities few in this region can match. The most notable of these is a marina right on the Delaware River where you can park your boat for an additional monthly fee. There’s also an Olympic-sized riverside swimming pool with free poolside Wi-Fi, basketball, beach volleyball and tennis courts, a sundeck, a fitness center, and a nine-hole golf course. The community clubhouse also offers free Wi-Fi, and basic cable service is included in your rent as well. Some apartments offer fireplaces, and some have river views.

Salem Harbour, 455 Old Bridge Rd., Bensalem, Pa. 19020 [University City Housing]

Photo: Harbor Group Management via Zillow

Chester County: Golf Club Apartments, West Chester | 2 beds, 1.5 baths, 1,000 square feet, $1,515 to $2,730 per month (rent varies according to move-in date and lease term; the lowest rate is for a standard 12-month lease, and monthly rent rises as the lease length decreases). Pets welcome; fees, additional monthly rent and breed restrictions may apply

Unlike Salem Harbour, this complex has no golf course in it, despite its name. But it got a makeover a few years back that gave it a community house with a fitness center, business center, lounge space and swimming pool. The apartments themselves also got an upgrade that gave them modern kitchens and appliances. The complex’s two-bedroom units are designed like two-story townhouses, with rooms arranged around a central entrance and staircase. The complex is located right on West Chester Pike, where SEPTA’s Route 104 bus can take you into West Chester’s lively downtown or to 69th Street Terminal and connections to Center City. Exton’s shopping malls and Regional Rail station are just a few miles up the road as well.

Golf Club Apartments, 1100 West Chester Pike, West Chester, Pa. 19382 [Harbor Group Management]

Photo: Friedman Realty Group via Zillow

Delaware County: The Preserve at Darby Creek, Prospect Park | 2 beds, 1.5 baths, 1,020 square feet, $1,455 to $1,505 per month. Pets welcome.

This two-story townhouse-style apartment sits at the top of the range of two-bedroom units available at this community; its brick electric fireplace offers added warmth and attractiveness that the management figures is worth an additional $90 a month. If you agree, and if you’re a nature lover, you will want to consider these apartments located just up the road from the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. The nature preserve is one of this complex’s nicest off-property amenities; the on-property ones include a barbecue area and a playground for the kids. A new owner bought this complex at the end of 2015, and the apartments have been refurbished with newer kitchens and bathrooms. If you work at or near the airport, you can’t beat this location for convenience.

The Preserve at Darby Creek, 211 Lazaretto Rd., Prospect Park, Pa. 19076 [Friedman Realty Group]

Photo: Eagle Rock Management via Zillow

Montgomery County: Brookview Apartments at Elkins Park | 2 beds, 2 baths, 1,008 square feet, $1,500 a month and up. Pets welcome; fees, breed and weight restrictions apply

This sylvan apartment complex is located across the street from Tacony Creek, and some units have a view of the stream. Located midway between Elkins Park’s attractive village center and historic Ashmead Village, this complex puts you close to nature, culture, history, shopping and Regional Rail service to Center City. These larger two-bedroom units have optional fireplaces and up-to-date kitchens and bathrooms. The community includes a clubhouse with a fitness center, business center and cybercafé with Wi-Fi, barbecue grills, a swimming pool and a sundeck.

Brookview Apartments at Elkins Park, 1235 Ashbourne Rd., Elkins Park, Pa. 19027 [Eagle Rock Management]

Photo: T. Wells Real Estate Services via Zillow

Philadelphia: 5335 Knox St., Apt. 5, Germantown | 2 beds, 1 bath, 1,000 square feet, $1,500 per month. Pets welcome

You can find apartments like this in several Philadelphia neighborhoods: homes built as mansions for the well-to-do that got carved up once the well-to-do left. This one’s in the Penn-Knox section of Germantown, a solidly middle-class section in the neighborhood’s southwest quadrant. Like many 19th-century Germantown houses, this Queen Anne boasts lots of colorful and interesting architectural details, and they’ve been well preserved in the transition to apartments. The property manager for this home specializes in Northwest Philadelphia properties, which have been getting snapped up quickly of late; there’s a good chance that this apartment has already been rented, for while it shows up on Zillow, it’s not listed as available on the property manager’s site. A similar three-bedroom, one-bath apartment is listed as available for an even lower rent: $1,300 per month. If neither of these strike your fancy, the property manager would love to show you around some of the other Northwest Philly homes it manages.

5335 Knox St., Apt. 5, Philadelphia, Pa. 19144 [T. Wells Real Estate Services via Zillow]