5 Decent Median-Priced 2BR Apartments in Philly
You can actually find some nice two-bedroom apartments around here for about $1200 a month if you're willing to look beyond the hot neighborhoods.
Image via The Philly Apartment Company
According to the latest rent report from the Apartment List search site, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city of Philadelphia is $1,170 per month as of May.
That’s both the same as the nationwide median rent for a two-bedroom apartment and a figure that should be within reach of even a young couple bringing in $3,500 a month, or about $42,0o0 a year — right around the city’s median household income of $41,449 in 2016 per Census Bureau estimates.
So: can you find a decent apartment for about $1,200 per month in this town?
The answer turns out to be: Yes, give or take $50 per month. You just won’t be able to find one in Center City, that’s all. The few two-bedroom apartments we found in Center City all looked like they could use a little fixing up. (Especially the one on the 400 block of South Street in Queen Village. That vinyl floor in the living room/kitchen has got to go.)
But if you’re willing to look a little further afield from the really hot neighborhoods, you can find yourself some very nice apartments. Many of them are also close to transit that will get you into town quickly. Here are five of the best ones we found.
Overbrook Flats / Lancaster Court / Weymouth Apartments, Overbrook Farms (above) | 2 beds, 1 bath, square footages vary, $1,250 per month. Pets welcome.
These beautifully renovated apartments combine classic materials and modern style in a most convenient location. They also offer you the opportunity to live in one of Philadelphia’s most beloved and desired neighborhoods, Overbrook Farms, without shelling out a small fortune. The units boast hardwood floors, modern appliances and window-unit air conditioning, and there’s a fitness center and laundry on the property for tenants. Whether you want to hang out in Ardmore or Old City, SEPTA can get you there in a jiffy via the Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail line, and with a Walk Score of 76, a Transit Score of 65 and a Bike Score of 55, you should find you can leave your car, if you have one, parked on the street most of the time.
Overbrook Flats, 6358 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19151 [Mike McNells | The Philly Apartment Company]
Bright MLS image via The Somers Team – RE/MAX Access
2678 Martha St., East Kensington | 2 beds, 1 bath, 784 square feet, $1,175 per month. Contact agent about pets.
This is one of those Millennial-magnet rowhomes with loft-style design cues, including exposed brick walls in the living room and master bedroom and a pressed-tin-ceiling-tile backsplash in its super-sleek modern kitchen. It has room enough for a young family starting out in life, including a decent-sized backyard, and its fittings and fixtures are all up to date, including the laundry in its basement and its central air conditioning. Here, you’re just a short walk away from Frankford Avenue and its many and varied shopping and dining options. The Market-Frankford Line’s Huntingdon station is also just a few blocks’ walk away.
2678 Martha St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125 [Chris and Stephanie Somers | The Somers Team | RE/MAX Access]
Image via HomeLink Realty
2648 Earp St., Grays Ferry | 2 beds, 1 full, 1 half baths, $1,250 per month. Contact agent about pets.
This Grays Ferry rowhome got a makeover that added lots of style and some very nice extras not usually found at this price point to it. The stone and exposed brick in the main living area give it a touch of cool, and the wine fridge in its kitchen does the same for your white wine as well. (There’s also a built-in wine rack above it for your reds.) It has a full finished basement that can function as a media room, and it’s equipped with a security alarm system.
2648 Earp St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [Eva Li | HomeLink Realty via Zillow]
Image via Onyx Management Group
989 N. Marshall St. #2, East Poplar | 2 beds, 1 bath, 900 square feet, $1,200 per month. Cats and small dogs welcome.
This duplex rowhome has been recently renovated with new hardwood floors, a modern kitchen and a tile-lined tub/shower enclosure in the bathroom. It’s not far from Northern Liberties and South Kensington, and Fishtown is just a short ride away on the Route 15 trolley. Its block may look desolate, but see those little orange squares in the photo above? Those are zoning notices. That means that sometime in the not too distant future, you’ll have new neighbors.
989 N. Marshall St. #2, Philadelphia, Pa. 19123 [Felix Portman | Onyx Management Group via Zillow]
Image via TCS Management
The Netherlands, 4300 Chestnut St., Walnut Hill | 2 beds, 1 bath, square footages vary, $1,250 and up per month. Cats and small dogs welcome.
These spruced-up apartments on Chestnut Street fill a row of historic turn-of-the-century apartment buildings in University City’s Walnut Hill section. High ceilings, some of them coffered, modern kitchens and bathrooms, in-unit laundries and fine period details distinguish these newly renovated units. Penn students and staff should find these units extremely convenient to campus, and with both a busy bus line and the Market-Frankford Line passing close by, getting into Center City will be a breeze as well.
As of this writing, the least expensive two-bedroom apartment in this complex listed on the management company’s website rents for $1,300 per month. As renters frequently move, however, lower-priced units may become available again.
The Netherlands, 4300 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104 [TCS Management]
