As we head into the coldest, dreariest days of winter, the thoughts of many Chicagoans turn to vacations spent in faraway, sun-drenched climes. Others yearn for the ski slopes of the Rockies, or simply for a change of scene far away from snow-clogged expressways
And when they do make the trek to these fun-filled destinations, it’s only natural for many to wonder just how much it would cost to permanently relocate to a vacation wonderland
How much, for example, would the rent be in beautiful San Diego, blessed with a climate so perfect that many homes possess no air conditioning and rarely have to be heated?
How costly would an apartment rental be in Denver, located near some of this continent’s best skiing? What would you pay in Tampa or Tucson, where the sun shines virtually year-round? Or even in Door County, Wis., a place where the soothing sounds of nature replace the blare of traffic jams and jet takeoffs?
To discover the answer, we took an apartment-hunting jaunt around the nation, examining prices on deluxe, two-bedroom, two-bath apartments. The same kind of deluxe apartments would set you back $1,000 to $2,200 a month in Chicago, and $800 to $1,200 in the suburbs, according to figures supplied by Kathryn Romanelli, general manager of Relcon Apartment Finders, an apartment locating service headquartered in Oak Brook.
North of the border
Remember that trip to Door County, Wis., where the soothing sounds of nature replaced the blare of car horns? If you want to rent there permanently, you’ll probably have to do it by the week, say real estate professionals.
“Throughout Door County, weekly rentals go for $500 to $1,500, depending on the amenities and how close the unit is to the water,” says Jonette Goraj, office coordinator for Century 21 Egg Harbor Realty in Egg Harbor. She adds that the units rented are rarely apartments, which are in short supply there, but more often condos and cottages.
If the excitement of great skiing and the charm of mountain views are more to your liking, premium apartments in and near Denver can be rented for prices that look very affordable by Chicago standards.
According to Anne Dresser, president of The Apartment Store, an apartment locating service with offices in Denver, Albuquerque and Tampa, a premium two-bedroom apartment in Denver goes for $800 to $1,200, with some units priced as high as $1,500 a month.
“People who come here from Houston or California think they should get more for their money, but people from New York or Chicago don’t seem surprised; they feel they’re getting a value,” says Dresser, who adds that ex-Chicagoans tend to be impressed by all the amenities offered by “apartment communities” in metro Denver.
“Many of the newer communities offer garages, washers and dryers in the units, mountain views, health clubs, gas fireplaces, and 24-hour guards,” she says. “And a lot of them are built around lakes with walking paths. It’s really resort-type living without the maintenance.”
Add the fact that Vail, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain are all a one- or two-hour drive away, and winter sports enthusiasts have found their Valhalla.
And for apartment dwellers, the choice of Denver rather than a skiing mecca is a good fiscal move, Dresser adds. “I called to inquire about apartments in Vail last December, and for the period between Christmas and New Year’s, the cheapest place I could find rented for $4,800 a week,” she says.
Sunshine salary
There’s also an Apartment Store location in Tampa, where the hot, sunny climate and proximity to beaches and water sports has helped turn a vacation hotspot into one of the faster growing metropolitan areas in America.
Here, newcomers will find premium two-bedroom units renting for an astounding $700 to $875, says Chet Pelletier, office manager of The Apartment Store. For that price, he notes, renters enjoy “amenities galore.” Typical is a newer apartment community in the Carrollwood area on Tampa’s north side, where the resort-like lifestyle comes complete with two Nautilus centers, three swimming pools with Jacuzzis, and tennis courts.
While vacationers from northern cities are awed by the low prices for such amenity-laden apartments, Peletier says the rents have to be kept in perspective. “Here, the economy doesn’t support you as well,” he says. “For instance, a receptionist up north might start at $23,000; here it’s $16,000.
“Tampa has a lot going for it, but it’s not Miami and certainly not Atlanta. There are thousands moving to Florida every day, but there are also a lot leaving.”
What Peletier says about Tampa should be remembered about all the destinations we describe. The rents may seem reasonable, but the pay scales may not be.
A city with an equally strong attraction for snowbirds is Tucson, where the rents are positively unbelievable to anyone inured to the high lease rates in Eastern and Midwestern cities. According to Dan Anderson, assistant vice president of the Tucson Chamber of Commerce, premium two-bedroom, 1 1/2- to 2-bathroom apartments average $576.25 a month-and this represents a big increase in price over the rents charged in recent years.
California dreaming
Meanwhile, Southern California attracts many vacationers from Chicago each year, many of whom visit San Diego, a city commonly thought to have one of the best climates in the U.S.
If California dreaming has you wondering what it would cost to enjoy San Diego weather year-round, be assured the rents look good when compared with Chicago rates.
Former Chicagoan Phyllis Sharrin, leasing consultant with Apartment Locators of San Diego, says premium two-bedroom units start in the mid-$800s and go up to about $1,200 in the most desirable areas of metro San Diego, including such towns as La Jolla, Del Mar and Rancho Bernardo.
“Chicagoans don’t find the rents a problem,” says Sharrin, a native New Yorker who lived in south suburban Flossmoor for a decade and moved to San Diego several years ago. “But people who come here from Tennessee and Oklahoma are absolutely horrified.”
Sharrin notes that renters discover both amenities and rent specials in San Diego.
“There’s always a health club, always a pool, and in places like Rancho Bernardo, there are washers and dryers in the units,” she says. “In addition, they always run specials here. They’ll tell you the rent is $1,000, for example, but they’ll take $50 off a month over the course of the lease, which is almost always either a six-month or a year lease.”
While the Pacific Northwest isn’t the warmest, driest place to visit in the winter months, the region as a whole and Seattle in particular are drawing more and more vacationers. And many Seattle tourists of the last few years have eventually chosen to come back for good to the capital of grunge rock and specialty coffees.
But they don’t come to find low rental rates. According to Michele Hutchison, leasing consultant with Apartment Finders in Bellevue, Wash., rents for Class A two-bedroom apartments in newer buildings in downtown Seattle run from $1,100 to $1,500, with parking costing an extra $35 to $85 a month. The rents in the suburbs are considerably lower, ranging from $750 to $900.
“All the newer buildings in downtown Seattle have washers and dryers in the units and underground parking, and many have fireplaces and indoor pools,” says Hutchison.
Francs and pounds
Finally, if your goal is to live in a sophisticated urban vacation center abroad, start saving your money now. According to Andi Hourican, an international relocation services consultant with Baird & Warner Relocation Co. in Chicago, rents for apartments overseas tend to be far higher than those in the U.S.
Citing figures from a February 1994 report in Relocation Update, a trade publication, Hourican says the rental rates for premium, three-bedroom apartments in Paris average $3,250 a month. In London, the same apartments average $4,000 a month, and in Hong Kong, $10,500 a month.
Considering these figures, you may want to set up housekeeping Down Under. “In Sydney, a premium three-bedroom apartment runs about $1,500 a month,” she says. “That’s a real bargain.”
