Almost everybody, at one time or another, has a fantasy about picking up and starting over in another country. Not many people follow through, and, if you’re a Chicago apartment dweller, it’s probably just as well.
That’s because tenants here have it pretty soft compared to people in other parts of the world, according to information from those whose business it is to help people relocate internationally.
Barbara Walls is director of The International Relocation Associates (TIRA), based in Pittsburgh. TIRA represents a worldwide network of independently owned and operated relocation service providers so she was able to provide information about rental conditions and accommodations in various major cities around the world.
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If your employer is paying your relocation expenses and providing you with living quarters, you won’t have too much to worry about. Most major corporations with international operations use a relocation service to orient employees headed overseas and to locate accommodations similar to those to which the worker and his or her family are accustomed in this country. Often, special housing is designed and built in foreign countries specifically for these American workers.
It’s when you strike out on your own that you may be in for some rather unpleasant surprises. In many countries, your monthly rent is going to be awesomely higher than it is here but that is only one of a number of differences that may make you think twice about relocating independently.
For example, according to Wall, the American tradition of equipping unfurnished rental units with major appliances, such as ranges, refrigerators, and, in some cases, dishwashers and clothes washers and dryers, is not at all common in most foreign countries. Frequently, kitchens don’t even include cabinets.
“In many cities, the kitchen appointments in unfurnished apartments will consist of a light bulb dangling from the ceiling and a sink hanging from the wall,” Walls says. “Everything else must be supplied by the tenant.”
Laundry rooms are also non-existent. You must either buy your own laundry equipment or make arrangements to have your laundry done by an outside source.
Hot water isn’t a given either. In some cases, it’s included in your rent. In many cases, it’s not and you’ll have to provide your own heater, or devise another method of heating water. In some places, unfurnished apartments aren’t heated at all, according to Walls.
You’ll probably have to forget about air conditioning, too. Air conditioning just isn’t considered a necessity in many other countries. According to Walls, air conditioning is definitely a luxury and, if you want it, you’ll have to arrange to have a unit installed and pay for it yourself.
John D’Ambrogio is a consultant with Relocation Associates. His company works the other side of the fence, that is, familiarizing foreign employees with the Chicago area and helping them find accommodations here. He recently helped Jacobina Brinkman locate a 20th-floor apartment on Lake Shore Drive. Both she and her roommate, Eric Wagelaar are from Amsterdam. She works for KPMG/Peat Marwick and he is a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Both are thrilled with high-rise living. The pair own a two-bedroom apartment in Amsterdam, where, Brinkman says, there are no high-rises.
“We lived in a 7-story building and that is quite a tall building in Amsterdam,” Brinkman says. She notes that rentals in that city are comparable to those in Chicago but appliances are not included and none of the buildings features pools or fitness facilities. Apartments do have both heat and air conditioning. Tenants control and pay for it.
According to information supplied by Walls, her members and foreign consulates, rentals in many cities in the United Kingdom and Europe are comparable to those in this country. Some are considerably less. In almost all cities, fees will vary with the location, just as they do in Chicago, and the closer you are to the central city, the more you should expect to pay. You’ll rarely find many of the amenities we take for granted here.
Here are a few breakdowns, reflecting average costs and conditions.
If you want to live in Milan, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,800 to $30,000 a year for a two-bedroom flat, averaging about 1,000 square feet. You will probably have a private terrace or balcony and your landlord will pay for the heat. Management will control the heat, however, and there is no city heating code. Heat is regulated by timers, which usually run no more than 16 hours per day. Sometimes hot water is furnished but often it is not. You won’t find a laundry room, and your apartment will not include appliances or kitchen cabinets. A TIRA representative noted that hookup charges for gas and electricity are extremely high in Milan and tenants must pay the fees.
In Paris, you will probably pay about 50 percent less for space than you would for comparable space in Chicago but you won’t have many of the conventional Chicago amenities either.
According to Carolyn Cracraft, vice consul press/public affairs in the Chicago office of the British Consulate General, flat sizes and accommodations in London are comparable to those in New York City or, as she describes it, “pay a fortune and live in a closet.” Your flat will have central heat and air, unless you choose to live in one of the older Victorian buildings, which sometimes don’t. Tenants usually supply their own appliances. In London, service flats, which include maid service and doormen, are available by the week or the month.
In Sydney, individual rooms are evidently quite small but the prices are rather modest, too, by our standards. According to the TIRA representative, you can rent a two-bedroom flat, averaging 800 to 1,000 square feet, for about $300 to $500 a month. You’ll have an oven and cooktop but no refrigerator. Heat and air are not furnished.
If you’re looking for a more exotic locale, Mahy Kotb, Midwest director for the Egyptian Tourist Authority, says you can probably find a one-bedroom flat in Cairo for about $300 a month, no appliances; however, furnished space is also available there and would include conventional appliances.
If your heart is set on starting over in the Far East, you’re going to need big bucks. Space is tight in those cities and rents can be hideous.
In Singapore, you can expect to pay $4,000 or more per month for an average 1,200 square feet of space. If you want a real luxury apartment, say about 5,000 to 6,000 square feet, you can get 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, fully equipped with appliances and air (no heat, but you wouldn’t need it in Singapore anyway) for $16,500 a month. You’ll be asked to sign a two-year lease and put down a two- to three-month security deposit. The TIRA rep says that Singapore flats often have marble flooring. Carpeting is rare.
