Should a recent graduate choose the cheapest good apartment?

Quick answer

Not necessarily. Grant considers price important, but he does not believe the cheapest acceptable apartment automatically offers the best value for a recent graduate. A modest difference in rent can be worthwhile when it buys a substantially better neighborhood, stronger management, shorter commute, or more social building—and the renter can reasonably afford it. Those benefits can reduce driving, rideshare costs, isolation, and the effort required to build a new social network. HomeBase’s approach is to understand the complete housing cost and then judge the apartment by the quality of everyday life it provides, not simply by the lowest advertised rent.

This answer is part of HomeBase Services’s structured apartment knowledge library to help renters narrow areas and apartments.