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You want to move to a great downtown area, but you are in a budget? We have all been through this. Maybe you are looking at some small living spaces or an efficiency apartment. All spaces like this have more affordable rent and can help you get to the part of the town that you want.
If you want to move to cities like New York, Los Angeles an efficiency apartment can be your only option. Small apartments are getting a lot of popularity and if you haven’t heard until now about “efficiency apartments” you might be wondering what do they mean?
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It is quite important to know the rental language so you can increase your chances of finding the right space for you. If you don’t do that you might be missing on some great deals. So, let’s discover together what are the differences between efficiency apartments and studio apartments
Differences Between a Studio and Efficiency Apartment
Most of the times all real estate listing can have some confusing terminology that makes you unable to make a decision. Some of the terms that do that are “studio apartment” and “efficiency apartment”. In the housing industry efficiency and studio can be assigned different meanings or can be considered interchangeable. What is true is that a lot of agents use them.
Kitchen
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Studio apartments always have a full kitchen, but efficiency apartments have kitchenettes. The difference is that space is smaller in an efficiency apartment compared to a studio. You also have only a small counter space that you can use to prepare a small meal as opposed to preparing a full dinner in a big kitchen. Sometimes you might not even have a fridge.
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A lot of studios come with a full-size functional kitchen and they have all the appliances and adequate counter space that you need and if there is a refrigerator it is going to be bigger and fully functional.
The size
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Both are usually small apartments and are meant to be occupied by just a single person. They are designed to be basic and inexpensive. For a lot of renters and buyers, they are an affordable way to get started in an upscale location. Usually, they are 400-500 square feet, but they can get smaller depending on the area you want to live in.
Image source: Sarah Seung-McFarland
In other areas, you might see large studios that have more square footage. However, efficiency apartments are always going to be smaller compared with a studio. If we haven’t stressed this enough, efficiency apartments are small and should always be for single occupancy because if you are going to have a roommate it is just going to be too crowded.
Number of Occupants
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An efficiency apartment has a small space, so it is ideal for a single occupant. Having somebody else there living with you is going to be quite difficult because space was just not made for multiple occupants.
They are best suited for people that do not need a lot of space or that do not have a lot of stuff. Studio apartments are usually a better option for couples or people that prefer living together with their roommates.
Price
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If you haven’t figured it out until now what is an efficiency apartment let’s look at the price figures. Because they are so small means they also are cheaper to get compared with a studio or full apartment. For sure you can always find some luxury ones and some more inexpensive it really depends on the budget that you are.
If it is going to be more expensive usually it is because it has more features, or the zone is better. So be aware of this because it might help you find the right one for you.
Design Style
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Both efficiency apartments and studios have open-plan concepts meaning that they incorporate the sleeping area and the living space into a single one. Their layout usually varies but generally speaking the kitchen is included in the larger apartment space and some of them have no kitchen at all actually.
Benefits of Living in an Efficiency Apartment
Living in an efficiency apartment is a cool option for a single person that has a tight budget or that doesn’t really spend a lot of time at home. They can also be a great choice for couples that already their home but want a smaller one in a specific area when they do their visits. There are many benefits but here are the ones we consider important:
Saving Money
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When you live in a small apartment you always save some money, this is probably one of the reasons you are thinking of getting this kind of apartment in the first place. Rent is always the least expensive.
Less to clean
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If you don’t like to clean this can also be considered an advantage when renting an apartment that has not that much space. Less space, less for you to clean in the end.
Get Utilities included
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As we already discussed in some cases you also get utilities included in the monthly rent. A lot of efficiency apartments have this but don’t be surprised if some of them don’t space is limited and things like fridges or shelves can be missing sometimes.
Open Floor Plan
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A cool aspect of an efficiency apartment that is overlooked is the open floor plan. This means that all the air conditioning, the light and smell go into the same room.
Location, location, location
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Probably one of the most important reasons is the fact that with an efficiency apartment you can reach some cool locations of a city that otherwise you couldn’t afford by yourself. If you prefer location over space for sure choosing this type of apartment is the smart move to do.
Ending thoughts on having an efficiency apartment
In conclusion, having your own efficiency apartment is more or less similar to having a studio one. Although they are a bit smaller, they can still provide enough space for a single person to live there. They are the most budget-friendly option so take this into account especially if you are on a strict one.
If you enjoyed reading this article about having an efficiency apartment, you should read these as well:
- How To Decorate A Studio Apartment
- Micro apartments: Decorating ideas to make your small space feel great
- How to deal with mold between walls