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Some of our favorite TV shows are so loveable because they help us disconnect from our busy lives and enter a fantasy world of perfect romances, quirky shenanigans, and unbelievable melodramas. Despite the crazy storylines, one of the most unrealistic aspects can sometimes be the homes our favorite characters live in.
For instance, how did Monica and Rachel from Friends afford a two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village? Would Lorelai Gilmore be able to buy her own Connecticut home now in 2024? And what about the sprawling estates in shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? We couldn’t help but wonder what some of TV’s most beloved characters’ homes would potentially cost in 2024 so we crunched the numbers.
All mortgage payment calculations assume a 20% down payment, a 30-year loan term, and a 6.60% fixed interest rate. Rental numbers were sourced from Apartments.com and Zumper, while home prices were sourced from the National Association of Realtors and local real estate boards. Average salaries are based on estimates sourced from Indeed.
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Friends: Monica and Rachel’s Greenwich Apartment
Monica and Rachel’s New York City apartment is one of the most iconic on TV. It has everything two twenty-something best friends could want: a large open floor plan, two comfortably sized bedrooms, a bathroom, and a balcony. It’s also in one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, Greenwich Village.
Neighborhood Details:
Greenwich Village is in Manhattan’s Lower West Side and is famous for its laid-back, bohemian, and artistic atmosphere. Just steps from Monica and Rachels’ apartment are dozens of bars, cafes, restaurants, and even jazz clubs. But because of its central location and popularity, living here comes with a hefty price tag.
Estimated Cost in 2024:
It’s been 30 years since Friends premiered and a lot has changed in the real estate market. According to Apartments.com, the average two-bedroom apartment in Greenwich Village costs $5,383 a month.
As a chef, Monica would earn around $31.50 an hour, or $60,480 a year (according to Indeed), while Rachel would earn roughly $102,349 a year as a luxury fashion executive. Splitting the rent would make this apartment unaffordable for Monica as she’d have to spend more than half her monthly salary on rent. In order to not be house-poor, most guidelines recommend not spending more than 30% of your annual income on housing.
If Monica and Rachel wanted to buy their apartment, it would be unaffordable for both of them. Current two-bedroom apartments available to buy in Greenwich Village range from $1 million to $3 million, meaning a 20% down payment would range anywhere from $200,000 to $600,000, far above what Monica and Rachel would be able to afford on their estimated salaries.
Full House: The Tanner’s San Franciscan Home
At varying points in the show, the Tanner family had six to nine people living in their San Franciscan townhouse. With that many people under one roof, they needed a lot more space than characters in other TV shows.
However, row homes in San Francisco are typically more narrow than what is presented on TV. The real Tanner house, located at 1709 Broderick St, is 3,728 sq. ft. and has four bedrooms and four bathrooms.
Neighborhood Details:
The Tanners’ home is located in San Francisco’s Lower Pacific Heights—a family-oriented neighborhood with historic charm. Several iconic landmarks are within walking distance of the neighborhood including the Presidio National Park and Japantown.
Estimated Cost in 2024:
San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities to live in North America, and with the Tanners home located in such a central part of the city, housing costs are going to be high. Zumper reports that the median rent for an apartment in Lower Pacific Heights is $3,395. However, since most townhomes in the area are listed for sale rather than rent, it’s unlikely the Tanners would be paying that price.
Average home prices in and around the neighborhood average anywhere from $1.7 million to over $10 million. To give a better idea, this four-bedroom home recently hit the market a few blocks from the Tanner home and has an asking price of over $4 million. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median single-family home price in San Francisco was $1,309,000 in Q3 2024.
Given that the Tanner household has at least three working adults living in the home, with estimated average salaries ranging from $52,000 to $120,000, it’s possible the family could afford a mortgage on a median-priced home in San Francisco, however, it’s unlikely they could afford a mortgage in Lower Pacific Heights. For instance, a $4 million home would require a 20% down payment of $800,000 and an average monthly mortgage payment of $20,437. If they were to purchase a median-priced home further from the city center, they could likely afford the $6,688 average monthly mortgage payment but it would be tight.
Gilmore Girls: Lorelai’s Home in Stars Hollow, Connecticut
In Gilmore Girls, Lorelai is able to purchase her two-story, two-bedroom home after working for a few years at the local inn, all while caring for her daughter, Rory, as a single mom. This extraordinary feat would be difficult to achieve in 2024.
Neighborhood Details:
Although Stars Hollow doesn’t exist on any maps, we can estimate that it is not too far from New Haven, CT, where Rory goes to Yale, and Hartford, CT, where Emily Gilmore lives. The Greater New Haven area sits on the coast and dates back to the 1600s, making the area one of the oldest and most historic in the U.S. However, being located in the second-richest state by per capita personal income means homes in and around New Haven and Hartford are not cheap.
Estimated Cost in 2024:
According to Zumper’s latest rent report, the median 2-bedroom rent in New Haven is $2,320. As a hotel manager, Lorelai earns around $61,942, according to Indeed, but she may earn more than this as a co-owner. Given this, she can likely afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment in New Haven with Rory, but could she buy a single-family home?
The Greater Hartford Association of Realtors notes in its latest report that the average single-family home price is $460,618—up 10.5% from 2023. New Haven Middlesex Realtors reports an even higher average single-family home price of $526,630. For the bulk of the series, Rory is a student and doesn’t have any income. This puts Lorelai in a tight position to be able to afford a single-family home by herself in Greater New Haven.
If Lorelai were to purchase a single-family home at the current New Haven average price of $526,630, she’d need a 20% down payment of $105,326 and a monthly mortgage payment of $2,690. While saving for the down payment on her own might be difficult, she could likely manage the monthly mortgage payments with financial help from Emily and Richard Gilmore.
However, currently available two-bedroom single-family homes outside of New Haven and Hartford range in price from $299,000 to $400,000. Within this price range, Lorelai could likely afford the down payment and monthly mortgage payments without any assistance.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Uncle Phil’s Mansion in Los Angeles
At the start of every episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, viewers are treated to an exterior shot of a white, colonial-style mansion that Uncle Phil, Aunt Vivian, Hilary, Ashley, Carlton, and Will live in. The estate, located at 251 North Bristol Avenue, features five bedrooms and five bathrooms. However, on the show, the mansion is said to have at least 10 bedrooms.
Neighborhood Details:
While the actual mansion is located in Brentwood, the characters in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air are, of course, depicted as living in Bel-Air. Bel-Air is a wealthy neighborhood in the Santa Monica mountains and is about a 40-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles. Thanks to the series, Bel-Air is one of the most famous neighborhoods in the country, with celebrities from Jennifer Lopez to Meg Ryan having once lived in it.
Estimated Cost in 2024:
With so many famous faces calling Bel-Air home, it’s no surprise that the neighborhood has extremely high home prices. Even for renters hoping to move to Bel-Air, the cost is quite high with a median rent of $11,500 according to Zumper.
Fortunately, Uncle Phil works as a senior law partner earning a fairly high income. Indeed estimates show that law partners in Los Angeles earn on average $282,077, but he probably earned far higher than that as he was working at a prestigious firm. A 2022 Partner Compensation Survey by Major, Lindsey & Africa notes that the average compensation for male partners is $1.21 million. Still, would this be enough to afford a pricey Bel-Air mansion in today’s competitive market?
Asking prices for homes with at least five bedrooms currently available in Bel-Air range from as low as $3 million to as high as $60 million. At the lowest estimate, a down payment on a $3,000,000 home would equal $600,000, while the monthly mortgage payment would come out to $15,327. Assuming Uncle Phil earns the average partner compensation of $1.21 million, then he can comfortably afford a monthly mortgage payment on a $3 million home.
Breaking Bad: Walter White’s Albuquerque Bungalow
Walter White’s home in Breaking Bad offers a realistic depiction of a typical suburban residence. It has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a two-car garage, and a decent-sized backyard with a pool. Although the address given on the show isn’t real, the actual home is located about a 20-minute drive from downtown Albuquerque, NM.
Neighborhood Details:
Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, is also one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country. Walter and Skyler purchased their single-family home in the 1990s when Walter was still working at a prestigious laboratory. But could a normal chemistry teacher afford to buy a three-bedroom home in 2024?
Estimated Cost in 2024:
Compared to many other cities in the U.S., Albuquerque is relatively affordable. According to Zumper, the median 2-bedroom rent is $1,250, while the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors reports that the average single-family home price is $422,967. This brings the 20% down payment to $84,593 and the monthly mortgage payment to $2,161. However, it’s possible the White residence would cost less than the city’s average. For example, this three-bedroom bungalow was recently listed in Albuquerque for over $50,000 below the city average.
With Walter earning roughly $64,841 a year as a high school teacher, and assuming he will spend only 30% of his income on housing, he’d be able to afford a monthly mortgage payment of around $1,621. This puts him about $500 shy a month of being able to afford a single-family home bought at Albuquerque’s current average price of $422,967.
Sex and the City: Carrie’s Upper East Side Apartment
It’s hard to watch Sex and the City and not be jealous of Carrie’s one-bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. For a New York City apartment, it’s quite spacious and is located on a tree-lined street filled with luxurious brownstones. Fans have often wondered how Carrie could have afforded such an apartment on the show, but if Carrie wanted to buy an apartment in 2024 on a typical writer’s salary, could she?
Neighborhood Details:
Carrie’s apartment is said to be located on 73rd Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, about five blocks from Central Park. This upscale area is known for its fancy restaurants, designer shops, and iconic landmarks like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum.
Estimated Cost in 2024:
In Sex and the City, viewers learn that Carrie pays $700 a month for her apartment. In real life, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side is $4,230, according to Zumper. Indeed reports that the average annual salary for a writer in New York City is $74,120, which would mean Carrie would have to spend 68% of her salary on housing, making her house poor.
But what are the chances of Carrie being able to afford to buy a condo in the Upper East Side? Surprisingly better. For a one-bedroom condo, prices range from $500,000 to $1 million, depending on the exact location, amenities, and renovations. If she bought a condo for $500,000, she could afford the $2,554 monthly mortgage payment but would have to allocate 41% of her monthly income toward it. Any condo priced above $500,000 would make it challenging for Carrie to afford.
For a better sense of what Carrie might pay, consider a recent listing on 73rd Street—the very street where Carrie is said to live. The one-bedroom,one-bathroom condo is complete with a 24-hour door attendant, a laundry room, and a garage, but is outside of Carrie’s budget.
Considering a move to one of your favorite characters’ cities? Our expert agents are here to guide you every step of the way! Give us a call today to speak with an agent in your area and start planning your real estate endeavors for 2025.
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