Building Comparisons
Apartment Building Types
Every building type compared on rent, amenities, security, and accessibility — so you can pick the right one before signing a 12-month lease.
High-Rise Building
High-rises are 10+ floor residential towers with full amenities — doorman, gym, often a pool. The standard luxury rental in major-metro downtowns. Highest security, highest service, highest rent.
Walkup Building
A walkup is a 3-6 story residential building without an elevator. The classic NYC / Boston / SF tenement-derived format — cheaper than high-rises, more character, harder on the knees.
Apartment Complex
Garden-style apartment complexes are 2-3 story buildings spread across a parking-lot campus. The default suburban rental format — pool, gym, leasing office, sometimes pet park.
Duplex Rental
A duplex is a building split into exactly two units — typically side-by-side or stacked. Mom-and-pop landlord vibes, often more space than apartments at similar rent.
Brownstone / Townhouse
A brownstone (East Coast) or townhouse (everywhere else) is a multi-story row house, often subdivided into 2-4 floor-through apartments. Iconic in Brooklyn, Boston, DC, Philly.