LIST: 2022 rent prices of TV's most popular apartments

November 3, 2022 - 8:55pm

The cast of "Friends" in Monica's apartment

Warner Bros. Television Distribution

MANILA, Philippines — The television shows we binge-watch during different parts of our lives offer us a sense of comfort seeing these fictional characters be together, to the point we feel like a part of their lives as well.

As such, we can't help but imagine if such shows like "Friends" and "How I Met Your Mother" happened in real life, it makes us wonder how these characters get by financially especially with the iconic lodgings that they have?

We've seen these places so much onscreen that we'd recognize them on a dime, even if they sometimes romanticize what it's like to live in huge American cities, because let's be real — rent is expensive.

Interior design studio Hovia listed down some of these iconic locations and calculated how much the characters living in them would have to pay for rent in 2022.

“When writing a TV show, showing a realistic depiction of what life would be for the characters based on their salaries might not be a priority, however... viewers will probably catch up on whether their favorite character could be able to afford their apartments,” said a spokesperson for the studio.

The spokeperson added that such apartments are often more expensive than they appear given their neighborhoods, and Hovia's calculations of today's average prices proves just that.

Monica's apartment from 'Friends'

When it comes to sitcom locations, hardly nothing comes close to Monica Geller's apartment where the titular gang hangs out if not in Central Park.

The series explains that Monica and Ross' grandmother had left the former a rent-controlled lease which allowed Monica and Rachel to pay only $200 (P11,700) a month.

But their familiar purple two-bedroom apartment is located in Manhattan's West Village area, where rent of such an apartment goes for an average of $6,554 (P384,000) a month.

The Hovia spokesperson said that at least "Friends" attempts to show how the two women are able to afford such a luxurious space, and probably the only one that does so.

Ted and Marshall's apartment from 'HIMYM'

Another iconic sitcom apartment is the one from "How I Met Your Mother" where just about everyone in the main cast lived at some part of the series run (except Barney, who could easily afford all the rent prices in this list).

Also in New York City but this in the Upper West Side, this two-bedroom apartment would probably go for a monthly rent of $7,100 (P416,000).

Given that Ted is an architect and Marshall is a lawyer, it's likely they would be able to pay the rent if they were indeed living in such a place in actual 2022 New York.

Leonard and Sheldon's apartment from 'The Big Bang Theory'

Over at the West Coast, the intellectual gang of "The Big Bang Theory" would often be huddled by the couch of Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, where only Sheldon can sit on his spot.

The geographic description of this Los Robles Apartment Building in Pasadena is being a block away from City Hall, adjacent to a lamp store, and as everyone who watches the show knows has an out-of-order elevator despite its five floors.

Leonard and Sheldon's two-bedroom apartment is on the fourth floor and a little spacious, but rent could go for $2,894 (P170,000) a month.

Penny's apartment — just across Leonard and Sheldon's — is smaller and just has one bedroom, so it would ideally be even cheaper.

The 'New Girl' Loft

When Jess moved into the Loft occupied by Nick, Schmidt, and Winston to kick off "New Girl," the place became a character of its own.

Initially a three-bedroom place that was converted into four bedrooms, this loft in Los Angeles' Arts District would have an average monthly rent of $4,800 (P281,000).

That means the four characters would individually pay $1,200 (P70,400) each, which appears quite feasible for them.

Meredith's house in 'Grey's Anatomy'

The titular character Meredith Grey inherited her Seattle home, specifically in Queen Ann Hill, from her mother where also just about every character has lived in.

The said house has three bedrooms and though Meredith does own the place, rent would probably go for $4,200 (P246,000) a month.

Carrie's apartment from 'Sex and the City'

Heading back to New York, "Sex and the City" fans will be overjoyed to see Carrie and the girls — minus Samantha — back again in the sequel series "And Just Like That..."

Carrie's 64 Perry Street one-bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side of the city would cost an average of $4,072 (P239,000) a month.

So if Carrie was just relying on her writer's salary, it might not be likely she could afford her iconic apartment in 2022, making it the most unrealistic living arrangement according to Hovia.

Castle's apartment in 'Castle'

Also a writer in New York, Richard Castle stayed with his teenage daughter Alexis in a two-bedroom apartment of the city's SoHo area.

But given Castle's huge success in mystery novels, it's very likely he could pay the probable $10,450 (P613,000) monthly rent, the high price since SoHo is a pretty expensive neighborhood.