This Tool Knows If You’re Overpaying Your Rent in NYC

Rental prices have risen by an average of 14% in the past year , and these heartbreaking price spikes don’t look like they’re going to stop anytime soon. For those wondering exactly how much they’re being ripped off in this rental hell , there are tools like RentHop RentCompare that are specifically designed to help New York City renters figure out if they’re overpaying or underpaying. While the app is for NYC homes right now, the pricing tool is still a great way to see how much different neighborhoods cost and help you see where you are in the current rental market.

Here’s how you can use this rent comparison tool, no matter where you live.

How to use RentCompare

RentCompare is an interactive tool that allows tenants to compare rental prices against the average rent for apartment size and area. On renthop.com, you enter your email address and your area, current rent, apartment size, and amenities. RentCompare then shows how it compares to similar apartments in the area.

The aim is to “put the power back in the hands of tenants” by showing them whether their current rent is lower than the average cost of apartments next door with the same bedroom size. Of course, you can pay more than the average renter if you also pay for amenities like a doorman, roof decking, or a built-in washer-dryer (my biggest dream).

Consider how much these famous fictional New Yorkers “paid”.

If you’re looking for an apartment in New York City, you can use a rental listing site like Zillow and compare the listed prices with comparable apartments listed on RentCompare RentHop. And if you don’t live in New York, you can use Zillow to compare rental prices to what is likely a much more affordable city. Or you can still play with the instrument – just pretend to be one of your favorite famous New Yorkers.

A few years ago, Insider found out how much New York City’s most famous fictional apartments are actually worth. Turn on some of the truly exorbitant apartment prices below and see if Seinfeld got a fair deal. ( What’s the deal with a fair deal, am I right?) (Spoiler: he was getting a lot, given the fun fact that Seinfeld’s TV apartment is physically impossible ). Messing around with these wild house prices:

• Friends (90 Bedford Street, West Village): $2 million.
• Sex and the City (66 Perry Street, West Village): $600,000.
• Seinfeld (129 West 81st Street, Upper West Side) : $900,000
• Big Daddy (16 Mercer Street, Soho): $2.5 million
• The Cosby Show (Brooklyn Heights): $11 million
• Succession (specifically Kendall Roy’s ex-wife) (Woolworth Tower Residences Tribeca, Tribeca): $23.355 million (this amount is taken from Architectural Digest ).

Keep in mind that rents vary by city, while most fictional New Yorkers seem to have the luxury of living on the Upper West Side. Last year, GBSN Research found that the median rent was $3,550 in Manhattan, $2,850 in Brooklyn and $2,400 in Queens.