If you've ever watched a television show and wondered just how the characters could afford to live where they do, you're not alone. Of course the homes or apartments are all sets, but in real life, how much would it cost to live in the Brady house, or Monica and Rachel's apartment?
Here's What These TV Homes Would Cost In Real Life
#1 Ever wonder what it would cost to live next door to the Brady's or The Golden Girls?
We did the research to find out how much your favorite TV families' homes are worth. Real estate website Trulia and Apartment Hunters has estimated the value of some of TV's most famous properties - even ones that never actually existed.
The Connor family home from 'Rosanne' is worth an estimated $112,000. The real house is in Evansville, Indiana - though the Connors lived in a distant Chicago suburb. Trulia says they lived in Peoria County, Illinois, but the show took place in fictional Lanford. Not a bad price for a family of six.
#2 The Odd Couple
Oscar and Felix would have to be millionaires today to have a place at 1049 Park Ave. A three bedroom in the building will run you about $4 million. Doubtful that a sports reporter could afford those digs.
#3 The Big Bang Theory
Yes, everybody has wondered how a waitress could afford an apartment that two scientists can barely afford together, but here are the facts on what Penny's crib will cost you. It is located on the fourth floor of the Building at 2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California.
According to real estate agents in that area, a one bedroom would cost you around $1,900 per month in that area. Penny! Penny! Penny! The Cheesecake Factory must pay pretty well!
#4 The Brady Bunch
The average estimate for the Brady's residence is $1.4 million. This means today, Mike Brady would have to be raking in the dough to afford this home and support six kids (with enough money left over to hire a live-in maid).
The last time the house was sold was in 1973, one year before The Brady Bunch went off the air. The price back then? Only $61,000.
#5 FRIENDS
Purple walls and all, Monica's apartment was across from Chandler and Joey's in the building located in New York City's West Village, which really is in the West Village at 88 Bedford St, on the corner of Grove and Bedford. You could move in to an apartment in the neighborhood for about $3,600,000. Seriously. How could these young people afford this? Only on TV.
#6 The Jeffersons
From a working-class neighborhood in Queens to an extravagant Manhattan apartment referred to as "Colby East." In real life, the home was located at the Park Lane, a 35-story, 442-unit residential building at 185 East 85th Street. In 1975, rent on that apartment was between $600 and $800 in real life.
Today that's the price you would pay for a parking space there. The apartments run on average about $18,000 a month.
#7 Laverne & Shirley
Laverne and Shirley lived in a one bedroom, one bathroom garden apartment on Knapp Street in Milwaukee. Although the area looks a lot different than it did in the 1950's, we found a few similar places listed from $725/month to $875/month. That would be quite a steal if they split the rent 50/50.
#8 The Honeymooners
On the lower side of Brooklyn, Ralph and Alice Kramden struggled to make ends meet. Their apartment in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood was depicted as gritty, but the area has gone through some serious gentrification since the 1950's.
Today, a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment on the same street as the Kramden's costs $2700/month. Nearby apartments are a little cheaper, at $1900/month.
#9 Will & Grace
Will and Grace, who live at 155 Riverside Drive would be paying an estimated $17,800 per month for this two bedroom flat in Manhattan NY. They probably could have managed this on their incomes, but in real life a family of 3 could probably need to move a little further from downtown to make ends meet.
#10 Happy Days
The home used for the exterior shots is actually a six bedroom, two bathroom house in Southern California. Today, its estimated value is $3.2 million.
Home prices are much lower in Wisconsin, meaning the Cunninghams probably could afford a house that large in Milwaukee. Comparable houses there are listed around $900,000 today.
#11 I Love Lucy
Lucy and Ricky rented a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment on 68th Street in Manhattan from their friends Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Today, a one bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side goes anywhere from $2,135/month to $10,500/month. Ricky must have been fetching top dollar for his singing gigs. Eye, eye, eye!
#12 The Bob Newhart Show
Robert Hartley and his wife lived in a lakefront condo on the north side of Chicago. Today, a two bedroom, two bathroom condo in the same complex as the Hartley's would cost $240,000 easily affordable for a respected psychologist.
#13 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Mary Richards lived on the third floor of a beautiful Victorian home in Minneapolis' Kenwood neighborhood. The house was owned by character Phyllis Lindstrom and her husband Niles. In real life, the building is a single family home worth about $2 million today.
There's nothing comparable to Mary's apartment in today's market in Kenwood. But one bedroom, one bathroom apartments in nearby areas go for $1300 a month.
#14 The Andy Griffith Show
Although Mayberry is a fictional town, Andy Griffith's birthplace of Mt. Airy, North Carolina is often cited as its real-life version. Andy and Opie lived modestly, and similar homes in Mt. Airy are currently listed anywhere from $80,000 to $150,000. Not a bad price for a big old home in a pleasant setting.
#15 The Golden Girls
While the show took place in Miami, the actual home was located in Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Blanche owned the home and rented rooms to the other girls to pay for the mortgage.
In 1985, a Miami home like the one occupied by the four bachelorette grannies was going for around $90,000. Today you will be expected to pay about $2 million for that style home in the Miami area where the show was to have represented. No wonder Blanche needed roomies!
#16 The Beverly Hillbillies
The Clampetts must have received a pretty hefty payday when they struck oil. The mansion used for exterior shots on the series is a 10 bedroom, 12 bathroom (21,523 square feet!!!) mansion in Bel-Air located at 750 Bel Air Road.
Right now, it's estimated at $19 million, but we can probably assume it's always been pricey. It's actually been on the market several times over the years as it is hard to maintain. In the neighborhood other homes sell for a tad more money and are sold over & over again, mostly for movie and television shoots.
