Rent comparison: What you can get along a rapid transit line

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what one can rent—or, occasionally, buy—for a set dollar amount in various Austin neighborhoods. While we usually pick a price point for exploring the city’s rentals, this week we’re doing something different. In honor of Capital Metro’s new CEO and his very public salary, we’re choosing five two- to three-bedroom places to rent along the MetroRapid 803 line—one of two rapid-transit bus routes in the city—which travels between the Domain in North Austin through the central city to Westgate in the south (see map below).

↑ IMT @ the Domain, 3001 Esperanza Crossing, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, 1,051 square feet, $1,465/month. There’s certainly no shortage of apartments at the Domain, the northernmost stop on the line. The IMT is one of the complexes closest to that stop currently available, and it has all the mod cons as well as expected shared amenities (gym, valet, that sort of thing) as well as being pet-friendly.

↑ 2506 Addison Avenue, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, 1,786 square feet, $2,300/month. If you’re looking for a group of roommates and/or a family, you can get a third bedroom, a yard, and a good amount of space in this single-family, ranch-style home in Allandale, close to the Justin Station stop.

↑ AMLI Downtown, 201 Lavaca Street, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, 1,673 square feet, $3,769/month. Lavaca Street in Downtown Austin is the farthest east you will find the 803 goes, and near the Republic Square Station, at Lavaca and Third Streets, you will find this unit at the AMLI Downtown complex. Apartments feature 10-foot ceilings, in-unit laundry facilities, and the possibility of many bright colors. Equally if not more important, there’s lots of first-floor retail, and it’s highly walkable to the heart of Downtown as well as to the lake and hike-and-bike-trail. Oh, and a bus stop.

↑ 2520 Bluebonnet Lane, two-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment, 1,709 square feet, $2,550/month. This South Lamar complex is convenient not only to the Cap Metro Bluebonnet Station, but walkable to all the fun stuff in the booming neighborhood. The townhouse-style unit has an upgraded kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, an open floor plan, and an upstairs balcony.

↑ 4702 Packsaddle Pass, three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, 1,754 square feet, $1,950/month. This single-family home in Westgate is neither the closest to the 803 terminal Westgate Station, nor is it the cheapest we found—that would be this $900/month, two-bedroom condo. It is, however, the closest one we found that had acceptable photographs. Built in 1962, it has new flooring in the bedrooms, a bonus room, and a leafy backyard. Pets are allowed.

• Cap Metro sets $285,000 salary for new CEO [Austin American-Statesman]