{"id":577516,"date":"2026-02-09T13:24:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/577516\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T13:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T13:24:15","slug":"nyc-apartments-under-a-million-east-village-kensington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/577516\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Apartments Under a Million: East Village, Kensington"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photo: Compass\n <\/p>\n

For under a million dollars, one can find all sorts of housing configurations: park- and subway-adjacent studios, one-bedrooms hidden in carriage houses or former shoe factories, and even the occasional true two-bedroom. We\u2019re combing the market for particularly spacious, nicely renovated, or otherwise worth-a-look apartments at various six-digit price points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This week, a bathroom of note in the East Village.<\/p>\n

156 East 79th Street, 9C<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\n 156 East 79th Street.
\n Photo: Compass\n <\/p>\n

A lovely two-bedroom, two-bath co-op on East 79th and a reminder that virtual staging is a blight on our listings. Instead of simply admiring the living room\u2019s blond herringbone floors, beamed ceilings, and trio of south-facing windows, you have to look past a middling coastal palette of fake furniture. Both bedrooms have double closets, can fit a king, and have south-facing windows. The secondary even comes with an en suite bathroom. (Though it could use an update.) The kitchen is a simple galley but could also use a refresh. Monthlies hurt at $4,790, but it\u2019s Lenox Hill, and it gets you a 24-hour doorman, a bike room, storage, laundry, an elevator, and easy access to Central Park and Museum Mile. It\u2019s also a quick walk to the 6 at 77th Street. Send your kid to Hunter (go Hawks) and call it a life.<\/p>\n

201 Spencer Street, 3A<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\n 201 Spencer Street.
\n Photo: Compass\n <\/p>\n

Construction from the early 2000s can be so bleak, but this two-bedroom, 1.5-bath condo has its charms (starting with that half-bath). The living room is bright and spacious (you will either love the exposed brick or you won\u2019t), with a nicely sized balcony that brings in more light. The warm wood cabinetry in the open kitchen keeps things simple. The island adds counter space or a hybrid dining area if you\u2019re hoping to maximize seating in the living, and there\u2019s a dishwasher. There\u2019s also an in-unit washer-dryer and a keylock private elevator entrance, which feels luxurious. A home-office nook sits between the first bathroom and the bedrooms, which could be nice for storage and shelving if you\u2019re not one for remote work. (There are two closets otherwise.) The bedrooms are placed side by side, which we really don\u2019t love here, but they\u2019re both queen-size, and one has an en suite. Common charges come to $1,068 monthly (though you have a 421a exemption expiring in 2030). The building is no-frills, but you\u2019re quite near Brooklyn Kolache, which counts as an amenity.<\/p>\n

192 East 8th Street, 5A<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\n 192 East 8th Street.
\n Photo: Douglas Elliman\n <\/p>\n

Another two-bedroom co-op, which also happens to be within winking distance of one of the best coffee shops in the neighborhood. As for the apartment, I\u2019m charmed by the great arched passageways and the layout \u2014 including a \u201cdining foyer\u201d that doesn\u2019t feel like a hallway. I also like the kitchen right off the entrance \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s a tight galley, but the appliances are newish, and there\u2019s ample cabinet space, a dishwasher, hardwoods, and a window. I\u2019m sensing this was an oversize one-bedroom conversion since the primary is just barely big enough to fit a king. (It does, thankfully, have closets.) The second bedroom is junior-size but windowed and also has a closet. The bathroom has been recently renovated and has a window. Maintenance is $845 a month, and there is laundry, bike storage, storage-storage, and an elevator in the building. Make use of the shared courtyard and get yourself a cookie and an Americano from Der Pioneer.<\/p>\n

633 East 11th Street, Apt. 22<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n 633 East 11th Street
\n Photo: Compass\n <\/p>\n

A one-bedroom co-op on the top floor of a charming old building with south-facing views. (It\u2019s a walk-up, but I do think the fourth floor is livable, especially since the apartment comes with its own washer-dryer.) The combined living room and kitchen feel glowy thanks to the light coming in, and I really like the white cabinets in the kitchen and the banquette seating. The kitchen is compact, but they\u2019ve managed to fit in a half-size dishwasher, which is still a lifesaver. There\u2019s also another window off the kitchen, which allows for more light and ventilation in what could have otherwise been a hallway apartment. The bedroom is tight but has a window, a closet, and some additional built-in storage, at the very least. The bathroom, on the other hand, is huge. Nicely luxurious and a newly tiled walk-in shower with its own window. God, it\u2019s a really nice bathroom? Maintenance is $1,181 and the building is beyond bare-bones \u2014\u00a0the listing only mentions bike storage. It\u2019s a little far from the train, but I think if you\u2019re looking at this corner of the East Village to begin with, you want the life it\u2019ll afford you. Restaurants, shops, and parks \u2014 lots of old weirdos hanging around. The vibe is great.<\/p>\n

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