5 Cities for $500,000: How London Flats Compare to U.S. City Charm
If you had $500,000, would you live across the Atlantic or near the Pacific?
![This home on Aden Lane in Austin, Texas has four bedrooms. It's listed for $485,000.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_austin_aden_lane_jef_140807_16x9_992.jpg?w=1600)
— -- If you thought New York City was expensive, try buying a home in London. How much does $500,000 buy in New York versus London? How about Chicago, San Francisco and Austin?
In Photos: Celebrity Homes On the Market
Take a look at these properties listed for about $500,000 in five cities. Which do you think is the best bang for your hard-earned buck?
1. London
Could consider a move to London. Sure, they drive on the other side of the road, but you could get by with your English-language skills.
This three-bedroom "semi-detached house" is listed for 290,000 British pounds, or about $500,000. The home has a "well-maintained" rear garden and garage on a "quiet residential road," the listing states.
![PHOTO: A three-bedroom home in London.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_london_high_grove_jef_140807.jpg)
This one-bedroom "flat" is on the ground floor of a converted Victorian building. The listing boasts of a "new kitchen and bathroom."
![PHOTO: One-bedroom flat in London.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_london_stanthorpe_road_jef_140807.jpg)
2. Austin, Texas
This six-bedroom, four-bathroom stone home in Austin, Texas, has a three-car garage and game room. The $499,990 home spans 3,669-sq. ft. The homeowners' association offers amenities that include three activity centers with pools, tennis courts and playgrounds.
![PHOTO: This six-bedroom home is in Austin, Texas.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_austin_appaloosa_chase_drive_jef_140807.jpg)
If six bedrooms is too much for you, how about this remodeled four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home in Austin, Texas? The home has an attic, fireplace, fenced yard and an attached garage. It's listed for $485,000.
![PHOTO: A four-bedroom home in Austin, Texas.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_austin_aden_lane_jef_140807_16x9_992.jpg)
3. San Francisco, California
"Perched atop Twin Peaks" in San Francisco, California, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom home on Portola Drive spans 806 square feet. It's listed for $490,000.
![PHOTO: A one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, California.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_san_francisco_portola_drive_jef_140807.jpg)
Need a little more space? How's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment that spans 1,480 square feet? The top floor unit of this Utah Street building in San Francisco "overlooks street trees through tall dual glazed windows," the listing states.
![PHOTO: A one-bedroom home on Utah Street in San Francisco, California.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_san_francisco_utah_street_jef_140807_4x3_992.jpg)
4. Chicago, Illinois
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Chicago is listed for $499,900. The penthouse duplex spans 2,000 square feet. The home has two balconies, a fireplace and a private deck. Included in the price are two tandem parking spaces.
![PHOTO: A three-bedroom home on N. Seminary Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_chicago_seminary_ave_jef_140807.jpg)
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on N. Mohawk Street in Chicago is listed for $499,000. The three-level town home includes a private deck and assigned parking space.
![PHOTO: Three bedrooms for $499,000 on N. Mohawk Street in Chicago, Illinois.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_chicago_mohawk_street_jef_140807.jpg)
5. New York, New York
This top-floor studio in a 16-story elevator building has one bathroom. In the tony Upper East Side of Manhattan, "The Eastmore is a full service building with a lovely roof deck, laundry facilities, parking garage and a live-in resident manager," the listing states.
![PHOTO: This studio apartment on East 76th Street in New York City is listed for $500,000.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_new_york_76th_street_jef_140807.jpg)
This one-bedroom, one-bathroom home spans only 550 square feet, but it's located in the hip Chelsea neighborhood that borders the chic West Village of Manhattan. The sale price was recently lowered $30,000 to $499,000. "An entrance foyer with plenty of closets leads you to a spacious windowed living room and juliette balcony overlooking a quiet landscaped inner courtyard," the listing states. The $1,204 monthly maintenance fee should no doubt help maintain chic landscaping.
![PHOTO: This one-bedroom apartment on Eighth Avenue in New York City is listed for $499,000.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Business/HT_new_york_8th_ave_jef_140807.jpg)