If you find my guide useful give me a holler so I can find you the right place! Or if my guide was ultra-super-helpful and is enough to make a decision, please list me (Alex Concepcion) as your referral and I’ll shower you with excess praise and funky gifts.
I’m super biased. East Austin is my favorite part of town (it’s why I moved here). It has everything I want. Many people will say it’s the Brooklyn of Austin. Aka the part of town that nobody wanted to live in, now everyone wants to live in kind of place. There’s all sorts of bars from that cool-yet-kinda-grungy one. That sophisticated one with overpriced cocktails that I’ll still pay for. Throw a rock and you hit some new cool brewery. Food trucks galore! So many food trucks! And Franklin Barbecue! Yes, that one. He’s here too.
The high-rise filled swankyness is a few blocks down the road, but not enough to pollute the area with suits and ties and awkward lunch meetings with co-workers who don’t actually like each other.
Oh and there’s a train too. Like a real functioning modern electric train that takes you to actual places. WHY DON’T YOU BUILD MORE OF THESE AUSTIN??!! Ahem. If you’re looking for a well balanced lifestyle with awesome food, night time drinking spots, bicycle routes, and the sweet (or sour) smell of gentrification then this is your spot. (Plus, we can be totally best neighbor friend people)
Studios $1300 – $1600
1 Bedrooms $1600 – $2000
2 Bedrooms $2000-$2600
3 Bedrooms $2600+
The Arnold
The Arnold (or if you’re me, The Aaaahhhhhnooooold) is easily my favorite building in East Austin. The builders here basically went HAM on the design, thinking that maybe people were into well designed buildings with sweet amenities (and they are). It’s got the perfect location, right in the heart of East Austin. You’ve got a stupidly large amount access to all the bars/restaurants you could dream of in walking distance.
You will be the envy of all your friends who live in substantially less cool parts of town. However, since you’re all cool and fancy now, you will be constantly hosting your jealous friends for sweet pool parties and swanky events.
Pros
- Easily the most stylish apartment in East Austin.
- Very very new building
- So much cool S*&$ to walk to right outside.
- Great roommate floor plans.
- Very socially active pool & amenity space.
- USB outlets
- Arguably the best apartment gym in town. They also do crossfit-style classes everyday if you’re into that kind of thing (like I am)
- Right next to the Cap Metro train station. Don’t worry, it’s not loud.
- Lots of resident events.
- They often have lots of juicy specials like 2 months free that make the rates quite reasonable.
Cons
- They charge $75 for parking which is lame. At least the garage is nice.
- Depressingly small dog park.
- You may wind up in their other-building next door which doesn’t have as easy access to the amenities.
- Some units next to Yellow Jacket Social Club * other bars, which can get loud. But does have delicious brunch though!
- Units only come with washer/dryer connections.
- Often the most expensive place in this bunch.
Eleven by Windsor
This is the “omg let’s be best friends” special. Why? Because I live here! Seduced by a hot and spicy deal, I left my old apartment with my roommate and his stupidly cute puppy so we can be all swanky East-siders now. So far I’m quite happy with it. A few days in I’ve already barged into cool dinner parties in the main amenity space. The location is pretty great, since you’re right next to both Downtown & East Austin at the same time.
Pros
- Awesome all around amenities & pool
- Super easy access to both Downtown & East Austin
- Franklin Barbecue is your f&#*$ neighbor! How cool is that?! Some say you can sneak in when the line is getting short and grab some leftover bbq scraps. Best leftover scaps ever.
- Some units have awesome Downtown views.
- Badass Sky Lounge
- Best Dog Park in East Austin (plus a dog-washing station)
- Bicycle storage & repair station
- Human sized chess which is kinda cool I guess?
- Wide variety of floorplans with big balconies
- Right next to I35 for easy access.
- Full sized washer/dryer included.
- Big walk-in closets
- Tons of cool stuff on 11th street like food trucks
- Cool Windsor Gold community perks.
- They often have lots of juicy specials like 2 months free that make the rates quite reasonable
Cons
- Parking does cost extra ($35), but they often waive that if you say pretty prease enough times (and it’s the right time of the year)
- Being next to I35 also means I35 traffic during rush hour.
- If you really like the middle of East Austin, you may like one of the other places’ location better.
- Noise can be an issue in the rooms due to proximity to I35.
Corazon
Corazon has one of the best locations in town. It straddles Downtown & East Austin, and gives you very quick access to Rainey Street, so if you like to go out and be a social butterfly, this is one of your best bets. You’ve got some good retail spaces downstairs, and you can walk to a ton of food spots down on 6th.
Unfortunately, lots of big fancy developers with lots of money have also figured out the awesomeness of this location. This means there’s a ton of construction going on nearby which could be annoying.
Pros
- Awesome location in the heart in East Austin while being close to Downtown/Rainey Street
- They often have lots of juicy specials like 4-6 weeks free that make the rates quite reasonable.
- Nice studio floor plans
- Big fat socially active pool.
- Ground floor retail & food
- Butcher block kitchen island which is pretty cool!
- No breed restrictions
Cons
- Lots and lots of construction going on nearby
- On site short term rental companies can often have loud guests.
- No dog park to let your furry alter ego play and do poopy things.
- Sometimes suffers from “slightly better apartments at slightly better rates” syndrome.
East Side Station
East Side Station is a great property that suffers from “My neighbor is cooler than me” syndrome with The Arnold next door. While it’s true that The Arnold has better style overall, the floorplans are somewhat identical (which is good, because they have great floor plans). Because of this slightly-less-cool thing, ESS often offers awesome deals like 6 weeks free, free parking, big gift cards, etc) to entice people into picking it over it’s neighbor.
They’ve recently included a new (small) dog park which is an improvement. Aside from all that, you’re still getting an awesome East Austin location where you can walk to everything your heart desires. Plus, you’re right next to the train station.
Pros
- Nice bike-path outside.
- Excellent 1 & 2 bedroom floor plans
- Right outside the train station (Hence the name)
- Lots of juicy specials like up to 2 months free or a $1000/$2000 gift card.
- Free parking.
- Big fat balconies!
- Nice studio floor plans.
- Solid amenities (Pool/gym)
- Washer/dryer included
- Small dog park on the side of the building
- Quieter than other buildings on this list.
- Almost no construction going on nearby
Cons
- Not as stylish as the others on this list.
- Suffers from “my neighbor is a slightly cooler than me” syndrome with it’s neighbor, The Arnold
- The roof top deck is nice and has a good view, but there’s not much to do up there.
Platform
Platform is awesome. However, it’s not in the middle of East Austin like the others on this list, so it’s a bit of a dark-horse option out of left field. However, since it’s right next to the train stop, it can take you straight to Downtown/East Austin quite easily without having to drive/uber. The pool here may be the best pool in Austin. It’s actually 3 big pools in one which is ridiculous. If you don’t mind being slightly further away from Downtown/East Austin, this is one of the best options in town.
Pros
- One of the best pools in Austin. It’s pretty ridiculous really.
- The gym is awesome too.
- Very new building.
- Amazingly stylish design.
- Lots of new retail spaces like Houndstooth Coffee opening up nearby.
- Right next to the train station.
- Beautiful finish-outs.
- Leash Free Park of Barkiness.
- While it’s not in Central-East Austin, there’s still a ton of cool bars/restaurants that are a quick bike/drive away.
- Some studio floor plans are kind of wacky
- 24hour package delivery locker (For when Santa Amazon decides to visit)
- Cool private work spaces.
- Free parking for you, and abundant parking for guests.
Cons
- Not in a very walkable area like the others on this list, but you’re right next to the train which can easily take you to East Austin/Downtown. If you’re looking to be somewhere you can easily walk around outside, this probably isn’t your place.
- You may wind up in one of the other buildings which doesn’t have direct access to the amenities (which a quick walk can fix).
- Some floorplans are quite small.
Alexan E. 6th
The New Kid on the Block! As of writing this post (Jan 2018) this place is brand spanking new. So new, they’re letting people finally move in this week (after a casual 3 month delay). As a building it’s looking great so far. It’s got most of the nice fancy amenities you’d expect in all the other buildings on this list. While their base price is high, they have been offering up to 2 months free which is awesome.
The units don’t come with a washer/dryer (except for studios) but you can rent them for a reasonable price. There’s no Google Fiber, they charge extra for parking, and there’s no dog park. Right now since there are many floorplans available you will have many options to choose from. As for feel, it’s more laid back than some of the other buildings in East Austin since it’s fairly new.
Pros
- 9Ft+ Ceilings
- Some units have wine fridges. Cool!
- Studios come with washer/dryer
- Some 1st floor units have yards
- Bluetooth speakers
- Lots of cool bars/restaurants in walking distance (like that cool New Orleans Style place across the street)
- They’re also building this cool work-space place called Upcycle next door which is looking to be like a pretty awesome spot.
- Rooftop lounge looks like it will be awesome.
- Great specials like up to 2 months free
Cons
- High base prices
- Only the studios come with washer/dryers included (cmon guys get your s&$* together!)
- No dog park.
- Some units won’t have washer/dryers (only connections)
- A little further out on East Austin.
- Brand new building may come with some quirks that will need fixing.
Other Apartments Worth Mentioning
Here are a few other apartments in East Austin that didn’t quite make the cut, but are still worth mentioning.
Indie – A brand new building right across from The Arnold. The location is amazing, right along E. 6th. They’re experimental style micro units with studios under 400sqft, and 1 bedrooms under 500sqft. So it’s very utilitarian. However parking is expensive here, which pretty much cancels out the monetary savings you’d get from having little space.
AMLI Eastside – Right next to Eleven (my building!), but Eleven is pretty much a better building in every way. Sometimes there’s very good pricing and floorplans here however.
7East – Good building overall, but for the price/style/location, I tend to learn towards the others on this list. Not much about here out-competed other spots in the area.
Elan East – Also very nice and stylish, but it’s right next to Platform which I think is a better overall building. Great option to get a studio close to campus though.
Guthrie – Opening Up October 2018. Just past pleasent valley which is less walk able, and no big garage. Looking like it’s going to be nice.
Working with Me
Hello there! I’m Alex Concepcion. Cool Apartment Locator Guy Extraordinaire.
Like pretty much everyone here, I’m a transplant from another city. I arrived from the wild and exotic country of Miami, Florida where I traded groovy salsa music and the beach for breakfast tacos and brisket. Now I call East Austin home where I host funky dinner parties, buy overpriced cocktails, and climb rocks at the Austin Bouldering Project.
Having gone through the chaotic transition of moving to a new city, I know what it’s like to be all freaked out and worried about picking the right place to live (and eat). I’ve fortunately found myself in the position where I can help people like you make the best possible transition.
Working with me means basically having a super useful personal research assistant guy do all the heavy lifting. If you’re not familiar with the neighborhoods, I can also put on my knock-off-Anthony-Bourdain-hat and be your personal food-obsessed tour guide (which is my favorite part of what I do).
Even cooler, I’m totally free to work with. I get paid directly by the apartment complex only when you move in.(which doesn’t affect your rent amount). I’m free like that HBO subscription your friend doesn’t know you use when Game of Thrones is on. I would be flattered to help you find the perfect place to live.
-Alex
