Half a million dollars for an apartment-buying budget surprisingly gives you plenty to choose from throughout NYC’s five boroughs, from studios and one-bedrooms in Manhattan, like the one in Carnegie Hall pictured above, to one-bedrooms and some two-bedrooms in Brooklyn and Queens, and even larger multi-family homes in the Bronx and Staten Island.

And if you see a place you'd like to make a move on, take a look at BrickUnderground’s How to Buy Guide. If NYC is new to you, check out our crash course on how to find an apartment for everything you need to know.

CHELSEA, MANHATTAN: A prewar studio with beamed ceilings, picture moldings, new thermopane casement windows, plus California closets, in an elevator building with a planted roof deck at 201 West 16th Street (between Seventh and Eighth). $500,000 plus $1,137/month maintenance

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN: A co-op studio with 13-foot ceilings and a separate kitchen and sleeping loft in a pet-friendly doorman building that permits pied-a-terres, guarantors and co-purchasers at 372 Fifth Avenue (between East 35th and East 36th). $499,000 plus $1,177/month maintenance

CLINTON HILL, BROOKLYN: A renovated one-bedroom co-op with a windowed kitchen and built-in bookcases in a non-smoking elevator building with renovated laundry facilities at 165 Clinton Avenue (between Myrtle and Willoughby). $500,000

CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN: A two-bedroom, two-bath condo with a washer and dryer and video intercom in an elevator building on the Coney Island boardwalk at 3030 West 32nd Street (at Surf Avenue). $505,750 plus $389/month common charges, $14/month taxes

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN: A one-bedroom, one-bath co-op with an eat-in kitchen in a pet-friendly elevator building with storage available near Prospect Park at 209 Lincoln Place (between Seventh and Eighth). $499,999 plus $824/month maintenance

WOODHAVEN, QUEENS: A three-bedroom, two-bath colonial house with a gas fireplace, basement, backyard and detached garage at 89-14 Woodhaven Boulevard (between 89th and 91st). $499,999 plus $293/month taxes

ASTORIA, QUEENS: A south-facing one-bedroom, one-bath condo with stainless steel appliances in a doorman building near the waterfront at 30-85 Vernon Boulevard (between 30th Drive and 31st Avenue). $499,000 plus $636/month common charges, $8/month taxes (25-year tax abatement)

SOUNDVIEW, BRONX: A five-bedroom, three-bath multi-family (including a three-bedroom owners duplex plus two-bedroom apartment) with an enclosed front porch and an extension deck located two blocks from the 6 train at 1055 Stratford Avenue (between Watson and Bruckner). $510,000

MARINERS HARBOR, STATEN ISLAND: A recently constructed three-bedroom, three-bath multi-family (six bedrooms total) with a finished basement and detached garage at 177 Grandview Avenue (between Arlington and Davidson). $499,999 plus $4,000/month taxes

7 questions to ask about the building before you buy an apartment there (sponsored)