Hampton Roads area, VA:
1st place, $975/mo with all utils included (except cable), 920sqft. Place was a dump. AC was busted when I moved in, furnace crapped out when winter hit. The groundskeepers cut down a tree out my window and busted it in right over my bed. I came home to some glass dust and a plyboard covering the window, and not even a note. Neighbors cranked their music to insane levels and violated fire code god knows how many times. Ambulance was in the parking lot at least once a week. A murder happened once or twice during my year there. The roaches would hold me hostage until I fed them.
2nd place, $625/mo ~40% off market advertised price, no utilities included, 600 sqft. Old appliances and styling, but not bad. Great grounds, including a heated indoor pool, racquet ball court, and more. Apartment shook when the neighbors walked and it was pretty thin walled (as attested to my neighbors' late-night escapades). Free washer and dryer, however.
3rd place, $1240/mo mortgage (includes taxes and insurance), ~1350sqft total remodel with pretty much new everything except ductwork (had to replace) and a refurb fridge (net on the hitlist if I can find a good one on sale). Five minute walk from the beach front, ten minute drive to work, neighbors are nice and quiet, and it's the first time since I left my parents house that I've ever been able to sleep without earplugs. Downsides: it's an old 1966 ex base housing quick build so construction isn't the sturdiest, it's twice the price of my last apartment (though more than twice the size), and I have to do home repairs, like fix the f'in joist to keep my floor from sinking (damn sandy/marshy land).