What you get for $500,000 in different Toronto neighbourhoods

38 Elm Street, Unit 2507

Bay Street Corridor (near Gerrard and Bay)

List price: $458,800 Sale price: $450,000 Monthly maintenance fees: $669.63 Sale date: December 14, 2017 Closing date: December 27, 2017

This one-bedroom, 25th-floor downtown condo has an unbeatable location, just a short stroll from Yonge-Dundas Square and an easy subway ride to Union Station. But it’s a little low on ambience. The 700-square-foot interior is decades old and unrenovated, meaning the buyer has thousands of dollars’ worth of work ahead of them if they want modern luxuries like stone countertops, wood floors and stainless steel appliances.

19 Barberry Place, Unit 803

Bayview Village (near Sheppard and Bayview)

List price: $479,990 Sale price: $473,883 Monthly maintenance fees: $606.83 Sale date: November 26, 2017 Closing date: December 28, 2017

Although technically a one-bedroom condo, this place benefits from a generous floor plan, with a den large enough to cram a second bed into. And the interior is modern. The kitchen has granite countertops and steel appliances, and there’s new laminate flooring throughout.

88 Park Lawn Road, Unit 603

Mimico (near Lake Shore Boulevard)

List price: $494,900 Sale price: $490,500 Monthly maintenance fees: $374.00 Sale date: December 9, 2017 Closing date: December 28, 2017

Located in the confusingly named South Beach Condos (which are in Etobicoke, not southern Florida), this 500-square-foot place is a newer one-bedroom with a modern, open layout. The building is loaded with amenities, including two pools and a squash court. The Gardiner Expressway is nearby, and the Mimico GO station is a 20-minute walk away.

225 Merton Street, Unit 209

Mount Pleasant West (near Davisville and Mount Pleasant)

List price: $489,000 Sale price: $471,000 Monthly maintenance fees: $648.10 Sale date: October 26, 2017 Closing date: December 28, 2017

With Mount Pleasant cemetery and the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail in its backyard, this building is in the midst of one of midtown’s greenest enclaves. The unit itself has a modern, open layout, and it’s well maintained. The flooring and kitchen appliances were replaced in 2016. The single bedroom is on the small side, but there’s an office-size den.

633 Bay Street, Unit 320

Bay Street Corridor (near Dundas and Bay)

List price: $499,999 Sale price: $479,999 Monthly maintenance fees: $581.19 Sale date: December 3, 2017 Closing date: December 29, 2017

This unit is lacking in modern upgrades—the kitchen, in particular, looks like it hasn’t been touched in decades—but it’s fairly large, at 842 square feet. Although it has only one bedroom, there’s also a sizable sunroom. The downtown location is another bonus.