NYC - higher maint/cheaper apt or cheaper maint/ more exp apt?

[Farrah Ahmed]

Curious what people think. I'm looking at 2 different apartments in Manhatan. Both are good and I would be happy living there in terms of location/building/ apt/ etc. One is about 30% more expensive than the other, but it has 1/2 the monthly maint costs. The other one is cheaper obviously but the maint is high. I'm going to have to renovate both apartments. I'm trying to decide which one is the better purchase financially. I was comparing both apartments but adding the total purchase price + renovation costs + 7 years of maint and using that to compare the two since I feel like I'm likely to live there for 5-10 years. At some point I think I'll move, so I don't envision this being my home for 30 years or anything (although I could live there less than 5 or more than 10...7 seemed like an ok timeframe to think about). The total costs are lower for the cheaper apartment but my monthly bill will be slightly higher (thanks to low interests)! What do people think about them?  I realize I am not including any appreciation, but wonder if I should.