Apartment vs. House — What's the Difference?

A residence shared with other similar units in a collective building.

A building for human habitation.

A self-contained unit within a larger residential building.

A residence usually composed of walls, rooms, and amenities.

A set of rooms used as a dwelling in a building.

A house is a single-unit residential building, which may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Houses use a range of different roofing systems to keep precipitation such as rain from getting into the dwelling space.

A space partitioned off in a larger structure for living purposes.

A building for human habitation, especially one that consists of a ground floor and one or more upper storeys

A habitable section within a structure, often leased.

A building in which people meet for a particular activity

An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies only part of a building, generally on a single story. There are many names for these overall buildings, see below.

A religious community that occupies a particular building

A flat, typically one that is well appointed or used for holidays

A legislative or deliberative assembly

A room or suite of rooms designed as a residence and generally located in a building occupied by more than one household.

A style of electronic dance music typically having sparse, repetitive vocals and a fast beat

An apartment building

A twelfth division of the celestial sphere, based on the positions of the ascendant and midheaven at a given time and place, and determined by any of a number of methods.

A room.

Old-fashioned term for bingo

Apartments Chiefly British A suite of rooms within a larger building set aside for a particular purpose or person.

(of an animal or plant) kept in, frequenting, or infesting buildings.

A complete domicile occupying only part of a building, especially one for rent; a flat.

Relating to a firm, institution, or society

(archaic) A suite of rooms within a domicile, designated for a specific person or persons and including a bedroom.

Provide with shelter or accommodation

(obsolete) A division of an enclosure that is separate from others; a compartment

Provide space for; contain or accommodate

A conceptual space used for separation in the threading architecture. Objects in one apartment cannot directly access those in another, but must use a proxy.

A structure serving as a dwelling for one or more persons, especially for a family.

A room in a building; a division in a house, separated from others by partitions.

A household or family.

A set or suite of rooms.

Something, such as a burrow or shell, that serves as a shelter or habitation for a wild animal.

A compartment.

A dwelling for a group of people, such as students or members of a religious community, who live together as a unit

A room or suite of rooms in a building comprising a dwelling unit separate from others in the building, and typically having its own separate bath, sanitary, and kitchen facilities. Such apartments are in most cases rented from the owner by those dwelling in them.

A building that functions as the primary shelter or location of something

A suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

A building devoted to a particular activity

A facility, such as a theater or restaurant, that provides entertainment or food for the public

The seating area in such an establishment

The audience or patrons of such an establishment

A commercial firm

A publishing company

A gambling casino.

(Slang) A house of prostitution.

A residential college within a university.

Often House A legislative or deliberative assembly.

The hall or chamber in which such an assembly meets.

A quorum of such an assembly.

Often House A family line including ancestors and descendants, especially a royal or noble family

One of the 12 parts into which the heavens are divided in astrology.

The sign of the zodiac indicating the seat or station of a planet in the heavens. Also called mansion.

House music.

To provide living quarters for; lodge

To shelter, keep, or store in a house or other structure

To fit (something) into a socket or mortise.

(Nautical) To secure or stow safely.

To reside; dwell.

To take shelter.

A structure built or serving as an abode of human beings.

An apartment building within a public housing estate.

(uncountable) Size and quality of residential accommodations.

A building intended to contain a single household, as opposed to an apartment or condominium or building containing these.

The people who live in a house; a household.

A building used for something other than a residence (typically with qualifying word).

A place of business; a company or organisation, especially a printing press, a publishing company, or a couturier.

A place of public accommodation or entertainment, especially a public house, an inn, a restaurant, a theatre, or a casino; or the management thereof.

(historical) A workhouse.

The audience for a live theatrical or similar performance.

A theatre.

(politics) A building where a deliberative assembly meets; whence the assembly itself, particularly a component of a legislature.

A dynasty; a family with its ancestors and descendants, especially a royal or noble one.

(metaphorical) A place of rest or repose.

A grouping of schoolchildren for the purposes of competition in sports and other activities.

An animal's shelter or den, or the shell of an animal such as a snail, used for protection.

(astrology) One of the twelve divisions of an astrological chart.

(cartomancy) The fourth Lenormand card.

A square on a chessboard, regarded as the proper place of a piece.

(curling) The four concentric circles where points are scored on the ice.

Lotto; bingo.

(uncountable) A children's game in which the players pretend to be members of a household.

A small stand of trees in a swamp.

(sudoku) A set of cells in a Sudoku puzzle which must contain each digit exactly once, such as a row, column, or 3×3 box in classic Sudoku.

(music genre) House music.

(transitive) To keep within a structure or container.

(transitive) To admit to residence; to harbor.

To take shelter or lodging; to abide; to lodge.

To dwell within one of the twelve astrological houses.

(transitive) To contain or cover mechanical parts.

(transitive) To contain one part of an object for the purpose of locating the whole.

(obsolete) To drive to a shelter.

(obsolete) To deposit and cover, as in the grave.

(nautical) To stow in a safe place; to take down and make safe.

To eat.

A structure intended or used as a habitation or shelter for animals of any kind; but especially, a building or edifice for the habitation of man; a dwelling place, a mansion.

Household affairs; domestic concerns; particularly in the phrase to keep house. See below.

Those who dwell in the same house; a household.

A family of ancestors, descendants, and kindred; a race of persons from the same stock; a tribe; especially, a noble family or an illustrious race; as, the house of Austria; the house of Hanover; the house of Israel.

One of the estates of a kingdom or other government assembled in parliament or legislature; a body of men united in a legislative capacity; as, the House of Lords; the House of Commons; the House of Representatives; also, a quorum of such a body. See Congress, and Parliament.

A firm, or commercial establishment.

A public house; an inn; a hotel.

A twelfth part of the heavens, as divided by six circles intersecting at the north and south points of the horizon, used by astrologers in noting the positions of the heavenly bodies, and casting horoscopes or nativities. The houses were regarded as fixed in respect to the horizon, and numbered from the one at the eastern horizon, called the ascendant, first house, or house of life, downward, or in the direction of the earth's revolution, the stars and planets passing through them in the reverse order every twenty-four hours.

A square on a chessboard, regarded as the proper place of a piece.

An audience; an assembly of hearers, as at a lecture, a theater, etc.; as, a thin or a full house.

The body, as the habitation of the soul.

The grave.

To take or put into a house; to shelter under a roof; to cover from the inclemencies of the weather; to protect by covering; as, to house one's family in a comfortable home; to house farming utensils; to house cattle.

To drive to a shelter.

To admit to residence; to harbor.

To deposit and cover, as in the grave.

To stow in a safe place; to take down and make safe; as, to house the upper spars.

To take shelter or lodging; to abide to dwell; to lodge.

A dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families;

An official assembly having legislative powers;

A building in which something is sheltered or located;

A social unit living together;

A building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented;

Members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments;

Aristocratic family line;

The members of a religious community living together

The audience gathered together in a theatre or cinema;

Play in which children take the roles of father or mother or children and pretend to interact like adults;

(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided

The management of a gambling house or casino;

Contain or cover;

Provide housing for;

A standalone structure serving as a dwelling for one or more persons.

A shelter or building where people live.

A structure typically larger than an apartment, offering private living.

An apartment is a unit in a larger building, while a house is a standalone structure.

Generally, apartments are more compact, but some can be spacious. Houses usually offer more space.

Yes, one can own an apartment, often referred to as a condo; while houses are typically bought or rented.

Most apartments have shared walls with adjacent units, unlike standalone houses.

Apartments might have building security, while houses may require individual security measures.

Apartments are often managed by property management companies or landlords, whereas a house might be managed by its owner.

Apartments might have a more communal feel due to shared spaces, while houses offer more separation.

Houses often cost more due to space and land, but location and amenities can make apartments similarly priced.

Some apartments might have balconies or shared outdoor areas, while houses often have private yards.

Yes, both apartments and houses can be rented or leased based on owner preference.

Not all houses have garages, just as not all apartments come with parking spots.

Houses typically offer more privacy as they don't have shared internal spaces like apartments.

Apartment residents might pay fees for shared maintenance, whereas house residents handle their own or hire services.

Apartments are more prevalent in urban areas, while houses are common in both urban and suburban settings.

Houses generally offer more space, making them more suitable for larger families than apartments.