Quote Originally Posted by bmccasland View Post
The apartment is up in the hills, and I'd have an end unit, but on the bottom. So there'd be people above me.

The house is one block from a freeway and near the airport - jets fly by on a regular basis.

Not knowing who my immediate wall neighbors would be, it might be a toss up on which would be quieter, but for ambient outside quiet - the apartment complex definitely wins.
I hadn't realized noise was a concern. I grew up in a house a few blocks from two expressways, a few blocks from train tracks, and basically on a flight path for planes landing at Chicago Midway airport... so ambient noise doesn't really register for me. Just another example of how it's all relative to what you're used to and what makes you (un)comfortable. My parents moved to a less densely populated area a little while back (after spending their first 60+ years in/around Chicago) and found it unsettling at first because it was TOO quiet!

Does reading advice from those of us who leaned towards the house give you "that sinking feeling?" If so--your gut is probably telling you to go with the apartment, and maybe you should follow it. If not, deal with the smaller space, put away that rent differential, and get yourself a fabulous place in a few months that makes both you and the kitties happy.