Monica’s apartment in “Friends”, Carrie’s digs in “Sex and the City”, or the beautiful homes in “Modern Family” have fuelled the real-estate dreams of many fans. Yet one question keeps coming up: could these characters really have afforded to live in such homes?

Indeed, many of these spots are actually quite unrealistic, judging from an assessment of the property market. A study conducted by US agency Clever Real Estate looked at several popular TV series and movies, analysing “data on salaries, home prices, property tax rates and insurance rates” from various sources, including the Federal Reserve.

While Carrie Bradshaw is best known for having problems in her romantic relationships, the “Sex and the City” columnist would also have had a hard time paying for her apartment.

“Located in New York City’s upscale West Village neighbourhood, the mortgage payments dwarf a typical New York-area writer or columnist’s monthly salary of around US$9,669 by several thousand dollars. It’s also far beyond the threshold of affordability for renting, which would have eaten up roughly 60% of Carrie’s pre-tax income,” reads the report.

To rent her apartment, the editor would have to earn US$660,429 a year – a questionable amount given the character’s activity.

“With just one weekly column, whether Carrie is pulling in a six-figure paycheck is questionable on its own. Naturally, the series explains this away by noting her unit is rent controlled, a crucial plot device for characters living beyond their means.”

Another improbable housing scenario, given the same explanation, is Monica Geller’s purple apartment in “Friends”, whose controlled rent would have helped her and roommate Rachel afford to continue living in this large dwelling.

With an estimated salary of US$120,920, Courtney Cox’s chef couldn’t have afforded the US$321,429-salary needed to rent, according to the real-estate agency’s estimates.

In contrast, fans of the cult series “That ’70s Show” (and its current predecessor “That ’90s Show”)will be happy to know that Kitty and Red Forman could well have raised their son and daughter in their home.

The “Roseanne” series also respects this degree of realism, while the report finds that “maybe” the homes in the “Modern Family” series could be affordable for renters, and that Walter White’s in “Breaking Bad” potentially could be affordable either as a rental or for a homeowner.

Here are the realistically most affordable homes to rent in movies and TV shows, calculated on the basis of the typical income of the main characters’ occupation:

1. “That ’70s Show”
2. “Roseanne”
3. “Breaking Bad”
4. “10 Things I Hate About You”
5. “Twilight”

And the least affordable to rent:

1. “The Notebook”
2. “The Goonies”
3. “Mrs. Doubtfire”
4. “Sex and the City”
5. “The Sopranos”