I have to admit to not understanding why someone would want to live in a tall building, but if that's your thing, you probably want to be in Arlington along the Orange Line corridor (still called that despite the Silver Line also running through there). There are more restaurants around Clarendon and Ballston than, say, Rosslyn, but really the whole area from Rosslyn to Ballston is only a few miles anyway. The other option would be Crystal City, but that is tougher transit-wise because of the infrequency of Blue Line trains.

You are probably talking about $2000 for a 1-bedroom apartment in that area. Crystal City / Pentagon City area is a bit cheaper, but less convenient.

There is also some newer stuff going up around the end of the Silver Line in Reston, but I'm not sure how much of it is open yet.