Where $1,500 in rent gets you the most—and least—space in major U.S. cities

3 hours ago 5

How overmuch abstraction you tin get for a monthly rent outgo of $1,500 depends wholly connected where you live.

In Manhattan, New York, it's an mean of 216 quadrate feet — astir the size of a bedroom. But successful Wichita, Kansas, the aforesaid magnitude volition get you an mean of 1,329 quadrate feet — capable for a multi-room flat oregon adjacent a humble house, according to RentCafe.

The rankings are based connected mean rent and flat size information for March 2025, from existent property information level Yardi Matrix, which is operated by the aforesaid genitor institution arsenic RentCafe. The ranking utilized U.S. Census Bureau estimates to specify the 100 astir populous cities successful the contiguous U.S.

Here are the 10 markets wherever renters get the slightest space, connected average, for $1,500 a month:

  1. Manhattan, New York: 216 quadrate feet
  2. Brooklyn, New York: 297 quadrate feet
  3. Boston: 311 quadrate feet
  4. San Francisco: 325 quadrate feet
  5. Jersey City, New Jersey: 331 quadrate feet
  6. Queens, New York: 345 quadrate feet
  7. Los Angeles, California: 426 quadrate feet
  8. San Jose, California: 435 quadrate feet
  9. Irvine, California: 436 quadrate feet
  10. San Diego: 439 quadrate feet

The astir costly rental markets thin to beryllium ample coastal cities wherever request for lodging far exceeds supply. Strict zoning laws, constricted caller operation and a longstanding shortage of affordable lodging has led to smaller, costly apartments successful places similar New York and San Francisco.

In contrast, renters get acold much abstraction for their wealth successful the Midwest and Southern U.S., wherever lodging is much affordable and usable onshore is little scarce.

Here are the 10 cities wherever $1,500 stretches the furthest successful presumption of mean magnitude of space:

  1. Wichita, Kansas: 1,329 quadrate feet
  2. Toledo, Ohio: 1,268 quadrate feet
  3. Oklahoma City: 1,247 quadrate feet
  4. Tulsa, Oklahoma: 1,231 quadrate feet
  5. Lubbock, Texas: 1,230 quadrate feet
  6. Memphis, Tennessee: 1,229 quadrate feet
  7. Fort Wayne, Indiana: 1,159 quadrate feet
  8. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 1,138 quadrate feet
  9. El Paso, Texas: 1,137 quadrate feet
  10. Corpus Christi, Texas: 1,104 quadrate feet

Apartments are getting somewhat larger

Fortunately for renters, apartments are getting somewhat larger, according to an April study from RentCafe.

Studios averaged 457 quadrate feet successful 2024, up 13 quadrate feet from the erstwhile year. One-bedrooms roseate to 735 quadrate feet, and two-bedrooms deed 1,097 — humble increases that springiness renters a spot much space.

The summation is mostly owed to a question of caller flat operation delivering larger units, says RentCafe.

Still, successful the astir costly cities, $1,500 often isn't capable to screen adjacent a workplace flat as rents proceed to rise. In New York City, for example, the mean rent for a workplace is $3,700 a month, according to RentHop.

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