Renters can still get a spacious apartment for $1,500 a month in these 10 cities

Wed, 08/06/2025 - 06:47

Tech Insider

In some cities, you don't have to sacrifice on space for affordable rent.
RentCafe analyzed the price per square footage in major cities on a $1,500 monthly budget.
Rising costs in the South are narrowing the affordability gap for renters.

The decision whether to rent or buy is a personal one, but usually, it comes down to cost. High prices are inescapable in big cities, and while the suburbs were once seen as the land of affordable homes, they're now seeing a growing number of renters, too.

But renting can still be a more affordable option for some, especially in places where you can get plenty of space for a price that's less a monthly mortgage payment.

Analysis by research firm RentCafe shows that your dollar can still get you a sizable apartment in plenty of places in the US — if you move away from the coasts.

"The Midwest and the Southeast have been undersupplied for a long time," Doug Ressler, an analyst at Yardi Matrix, told Business Insider.

RentCafe looked at the top 200 US cities based on population and ranked each city by how much square footage a renter could get in a multifamily property with a monthly budget of $1,500.

Unsurprisingly, coastal cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco rank low in square footage on that budget, with average apartment sizes under 400 square feet for all three cities at that price.

On the flip side, cities in the middle of the country and a handful in Texas offer spacious apartments on a reasonable budget. But cities down South are losing their edge as the most affordable part of the country.

"Affordability is getting eaten up with insurance costs, construction costs, and labor costs," Ressler said. "So what you see is that the affordability gap is narrowing."

Here are the 10 cities where your dollar will stretch further as a renter, according to RentCafe.

10. Corpus Christi, TX