Finding an apartment that ticks all your boxes should be an Olympic sport. Few things require the same amount of dedication, grit, and pure talent as an Olympic athlete, so of course apartment hunting can’t compare. But if you manage to do it, it will give you a rare sense of accomplishment.
There are many factors that come into play when searching for a living space, and they often don’t line up with a renter’s budget.
According to a recent report from RentCafe, if you’re looking for an apartment in the US and a spacious yet budget-friendly property is paramount, you should focus your search on the South. This includes the southern region of Texas.
RentCafe obtained apartment data from sister company Yardi Matrix and ranked the 200 largest cities in the continental U.S. based on where you can find the largest apartments that fit an average rent budget of $1,500 a month.
Most of the top 20 cities where you can get the most apartment space for $1,500 are located in the Southeast and Southwest. Similarly, more than half of the top 10 cities in Texas are in the southern part of the state.
McAllen, the top city in Texas, ranked second in the country and a standout city nationally, with the city’s average $1,500 apartment size being 1,423 square feet.
Texas had only three major cities in the top 10: Houston, San Antonio and El Paso. In No. 5 El Paso, $1,500 will get you an average of 1,147 square feet of home. In No. 10 Houston and No. 9 San Antonio, $1,500 will get you 1,012 and 983 square feet, respectively.
San Antonio’s average $1,500 budget-friendly apartment size is impressive when compared to the nation’s biggest cities: The Alamo City, the seventh-largest in the country, is the only top 10 big city with an average of over 1,000 square feet for the set budget.
Here are the top 10 cities in Texas where apartment renters can live most cost-effectively.
McAllen: 1,423 square feetAmarillo: 1,291 square feetBrownsville: 1,285 square feetLubbock: 1,220 square feetEl Paso: 1,147 square feetPasadena: 1,133 square feetCorpus Christi: 1,124 square feetKilleen: 1,045 square feetSan Antonio: 1,012 square feetHouston: 983 square feet
Outside of Southern cities, the Midwest is another area where you can find a spacious apartment without breaking the bank.
Alexandra Vos, author of the report, noted that the Midwest is “known for offering a good combination of affordable rent, jobs and spacious living spaces.”
Of course, there are exceptions in both regions: In Miami, for example, residents renting an apartment for $1,500 a month live in a modest dwelling that averages 533 square feet; in Chicago, the average size drops to 489 square feet.
The Texas city with the smallest apartments for that budget is Austin: For $1,500, Austin residents can get an average apartment of 759 square feet, just over half what McAllen offers but still above the national average of 729 square feet.
Click here to read the full RentCafe study.
