If you have a $1,500 budget to rent an apartment, where you choose to live makes all the difference. In McAllen, TX, one of the lowest cost-of-living areas in the U.S., that amount stretches the furthest, to 1,378 square feet, enough for a three- to four-bedroom apartment. In Manhattan, NY, that same budget barely gets you 210 square feet, roughly the size of a dorm room.

Nationwide, that amount is enough to secure an average of 703 square feet of apartment space. However, in nearly two-thirds of the cities analyzed (64.5%), $1,500 stretches further than that national benchmark.

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Here’s how much a a $1,500 rent budget will get you in Arizona:

• Tucson: $1,500 will get you 914 square feet

• Peoria: $1,500 will get you 885 square feet

• Glendale: $1,500 will get you 880 square feet

• Surprise: $1,500 will get you 877 square feet

• Mesa: $1,500 will get you 853 square feet

• Chandler: $1,500 will get you 832 square feet

• Gilbert: $1,500 will get you 824 square feet

• Phoenix: $1,500 will get you 820 square feet

• Tempe: $1,500 will get you 730 square feet

• Scottsdale: $1,500 will get you 683 square feet

Key national takeaways:

  • McAllen, TX, renters can get the most apartment space for $1,500 a month — 1,378 square feet, or enough for a three- to four-bedroom apartment.
  • $1,500 a month covers a one- to two-bedroom in roughly half of the 200 cities analyzed, but only 31 offer space for a two- to three-bedroom.
  • Metairie, LA, is the only city where $1,500 gets you a larger apartment than last year, jumping to the two- to three-bedroom range.
  • Renters in 26 cities, mostly in California, can’t even get a studio for that budget; Manhattan, NY, offers a mere 210 square feet.

With the national average apartment rent at $1,740 per month as of March 2026 and the average apartment spanning 835 square feet, a $1,500 monthly budget falls short of the national benchmark but it can still stretch surprisingly far depending on where you look.

McAllen, TX, leads the nation in square feet for $1,500 a month

If you’re apartment-hunting on a $1,500-a-month budget, South Texas is where your dollar goes the furthest. McAllen, TX, tops the nation with 1,378 square feet for that price, which is enough for a three- or four-bedroom apartment.

With rents averaging just $993 and the typical apartment measuring 912 square feet, McAllen renters get a lot more space for their money than most Americans do within that monthly budget. Still, that figure is down slightly from last year’s 1,393 square feet — a sign that even the most affordable markets are starting to tighten.

Macon, GA, comes in close behind at #2 with 1,346 square feet, or the equivalent of a four- to five-bedroom apartment. Not far behind, Columbus, GA (1,335 square feet); Wichita, KS (1,287 square feet); and Jackson, MS (1,287 square feet) round out the top five. All five cities have average rents well below $1,200 and offer apartments significantly above the national average of 835 square feet. Across the board, the top of the list is dominated by lower-cost cities in the Midwest and South.

Among the 100 large cities, Wichita, KS, leads at #1, followed by Toledo, OH (1,260 square feet); Oklahoma City, OK (1,239 square feet); Tulsa, OK (1,229 square feet); and Memphis, TN (1,220 square feet).