Here’s how much $1,500/month can really rent in NYC

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, $1,500 per month in rent can score you a large three-bedroom home with a patio. In Manhattan, you’re lucky if you can fit a full-size bed for that sum. 

Fresh data has revealed just how far a New York dollar can stretch when it comes to renting mere square footage. The annual report by RentCafe analyzed average rents and apartment sizes in 200 large US cities in order to determine the best price-per-square foot bargain.

New York City’s poor showing in the report should come as no surprise to its residents, who have long lived crammed in like sardines.

Manhattan renters with just $1,500 to burn can expect only 216 square feet of living space, according to RentCafe. That’s just a fraction of the city’s typical studio apartment. 

The good news is that Manhattan’s shoebox apartments actually gained square footage over the last 10 years — but only by a measly 4 square feet. Brooklyn also enjoyed a 6-square-foot uptick across its rental stock, but Brooklynites on a $1,500 budget should only expect 297 square feet, according to the report.

Feeling claustrophobic yet? Consider Queens.

The Big Apple’s largest borough can offer a relatively cozy one-bedroom for your shoestring budget, with an average offering 345 square feet for $1,500. Yonkers, in Westchester, can provide even roomier accommodations at 471 square feet — larger than what you can get in any of the five boroughs.

Renters in need of wide open spaces would have better luck pretty much anywhere else — the national average afforded by $1,500 in 2025 is a comfortable 715 square feet. That amount can stretch even further in 63% of the cities surveyed, according to RentCafe, with some Southern and Midwestern metros offering nearly double the national average. 

If you have little to spend, and a whole lot of furniture, head to McAllen, Texas or Wichita, Kansas. These cities, as well as Tulsa, offer square footage nearing 1,400 square feet for peanuts.

Cramped New Yorkers who want to stay in-state should look to Rochester, which ranked first place in the Northeast rankings. The city can offer a comfortable, 903-square-foot two-bedroom for $1,500, as can runner-up Buffalo, at 835 square feet.