Memphis Skyline on Mississippi Riveron Mississippi River, Tennessee. (Photo by: Visions of America/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
How much apartment space can you get for $1,700 a month? If you live in the South or the Midwest, you’re likely getting a lot more bang for your buck, a new analysis concludes.
RentCafe, an apartment search website, looked at 1,665 zip codes across the 50 largest cities in the U.S. and how much they offer for a monthly budget of $1,700 – the national average for apartment rent.
The national average for space is about 944 square feet, but that square footage varies widely depending on where you live.
Where do you get the most apartment space for $1,700?
According to Rent Cafe, neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, offer the most space.
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In the 38109 zip code of Memphis, $1,700 equates to about 2,000 square feet of living space – "more than in any other zip code analyzed."
Oklahoma City Skyline, Oklahoma. (Photo by: Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The 73127 area code in Oklahoma City came in second place.
Where do you get the least apartment space for $1,700?
Shocking no one, the 10 zip codes where you get the least amount of apartment space for $1,700 are all in New York City. Nine of the 10 are in Manhattan. In New York City, you’ll get an average of 200-235 square feet of apartment space for $1,700 a month.
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Of the top 50 zip codes with the least amount of space, 36 are in New York.
An aerial view One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, September 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
That’s not the case in Philadelphia, where there are six zip codes in the area where you can get more than 1,000 square feet for $1,700 in rent.
But on the West Coast, you can expect to get very little space for $1,700 in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Los Angeles, you’ll find anywhere from 362 square feet (near Santa Monica) all the way up to 700 square feet (Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw neighborhood), but it depends on which area you’re in.
How much space do you get in the Midwest?
The Midwest will get you more legroom than other regions, but even Midwestern cities vary widely.
Kansas City Skyline at dusk with traffic and streaked lights and car trails, Missouri. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In southeastern Kansas City, you can get an average of 1,841 square feet of apartment space for $1,700, more than double what you’ll get in the most expensive Kansas City neighborhood.
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In Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, you can get 1,376 square feet for $1,700, but in the Near North Side area of the Windy City (Streeterville and Magnificent Mile neighborhoods), your options average 459 square feet.
Partial view of the Chicago skyline, photographed from outside the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois on November 5, 2019. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Further north in Chicago, zip code 60621 stands out for its spaciousness, providing an impressive 1,376 square feet for $1,700. Located in the Englewood neighborhood, zip code 60621 is an option for renters seeking ample living space within the urban landscape.
What’s apartment space like in the Mountain West?
Phoenix will get you the most space for $1,700, according to Rent Cafe. The most spacious apartments can be found in the Laveen neighborhood (1,090 square feet), while the least spacious apartments for $1,700 a month are rented in downtown area (658 square feet).
Phoenix, Arizona (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In Denver, apartment space for $1,700 a month will range from 934 square feet in Virginia Village to just 587 square feet in the sought-after Highlands area.