Jacob Vaughn
Audio By Carbonatix
Anyone who has recently tried to find a decent apartment in Dallas that doesn’t break the bank knows what we’re about to say: around here, you have to pay up if you want the space to stretch out.
In Dallas, more than in most Texas cities, your dollar doesn’t go very far when it comes to housing. A recent RentCafe survey examined the 200 largest U.S. cities to see how many square feet, on average, a $1,500 rent budget can buy a tenant. Dallas sat squarely in the middle, ranking 103rd nationally.
For that budget, Dallas renters can expect to get around 806 square feet, which works out to just over $1.50 per square foot. That’s comparatively better than what one would expect to get for that price in Manhattan or San Francisco. (In those cities, a $1,500 budget will get you 210 and 307 square feet, respectively.)
Texas, though, long stood as the land of affordable living, so comparisons to New York City and California don’t make us feel quite as good about Dallas’ apartment market. Of the 23 Texas cities included in the survey, only Austin and Frisco were worse than Dallas in terms of how much space $1,500 gets you.
In Austin, that budget comes out to around 784 square feet. In Fort Worth, you’re looking at 913 square feet for $1,500; in Houston, 976 square feet for $1,500.
Of course, you could always go the suburban route if you’re looking for more space without spending any extra. In Garland and Arlington, the same rent budget is likely to get you 120 square feet more than it would in Dallas.
There is some hope that things are getting better for renters in at least one North Texas city. In Denton, a $1,500 rent payment is getting, on average, 28 square feet more than it would have this time last year. That’s the second largest gain nationally, bested only by Cape Coral, Florida’s 60-square-foot increase.
San Antonio is Texas’ best major city for apartment size. $1,500 there comes out to 1,023 square feet, which, depending on the floor plan, could fit up to three bedrooms. That puts San Antonio in the top 20% nationally for size. If four bedrooms are what you’re looking for, the country is your friend.
McAllen, Texas, is the national leader for how much space $1,500 can buy. On average, you’re looking at 1,378 square feet for that rent payment.
