$1,500 Can Go Bigger in These North Texas Cities Than In Most Others

We’ve reported on how a few cities around North Texas have been recognized for being safe places to live or even great places to work remotely. But according to a new study, several North Texas locations offer better bang for the buck when it comes to apartment renting than most cities in the United States.

Apartment search website RentCafe recently published a report on the amount of apartment space available for $1,500 in 100 large cities and 100 smaller cities. North Texas suburbs from east to west, and north to south, all made appearances on the favorable end of the survey, with Arlington being the top-ranking “large city” in North Texas (No. 28 overall), defined as having more than 225,000 residents. Mesquite is listed as the top-ranked small city in North Texas, and No. 25 overall.

For the large cities surveyed, $1,500 monthly rent can get you 923 square feet in Arlington, according to RentCafe, followed closely by Garland, Fort Worth and Plano.

Large North Texas Cities (225,000 minimum population)

• No. 28 Arlington: 923 square feet
• No. 29 Garland: 921 square feet
• No. 30 Fort Worth: 920 square feet
• No. 56 Plano: 807 square feet
  
  
  

In recent times, we’ve noted how Plano has been lauded for its quality of life and for its renter-friendly environment. A March survey from Niche, an AI platform that delivers insights on communities and neighborhoods across the country, fawned over Plano, naming it the sixth best city to live in.

Small North Texas Cities (Under 225,000 population)

• No. 25 Mesquite: 980 square feet
• No. 37 McKinney: 881 square feet
• No. 39 Grand Prairie: 880 square feet
• No. 45 Denton: 834 square feet
• No. 48 Frisco: 791 square feet

It’s no surprise that McKinney is high on this list from this specific website. In July, RentCafe named McKinney the best city in the U.S. for renters. That study factored in the cost of living, the number of high-end apartments, and job growth to place McKinney above popular locales such as Atlanta, Austin, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Some Texas cities from other parts of the state landed even higher on both lists. Lubbock, San Antonio and Houston appeared near the top of the large city list, with Lubbock showing off its 1,230 square feet for $1,500. For the smaller cities, McAllen had the top spot in the nation, offering 1,393 square feet for $1,500.

If none of these sizes seems like a steal, may we point you to how $1,500 only covers a microscopic 216 square feet in Manhattan? Big Apple, tiny space.