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Here's how big San Antonio apartments are for $1,500 a month

San Antonio residents can rent a 1,012-square-foot apartment for just $1,500 a month.

A new apartment analysis by RentCafe has confirmed renters living in San Antonio can get a spacious apartment for $1,500 a month.

San Antonio renters willing to spend $1,500 can get an apartment spanning an average of 1,012 square feet, which is 151 square feet bigger than the overall average — at any price — in the area. The overall average size is 861 square feet and would cost $224 less per month. San Antonio is home to the ninth-largest apartments for the price in the state of Texas.

The study examined data from RentCafe's sister site, Yardi Matrix, to determine the average size and price per square foot for a $1,500 monthly budget in 200 of the largest American cities.

According to the study's findings, the national average size of an apartment costing $1,500 in rent spans 729 square feet.

For the biggest bang for your buck in Central Texas, head to Killeen, where $1,500 nets the No. 8 largest apartment in the state, with a spacious 1,045 square feet. But steer clear of Austin, which (once again) tolerated the least space for the price. Apartments in Austin only stretch to an average of 759 square feet for a $1,500 monthly budget.

In the national ranking of the largest U.S. cities with the greatest average apartment space, Wichita, Kansas claimed the No. 1 spot with apartments spanning 1,359 square feet. San Antonio cracked into the top 25, landing at No. 21 nationally. Killeen ranked No. 22 in the national comparison of the top 100 small U.S. cities.

San Antonio renters may want to consider San Marcos, as it recently ranked as the No. 1 suburb with the best cost of living and housing nationwide. RentCafe says the average apartment size in San Marcos is 1,005 square feet for $1,759 a month as of March 2024.

Apartment sizes around Texas
Renters in the Rio Grande Valley city of McAllen are still getting the most bang (i.e. square footage) for their buck in Texas for the second consecutive year. McAllen renters can find 1,423-square-foot apartments for just $1,500 a month. Brownsville (located 60 miles east of McAllen) is home to the third-largest apartments in Texas for the same budget, with a 1,285-square-foot average apartment size.

Across North Texas, Dallas and Fort Worth renters will notice a 103-square-foot difference between apartments, at 815 and 918 square feet, respectively. Residents can use their monthly budget more wisely in suburbs like Mesquite, with apartments covering 969 square feet.

Among Texas' other largest cities, Houston is close behind San Antonio, with $1,500 scoring an apartment that spans 983 square feet.

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bang for your buck

San Antonio ZIP code is 4th most affordable place for renters in U.S.

Photo by Florian Schmid on Unsplash

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Trying to afford buying a home in San Antonio is difficult enough with current mortgage rates, and doubly so if you're already paying high rent on an apartment or a house. But there are six San Antonio ZIP codes where renters can get the most bang for their buck, according to a new study by financial services company CashNetUSA.

To find the most affordable ZIP codes for renters in the U.S., analysts compared median household incomes by ZIP code to the average annual rent costs in those areas using the Zillow Observed Rent Index. ZIP codes where the average annual rental constituted the lowest percentage of median household income were considered the "most affordable."

San Antonio's 78248 ZIP code specifically stood out as the No. 4 most affordable in the country, and the No. 1 most affordable in Texas. This area encompasses the north San Antonio neighborhoods of Inwood, Forests at Inwood, Oakwood, The Park at Deerfield, Canyon Creek Bluffs, Canyon Creek Village, Blanco Village, Deerfield, Cadillac Drive, and Churchill Estates.

According to the study's findings, the average monthly cost of a rental in 78248 comes out to $1,259.17, and the median annual income of a household in the area is $122,986. Analysts then calculated that the annual rent of a home in this ZIP code only takes up 12.29 percent of a household's median income, which is the fourth-lowest in the nation.

CashNetUSA found the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code for renters nationwide is 66224 in Leawood, Kansas, where annual rent only takes a 10.57 percent cut out of a household's median annual income.

Elsewhere in Texas, two Houston-area ZIP codes – 77401 and 77094 – ranked No. 9 and No. 12 nationally, while Allen's 75013 ZIP code fell two spots behind to claim the No. 14 spot.

The most affordable San Antonio-area ZIP codes for renters
CashNetUSA further unveiled the five most affordable ZIP codes across major U.S. cities, including in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston.

Following 78248 (which took the No. 1 spot citywide) is 78261 (No. 2), which spans east of Highway 281, across Smithson Valley Road. Rent costs in this ZIP code averaged out to $1,698 per month, the report found.

Landing in the No. 3 spot is 78258, which includes Rogers Ranch, The Vineyard, Stone Oak, Summit, Hidden Canyon, and Big Springs neighborhoods. The report said average rent in the area comes out to $1,507 per month, which takes up 17.54 percent of a household's median annual income.

The remaining top two most affordable ZIP codes for San Antonio renters are located in 78259 (Encino Park, Encino Ranch, Cavalo Creek Estates, Northwood Hills, Summit at Bulverde Creek, Roseheart, Redland Woods) and 78260 in Timberwood Park, which is about 25 miles north of downtown San Antonio.

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