Here’s how much space $1,500 will get renters in these Bay Area cities

According to a recent report from RentCafe, Bay Area renters with a budget of $1,500 will not be able to afford anything larger than a one-bedroom apartment in the entire region — and nationwide, apartments are only getting more expensive.  

The report analyzed how much space renters can get for $1,500 in 100 of the largest U.S. cities compared with how much space they can get in nearby suburbs. Compared with the top 10 cities in the San Francisco metro area that offer the most apartment space, San Francisco will get you just 345 square feet — about the size of a single-car garage. 

Out of all the major U.S. cities included in the report, Oakland ranks 6th for the least amount of apartment space. With a budget of $1,500, renters can expect to get 400 square feet, or about as much as a one-bedroom apartment. San Jose, another prohibitively expensive Bay Area city, ranks 11th, offering less than 483 square feet in return.  

In the Bay Area suburbs, however, renters can squeeze out a couple hundred extra square feet. In Pittsburg, Richmond, Concord, Novato, Hayward and Pleasant Hill, renters can expect to get about 550 to 590 square feet for $1,500, and in Antioch — the city that offers the most rental space — you can get 600 square feet.  

But all is not lost: Those who want to live in San Francisco without roommates can still rent out single-room occupancies — 80-square-foot rooms in residential hotels that don’t have their own kitchens and bathrooms — for the modest price of $890 per month. 

A housing development in Antioch, Calif.Skyhobo/Getty Images/iStockphoto According to a recent report from RentCafe, Bay Area renters with a budget of $1,500 will not be able to afford anything larger than a one-bedroom apartment in the entire region — and nationwide, apartments are only getting more expensive.   The report analyzed how much space renters can get for $1,500 in 100 of the largest U.S. cities compared with how much space they can get in nearby suburbs. Compared with the top 10 cities in the San Francisco metro area that offer the most apartment space, San Francisco will get you just 345 square feet — about the size of a single-car garage.  Out of all the major U.S. cities included in the report, Oakland ranks 6th for the least amount of apartment space. With a budget of $1,500, renters can expect to get 400 square feet, or about as much as a one-bedroom apartment. San Jose, another prohibitively expensive Bay Area city, ranks 11th, offering less than 483 square feet in return.  In the Bay Area suburbs, however, renters can squeeze out a couple hundred extra square feet. In Pittsburg, Richmond, Concord, Novato, Hayward and Pleasant Hill, renters can expect to get about 550 to 590 square feet for $1,500, and in Antioch — the city that offers the most rental space — you can get 600 square feet.  But all is not lost: Those who want to live in San Francisco without roommates can still rent out single-room occupancies — 80-square-foot rooms in residential hotels that don’t have their own kitchens and bathrooms — for the modest price of $890 per month.