May 17, 2023 - Real Estate

What $1,500 in rent gets you in Boston versus other big cities

Mike Deehan

Snug as a bug in a Denver apartment. Photo: RJ Sangosti via Getty Images

With Massachusetts housing costs making us one of the "most moved-from states," it's always enlightening to take a look at greener, or at least cheaper, pastures to see what other metro areas pay for apartments.

What's happening: Real estate blog Zumper put together a list of what $1,500 in rent gets across various cities, and Boston did not fare well, unless you're on the agoraphobic side.

The best Zumper could find was a tiny studio apartment in East Boston.

Listed among this spot's high points: hardwood floors, updated kitchen and bathroom, and "fresh paint throughout."

Meanwhile, in Chicago, you can get a "stunning loft in the West Loop." In Denver, $1,500 will nab a luxury one-bedroom on Capitol Hill with a roof patio.

And don't even look at cities like Atlanta or Columbus, where $1,500 a month means an entire three-bedroom house.

Another review from Rent Cafe found that the average $1,500, 243-square-foot Manhattan studio can fit snugly inside the bedroom of one of Wichita's $1,500, 1,460-square-foot monster apartments.

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What $1,500 in rent gets you in Boston versus other big cities

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