What size apartment $1,500 a month buys you in Massachusetts cities

A monthly rent of $1,500 can get you an 825-square-foot apartment in Springfield. That's larger than the national average of 782 square feet, per a new report from listing service RentCafe.

• Worcester has 700-square-foot apartments for the same price.

• But in Boston, fifteen-hundred bucks gets you a measly 320 square feet.

Reality check: Springfield is a great town! Wouldn't love the two-to-three-hour one-way commute to Boston, though.

The big picture: Rent is rising faster than income nationwide.

The median U.S. renter is spending close to 30% of their monthly income on an average rent, per the latest report from Moody's Analytics, an economic research firm.