If you’re a renter hoping to live large without a hefty rent bill, Charlotte might just be the place. According to a new RentCafe.com report, the Queen City offers renters more room to stretch than most other major U.S. cities on a $1,500 budget.
To help renters navigate their options this moving season, our study analyzed how much apartment space $1,500 gets you in 200 of the largest cities nationwide, using Yardi Matrix data from March 2025.
Here’s how Charlotte stacks up:
- For $1,500/month, renters in Charlotte can get 847 square feet of apartment space — significantly more than the national average of 715 square feet.
- That’s the equivalent of a spacious 2-bedroom unit — or a 1-bedroom with a home office, a gym corner, or both.
- Compare that to West Coast hotspots like San Francisco or Los Angeles, where $1,500 often gets you less than 500 square feet — barely enough for a studio.
- But here’s the twist: Fayetteville stretches that same $1,500 budget to 1,200 square feet, making it the most generous city in the Tar Heel State. Cities like Durham, Raleigh, Cary, and even parts of the Piedmont Triad also edge out Charlotte in terms of sheer square footage.
- Big picture? Southern and Midwestern cities dominate the list of places where $1,500 goes furthest. Wichita, KS, leads the nation with over 1,300 square feet for the same monthly rent.
Check out the full report, complete with interactive maps and data for 200 U.S. cities: https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/
