How much space does $1,500 a month get renters in San Diego?

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- It's not impossible for renters to stay in the San Diego area for under $2,000 a month -- if they're willing to balance big city living with limited apartment space.

A recent study by RentCafe looked at where renters can get the most and least apartment space for $1,500 a month. Analysts looked at 200 of the largest cities in the U.S. by population, based on data from the Census Bureau. Large cities are defined as those with more than 225,000 residents, according to RentCafe.

The apartment space available for rent using a monthly budget of $1,500 was calculated using price per square foot derived from the average rents and average apartment size by city. RentCafe gathered the information from Yardi Matrix, a commercial real estate data tool.

According to the study, 32 out of the 50 cities with the least apartment space for a monthly rent of $1,500 are located in California. This includes some cities in San Diego County.

In the city of San Diego, $1,500 gets renters about 442 square feet of living space, data showed.

Renters hoping to live within the county might be able to find slightly bigger apartment units if they travel north or south of San Diego.

The average apartment size for $1,500 in Escondido is 543 square feet, while an apartment in Chula Vista for the same monthly rent is about 510 square feet.

However, these spaces are still smaller than the nationwide average of 729 square feet for a monthly rent of $1,500.

California also tops the list for small cities where $1,500 doesn't get you very much. Small cities are defined as those with less than 225,000 residents, according to RentCafe.

In Oceanside -- which has a population of just over 174,000, based on the latest census data -- the average size of an apartment available for $1,500 per month is 497 square feet.

Sunnyvale, Calif. was the nation's top small city where renters get the least space for $1,500. According to the study, renters in the Silicon Valley city will find an apartment space of about 406 square feet for that monthly price.

The nation's top largest area where $1,500 gets the least apartment space is New York City's borough of Manhattan, which only offers about 228 square feet. Other New York City boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens offer 300 and 370 square feet of living space respectively.

On the other hand, renters looking to live in a large city can find the most apartment space for $1,500 in Wichita, Kan., Memphis, Tenn. or Toledo, Ohio. Those who would rather live in a small city while prioritizing large apartment space may find the best bang for their buck in the South, in cities like Columbus, Ga., McAllen, Tex. and Huntsville, Ala.