These Are the Cities Where You Get the Least Space for the Most Money

Declan Gallagher
·2 min read

A study by home rental site Deluxe Holiday Homes has revealed the cities with the most and least expensive rent per square meter.

In order to retain results, DHH experts analyzed rent prices in major global markets to determine which city has the most expensive square meters. They compared the average prices of a one bedroom apartment size along with its rental fee.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, New York topped the list with a whopping $50.35 cost per m². The study found that New Yorkers are getting even less for their inflated dollars. An average one bedroom apartment in New York City costs over $3,325 and is roughly 66.05 m², significantly down from the average size (70 m²) of a one bedroom in the rest of the US.

San Francisco came in second, with an average apartment size of 64.5 m² costing an average price of nearly $3,000. The price per square meter in San Francisco is $46.27.

Other American cities listed include Boston at number four with a cost of $39.55 per m². Washington, D.C. ($36.80), Miami ($36.51), and Los Angeles ($35.68) tied for fifth place along with Paris ($35.54). Chicago notched seventh with $30.40. The Windy City also tied with Oslo, Copenhagen, and Barcelona, all of which have square meter costs hovering around $30.

The first city outside of the United States is London at number three. The average one bedroom there is one of the smallest on the list, at just 50.4 m². It costs renters an average of over $2,200, making each square foot $43.81.

Helsinki, Finland and Lisbon Portugal rounded out the list with the lowest square meter cost at $21.04 and $20.97, respectively.

You can find the full rankings below.

1. New York City, NY

$50.35 psm

2. San Francisco, CA

$46.27 psm

3. London, England

$43.81 psm

4. Boston, MA

$39.55 psm

5. Washington, D.C.

$36.80 psm

Miami, FL

$36.51 psm

Los Angeles, CA

$35.68 psm

Paris, France

$35.54 psm

6. Dublin, Ireland

$33.63 psm

Amsterdam, Netherlands

$32.87 psm

7. Chicago, IL

$30.40 psm

Oslo, Norway

$30.13 psm

Copenhagen, Denmark

$29.48

Barcelona, Spain

$28.12

8. Prague, Czech Republic

$25.04

Berlin, Germany

$24.77

9. Stockholm, Sweden

$22.48

Vienna, Austria

$22.45

10. Helsinki, Findland

$21.04

Lisbon, Portugal

$20.97