The American cities with the smallest apartments revealed - and Manhattan homes are nowhere near the most-cramped

Residents could be forgiven for feeling the walls are closing in on them in the troubled cities of Seattle and Portland - and a nationwide study of new rental apartment sizes suggests they would be right.

The two west coast towns have the smallest new-builds in the country with the average unit coming in at a compact 685 square feet in Portland, and an even cozier 661 in Seattle.

That compares with a relatively roomy 737 sq ft in Manhattan where the average offering has grown by a noticeable 16 sq ft in the last decade.

But Florida has established itself as America's space center with Gainesville and Tallahassee topping the list at 1,173 and 1,159 sq ft respectively.

'Larger living spaces are making a comeback,' said Alexandra Both of rentcafe.com which carried out the survey.

The sizes of new rentals in Seattle are the smallest in America - and they are getting smaller

But a building boom in the Gainesville home of the University of Florida has helped give the town the largest new-build rental homes in the country   

'The average size of new apartments in the US saw substantial growth in 2023, bouncing back to 916 square feet after a steep decline the previous year.

'This increase can be attributed to more spacious two- and three-bedroom apartments opening their doors last year as developers aimed to meet renters' need for more space.'

The survey looked at new apartment sizes in America's 100 largest cities.

And it found that New Yorkers are not the only big city dwellers enjoying more room to stretch their legs as new units have also got bigger in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, by an impressive 97 sq ft in the case of the Windy City.

But while sizes are creeping up overall, you have to pay more to feel the benefit.

'In general, small rentals are getting smaller and large apartments are gaining square feet,' Both said.

'More precisely, two- and three-bedroom apartments have been adding more floor space in the last decade, while studios and one-bedroom apartments have been getting more and more compact.

'Studios took the biggest hit after shrinking by a whopping 54 square feet in the last decade.'

New rentals in Portland, Oregon, are barely bigger than Seattle at just 685 square feet 

But Manhattan has defied expectations with a relatively roomy 727 sq ft - up 16 in a decade

While apartments in Manhattan may be gaining space, its fellow New York boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn tuck in behind Seattle and Portland with just 692 and 712 sq ft respectively.

Detroit in Michigan makes up the fifth of the bottom five, all of which have shrunk in the last decade.

Things could get even worse for renters in Seattle because the survey reveals that the size of apartments currently under construction averages a miniscule 430 sq ft - bigger only than those in San Jose, California where the figure is 423.

'Small rentals are getting smaller and large apartments are gaining square feet,' said Alexandra Both of rentcafe.com

Conversely the Sun Belt dominates the list of cities where the average apartment size is growing fastest.

'Interestingly, the US cities that offered the roomiest apartments have been building even bigger throughout the last 10 years,' Both said.

'Tucson, Arizona, gained a remarkable 246 square feet — enough to accommodate two extra guest bedrooms.

'Other cities that similarly reflected this trend included Gainesville and Tallahassee, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Lubbock, Texas; and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Knoxville is also expected to see the highest increase in house prices in the next year with a predicted rise of 6.1 percent, a Zillow report found last month.

But its not all sunshine and light in the south with new rentals in Birmingham, Alabama, losing a room-sized 141 sq ft on average, more than any other city on the list.

Across the US The proportion of single-family homes being built for rent has doubled in two years as corporates eye up those who have had enough of paying a mortgage.

And the survey reveals good news for those able to rent at the top end of the market.

'Three-bedroom apartments have been steadily getting roomier and remain close to single-family homes for rent in terms of floor space and rent costs,' Both said.

'The size of a build-to-rent house increased to more than 1,400 square feet in 2023 for an average rent of $2,096, while the norm for a three-bedroom unit was close to 1,350 square feet and $2,160 in monthly rent.

'This is why, in some locations, renters might find it more convenient to rent a house as opposed to a three-bedroom unit.'