California renters: Do you know what $1,500 gets you in apartment size?

In some California cities, $1,500 in monthly rent might only get you a space under 500 square feet—the same amount that could rent a three- or four-bedroom apartment in other parts of the U.S.

To picture what 500 square feet looks like, think of a standard high school classroom—that’s about the same size, according to Apartment Guide.com. Another good comparison is a two-car garage, which typically ranges from 400 to 600 square feet, depending on the layout.

A recent analysis by Rentcafe looked at how much space $1,500 a month can rent in 200 cities across the U.S., including both large and small markets in California.

In Sunnyvale, that’s an apartment size of 385 square feet. In the Inland Empire, that’s an apartment anywhere from about 500 square feet to less than 700 square feet. Further south, that’s a 487-square-foot apartment in Oceanside.

But placing these figures next to what you can get outside of California — ignoring factors like differences in the cost of living, housing availability, and what each city has to offer — and renters who prioritize space may find the differences quite jarring.

“Overall, across the nation, renters can get 715 square feet of apartment space for a monthly rent of $1,500,” RentCafe said. “Still, in 63% of the 200 largest U.S. cities, apartment seekers can get more than the national norm.”

Only a handful of cities in the state analyzed in this study can get renters more than 715 square feet for that price. Yet dozens of cities nationwide, including in neighboring states Nevada, Arizona and Oregon, boast more space for the same price.

For example, $1,500 gets you over 850 square feet in cities outside of Phoenix like Peoria and Surprise, and over 900 square feet in Las Vegas and other nearby cities like Paradise.

Here are the top 10 cities in California with the most space for $1,500

How much square footage can you get for $1,500 in other cities? See list

• Anaheim: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 516 square feet. The city ranked No. 80 out of the list of 100 large U.S. cities.

• Fontana: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 599 square feet. The city ranked No. 75 out of the list of 100 smaller U.S. cities.

• Fremont: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 457 square feet. The city ranked No. 88 out of the list of 100 large U.S. cities.

• Fullerton: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 488 square feet. The city ranked No. 93 out of the list of 100 smaller U.S. cities.

• Huntington Beach: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 471 square feet. The city ranked No. 96 out of the list of 100 smaller U.S. cities.

• Los Angeles: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 426 square feet. The city ranked No. 94 out of the list of 100 large U.S. cities.

• Oxnard: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 509 square feet. The city ranked No. 88 out of the list of 100 smaller U.S. cities.

• Riverside: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 572 square feet. The city ranked No. 78 out of the list of 100 large U.S. cities.

• Salinas: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 503 square feet. The city ranked No. 91 out of the list of 100 smaller U.S. cities.

• San Francisco: $1,500 a month will get you an apartment that is 325 square feet. The city ranked No. 97 out of the list of 100 large U.S. cities.

Here are the top U.S. cities with the most space for $1,500

How did RentCafe determine these figures?

RentCafe said it calculated how much apartment space you can get for $1,500 a month by using the price per square foot sourced from the average rents and apartment sizes in multifamily properties of 50 or more units by city, using the real estate data source Yardi Matrix.

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: See how much space $1,500 a month gets you across California