San Francisco ranks highly among Shoebox apartments

New Yorkers can rightly complain about the high prices they pay for their tiny apartments. But San Francisco isn’t far behind in pint-sized living spaces, according to a new report from apartment search website RentCafe.

While Seattle, Washington ranks first for the smallest apartments in the US, San Francisco ranks sixth for compact dwellings behind New York’s Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan Island neighborhoods.

While the average San Francisco tenant has received an additional 52 square feet of space over the past 10 years, and apartment space has increased slightly during the pandemic due to the need to work from home, the average size of a new SF apartment is still 16.5% smaller. than the national average, according to the study, and analysts expect San Francisco apartments to only continue to get smaller.

The average new apartment in San Francisco is 741 sq. ft compared to 887 sq. foot across the country and 135 sq. feet less than the average new apartment in California. The average size of all apartments in San Francisco is 689 square feet, and as of March, the average one-bedroom apartment costs about $3,000 per month. Future apartments are expected to average 591 square feet in the coming years.

RentCafe says the shrinking square footage is part of a national downsizing trend. According to the report, the average US apartment is down 54 square feet from 10 years ago, from 941 square feet to 887 square feet. Last year saw the biggest drop in square footage, with new builds losing 30 square feet compared to an average of 917 square feet in 2021. Analysts also attribute the trend in part to more studios and one-bedrooms entering the market in 2022, hitting a record share. 57%.

Those who want to warm up can turn to San Jose, a neighbor in Silicon Valley. The city of South Bay is ranked 58th on the list of small apartments. The average apartment in San Jose is 824 square feet, slightly below the national average. But newer builds are trending, with an average of 886 square feet. Over the past 10 years, apartments in San Jose have grown by 62 square feet. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Jose is around $2,500.