How much space $2,000 a month in rent gets in 25 biggest U.S. cities

Living alone with a $2,000 housing budget may be nearly impossible in some major cities — but in others you may be able to afford up to three bedrooms.

Across the U.S., the average rent for a studio apartment listed on Apartments.com in October was $1,699 a month, and a two-bedroom space had an average rent of $1,887 per month, according to data collected and analyzed by Apartments.com in a November report.

Of the 25 most populous cities in the U.S., New York, Boston and California cities San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose were the most expensive. Average rent for a studio apartment in these cities was over $2,000 in October, according to data from Apartments.com shared with CNBC Make It.

With $2,000, you could get an average of 267 square feet in New York City, or one-third the size of a pickleball court, according to a normalized estimate from October listings. Compare that with Oklahoma City, the most affordable of the most populous cities, where $2,000 is worth about 1,900 square feet — more than two pickleball courts.

While this data offers a useful benchmark for comparison across cities, it isn’t necessarily indicative of the size of any single apartment a renter is likely to encounter. In reality, apartment sizes and prices can differ within the same city due to various factors, and renters should keep that in mind, the authors of the report said.

Here’s where $2,000 in rent would get you the least space in the 25 most populous cities in America:

1. New York, N.Y.: 267 square feet
2. Boston, Mass.: 336 square feet
3. San Francisco, Calif.: 340 square feet
4. San Diego, Calif.: 458 square feet
5. San Jose, Calif.: 427 square feet

Here’s where $2,000 in rent would get you the most space in the 25 most populous cities in America:

1. Oklahoma City, Okla.: 1,900 square feet
2. El Paso, Texas: 1,762 square feet
3. Indianapolis, Ind.: 1,676 square feet
4. Columbus, Ohio: 1,633 square feet
5. San Antonio, Texas: 1,517 square feet

Here’s how much space you could get for $2,000 a month in all 25 of the most populous U.S. cities as of October.

• Unit type: N/A
• Average size for $2,000: 267 square feet

• Unit type: Studio
• Average size for $2,000: 530 square feet

• Unit type: One bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 679 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,443 square feet

• Unit type: Two bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,230 square feet

• Unit type: One bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 772 square feet

• Unit type: Three Bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,517 square feet

• Unit type: N/A
• Average size for $2,000: 458 square feet

• Unit type: Two bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,154 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,453 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,305 square feet

• Unit type: N/A
• Average size for $2,000: 427 square feet

• Unit type: Two bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,186 square feet

• Unit type: Two bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,235 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,633 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,676 square feet

• Unit type: N/A
• Average size for $2,000: 340 square feet

• Unit type: Studio
• Average size for $2,000: 534 square feet

• Unit type: One bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 852 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,900 square feet

• Unit type: One bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 863 square feet

• Unit type: Studio
• Average size for $2,000: 512 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,762 square feet

• Unit type: Three bedroom
• Average size for $2,000: 1,354 square feet