This SC city has bigger new apartments than most of the US, 2024 report shows. Here’s how large
If you want to live large, Columbia is the place to be these days, a new report shows.
According to RentCafe, the capital of South Carolina ranks ninth among cities with the largest apartments in the U.S.
The report found that overall, larger living spaces are making a comeback in the U.S. The average size of new apartments in the U.S. grew by 27 square feet in 2023, reaching 916 square feet in total.
“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,” RentCafe states. “Notably, the recent upward trend contrasts with the slump registered in 2022, when the average size of apartments fell sharply due to a historically high surge in smaller units being built.”
How big are new Columbia apartments?
- Columbia’s new apartments have reached a spacious average size of 1,019 square feet after expanding 36 square feet in the last 10 years.
- 60% of these new apartments are on the larger size — two bedrooms, three bedrooms and even bigger floor plans
- Apartments currently being built in Columbia are projected to be bigger, offering 1,027 square feet of living space
- Statewide, Columbia ranks 1st for largest apartments
Other SC cities
Columbia wasn’t the only city to rank in the report.
- Charleston ranked 23rd on the list with an average new apartment size of 956 square feet, a 4.1% increase over the last 10 years.
- Greenville ranked 28th, with an average new apartment size of 845 square feet, a 0.7% increase over the last 10 years.
Top 10 cities with largest size of new apartments
- Gainesville, FL: 1,173 square feet
- Tallahassee, FL: 1,159 square feet
- Baton Rouge, LA: 1,068 square feet
- Knoxville, TN: 1,057 square feet
- Marietta, GA: 1,055 square feet
- Lubbock, TX: 1,037 square feet
- Greensboro, NC: 1,035 square feet
- Henderson, NV: 1,021 square feet
- Columbia, SC: 1,019 square feet
- Louisville, KY: 1,017 square feet
Report methodology
Rankings were based on the top 100 U.S. cities with the largest stock of apartments (sometimes referred to as “largest cities for renters”) located in multifamily buildings of 50 units or more. To ensure a relevant sample size, RentCafe excluded cities where the number of units completed in one year was less than 500.
When looking at the changes in apartment size in each city, the report considered “new apartments” as those units that were built between 2014 and 2023. This was to ensure a statistically relevant sample size and avoid yearly fluctuations that do not necessarily show a trend.
