All Upscale Rentals Don’t Offer the Same Size or Space. Here’s Why.
Luxury apartments can come with mind-blowing amenities, unique sizes, and one-of-a-kind layouts. That can make apartment hunting a thrilling experience, giving you the chance to explore incomparable options with their own distinct designs and spaces.
While it’s easy to be wow-ed by extraordinary amenities as you tour apartments, it’s also important to keep an eye on apartment size — because not all upscale rentals will offer the same square footage.
In fact, when it comes to the average size of luxury apartments:
- Average square footage for high-end rentals varies from city to city: You won’t necessarily get the same amount of space at a Houston luxury apartment versus an ultra-upscale rental in Austin or Dallas.
- Average apartment size nationwide is shrinking: Rentals across the U.S. have shrunk by an average of 3% over the past 10 years, according to a recent report. This space reduction has been more dramatic in some areas, with apartments reportedly shrinking the fastest in Silver Spring, MD.
Here’s a closer look at luxury apartment sizes and average square footage in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas.
What Is the Average Luxury Apartment Square Footage in Texas?
Texas seems to be defying a national trend with average apartment sizes because rentals in the Lone Star State are generally getting bigger, not smaller.
Specifically, upscale rentals in Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas have grown in size over the past couple of years, with Austin luxury apartments being the only ones, among the major metros, to show a slight decline in square footage.
The table below highlights how average apartment square footage varies across the major metros in Texas and what you can generally expect in terms of size in each city (for newer rentals). Bold percentages indicate size increases when compared to the national average (in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available).
| Texas City | Average Luxury Apartment Size (One Bedroom) | Apt. Size vs. National Average (887 ft.2) |
| Houston | 923 ft.2 | 4.1% ↑ |
| Austin | 884 ft.2 | 0.3% ↓ |
| San Antonio | 901 ft.2 | 1.6% ↑ |
| Dallas | 895 ft.2 | 0.9 ↑ |
With these averages, keep in mind that:
- More studios and one bedrooms are available these days: Falling averages are, in part, due to the surge in smaller units. In particular, the share of studio and one-bedroom apartments in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 57% last year.
- Apartment sizes grew during the pandemic: With quarantines, isolating, and working from home in 2020, demand for larger rentals soared. Many developers responded by offering larger units. So, some of the snapback has been a post-pandemic response to slowing demand for larger rentals.
- Texas is part of a greater trend in the Southwest: While luxury apartment sizes are dropping on the East and West Coasts, they’re growing in Texas and the Southwest. Notably, the luxury apartments in Texas suburbs are getting bigger faster than the upscale rentals in bustling major metros.
- Lubbock, TX ranks 6th for largest apartment size nationwide: Over the last decade, rentals in Lubbock have gotten about 17% bigger, on average, with newer apartments in this area having an average square footage of 1,055 ft2.
How Much Square Footage Do I Need in My Luxury Apartment?
You’ll have to consider several factors to figure out how much space you need in your next upscale rental, and the answer here won’t be the same for everyone.
First, you’ll need to consider who you’ll be living with and who needs their own room. Each bedroom will probably consume about 150 ft.2, give or take, with master bedrooms usually being a bit larger.
Next, ask yourself the following questions and answer them as realistically as you can, estimating if you’re not sure:
- How much do I work from home?
If you’re working from home routinely or with others around, you may need a dedicated office at home. That could mean adding another 150 ft.2 or so to your space needs. - How much stuff do I have?
Personal items — from clothing and toiletries to kitchenware and cooking appliances — turn a rental into a home. If you’ve accumulated a nice collection of personal items, you’ll need enough room to store them in your next upscale rental. That’s where walk-in closets, bathroom cabinetry, kitchen islands, and other storage options come in, adding a little more square footage. With that extra space in luxury rentals, you can also get some added comfort and convenience. - How often do I have guests over?
If you like to entertain one or more guests on occasion, you’ll probably want a unit with an open floor plan and a little more square footage. You may even want to rent a luxury apartment with an extra bathroom, a larger dining room, a wet bar, and/or a kitchen island.
With all of this, your personal preferences and budget matter too. If you simply want more space in your next rental and you’re working with a more flexible budget, you may want to go for a multi-room luxury apartment with more square footage.
How to Check Luxury Apartment Size & Square Footage: 3 Tips
Knowing the size and square footage of different high-end rentals can help you a lot as you research, tour, and evaluate the various options. After all, if you know the square footage from one community to the next, it’s easier to compare different communities and make a more informed decision about where you may want to live next.
Here are three easy ways to assess luxury apartment square footage:
- Check online: Most luxury apartment websites will feature blueprints of different floorplans, with specific square footage listed for each type of unit (look for the “Floor Plan” option in website menus).
- Ask the leasing agent: If you want answers before you make a visit or take a tour, call or email the leasing agent to get specifics on square footage. Alternatively, you can ask about size during an apartment tour. If you do, make sure you take a note or text the number to yourself, so you don’t have to go off of memory later.
- Eyeball it: The average one-car garage is 240 ft.2 (12’ x 20’) while the average two-car garage is about 400 ft.2 (20’ x 20’). Those are just a couple of visuals you can use as a reference points to help you eyeball how big a luxury apartment is and get a rough estimate of its square footage without actually measuring it.
No matter how big or cozy you’d like your next high-end rental to be, square footage is just one consideration — and it can be just as important as others, like the neighborhood and community amenities. To get experienced help zeroing in on the best options to fit your needs, contact Apartment Gurus.
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