Your Square Footage Guide To Living From Small To Big Real Life Home Example (2024)

By: ROS Team

Homes come in all sizes and shapes in NYC. When shopping for homes online, you probably saw a size description along with other property details like “beautiful 2-bedroom apartment with 1,200 square feet of living space.” But…. Stop! Do you know how big 1,200 square feet actually is? Is it as spacious as you would like? And what can you expect per square foot?

To get a complete insight into the concept, we are breaking it down for you.

What is a Square Foot?

Mathematically, a square foot measures 12 inches, or one foot, on each side of a square. Standard floor tiles usually measure one square foot, so you can count the number of tiles in the room if it contains standard-sized floor tiles.

You can also measure the square footage of your apartment using a tape measure. Measure the length and width of the room and multiply the length by the width to calculate the square footage of the room. Repeat the process in every room and add all of them together to get the total square footage of the apartment.

How To Calculate Square Foot

Multiply the width by the length and you’ll have the square foot. You can follow a basic formula:

Area in Square Foot = Width (in foot) x Length (in foot)

Here is what you can expect to have for every 100 square feet of extra space:

100 Square Feet:

In 100 square feet, you really cannot get an apartment; instead, these dimensions would only create a really small place in your apartment. For some context, a 100 square foot space equates to a decent size walk-in-closet in your apartment.

200 Square Feet:

Usually, a standard one-car garage’s dimensions are 200 square feet in a home. Though space is really shrinking given the standards of micro-apartments, 200 square feet is still not big enough to live in. You’ve got to think bigger in terms of space even if you are looking for a living space for a single person.

300 Square Feet:

A 300 square foot apartment gives you the luxury of having one bedroom. Although you would not have much space to move around, you’d still have a pretty good space for a single person to comfortably live.

A standard school bus averages about 250 to 300 square feet inside. If you ever thought about turning an old school bus into an apartment ( people do it), you’d be looking at 300 square feet of living space.

400 Square Feet:

400 square feet gives a single occupant the luxury of having some furniture in the apartment. At this size, you’re looking at a single studio bedroom with an attached full-size bathroom, a separate kitchen, and some storage space for stuff like books or your musical instruments.

500 Square Feet:

500 square feet of space gives a single person more space to comfortably live. With 500 square feet of space, you can comfortably have a king-size bed in your room, an attached bathroom, a separate kitchen, and a cozy living room. Do you know how much space a king-size bed takes? It’s 42.15 square feet.

Any apartment smaller than 500 square may require that you make some compromises and trade-offs on things like furniture and storage space.

600 Square Feet:

Apartments that are 600 square feet and larger provide a more comfortable living space for couples, roommates, and/or small families. Apartments in this range offer will have a larger bedroom, or you can entertain apartment floorplans that offer two small bedrooms and a separate living room. With the additional space comes more closet space for stacking stuff.

To help you better visualize a 600 square foot space, think of a basic three-car garage.

700 Square Feet:

Many 700-square-foot apartments have all the space you could wish for in an apartment; Three small size bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. Most New Yorkers are able to live comfortably in this size of the apartment.

800 Square Feet:

Here, you are likely to have four fair to reasonably sized bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and extra space for storage. You will also have plenty of room to comfortably move around and possibly entertain a small number of guests. There’s even enough room to share with a pet if you like.

900 Square Feet:

Combining living, dining, kitchen into a single large space, 900 square foot apartment would be a big deal. The average apartment size in NYC tends to be between 700 and 900 square feet. So, if you can afford a studio or a two-bedroom apartment with a living room and kitchen in NYC, consider yourself lucky. This apartment size is a great fit for couples.

You may even get a three-bedroom apartment in 900 square feet of space, but the room sizes will be smaller. Think about what suits you best: two nice-sized bedrooms or three small bedrooms?

1000 Square Feet:

At 1000 square footage, the rooms start getting big. You are likely to have a two-bedroom apartment with one quite larger bedroom or three bedrooms of considerable size, plus two full bathrooms. In standard floor plans, the kitchen, bathrooms, and closets would make up 300 square feet while the bedrooms would cover the remaining 700 square feet.

A small family could live comfortably in a 1000 square foot apartment.

1100 Square Feet:

A family of 4 to 6 people could comfortably occupy an 1100 square foot space. In an 1100 square feet apartment, you can have three standard-sized bedrooms and two full bathrooms. You’d still have plenty of room in the kitchen and living room areas.

Or some apartments keep the floor plan with 2 large bedrooms. You are likely to find a variety of layouts for an 1100 square feet apartment.

1200 Square Feet:

You have an extra 100 square feet in an 1100 square feet apartment and that means you have more space for a family. You may get a spacious living room as well as three bedrooms apartments and two bathrooms in a 1200 square feet apartment. This offers plenty of living space for a family without feeling cramped.

1300 Square Feet:

Having 1300 square feet or more of living space means you’ve entered an elite club since the average NYC apartment is between 700 and 900 square feet. An apartment this size offers plenty of space for a family and for entertaining guests.

An apartment of this size typically consists of three bedrooms that offer enough space to satisfy most. You also get a bigger living room and might even have the luxury of a backyard or maybe a patio.

To be honest, in metropolitan cities such as NYC, having 1300 square feet of apartment space is no less than a sheer blessing.

One Tip: To help perfect the art of accurately measuring square footage. Ask your friends for the total square footage of their homes. This will help you better conceptualize the amount of space offered given the stated square footage.

Conclusion:

As spaces become increasingly urban due to people moving to metropolitan cities like NYC. It is becoming more difficult to accommodate everyone’s housing needs. Since space is limited, buildings are being built taller in response to the population boom. Additionally, real estate is becoming expensive, so micro-apartments are growing in popularity.

Having said all that, if you can manage a living space, be it 100 square feet or 1300 square feet, consider yourself privileged.