For a decade, Boston’s apartments have been getting smaller. The typical new apartment in Boston averages just 747 square feet of space, according to new research from RentCafe.

The rental company analyzed housing units located in multifamily buildings of 50 units or more in 100 U.S. cities using data from Yardi Matrix. Boston had the 13th-smallest apartments nationwide and diverged from national trends.

Nationally, new apartments measured an average of 910 square feet, marking 13 square feet of growth in 2025. By contrast, Boston apartment sizes decreased by 186 square feet in 2025 and continued a decade-long trend of net shrinkage. In 10 years, Boston apartments shrank by 90 square feet.

Studios and one-bedroom apartments make up 68% of new apartment inventory in Boston. Studios average 433 square feet, a decrease of 56 square feet, and one-bedrooms shrank 59 square feet during the same period, measuring an average of 695 square feet.

Meanwhile, three bedrooms gained space. Measuring an average of 1,284 square feet in 2025, these units grew by 49 square feet since 2024. However spacious, though, three-bedroom apartments only make up 4% of new supply.

“When we see average apartment sizes decrease in a city, it doesn’t necessarily mean renters are getting less value,” Veronica Grecu, RentCafe senior real estate writer and research analyst said in the report. “In high-demand markets, developers often prioritize studios and one-bedrooms because they can deliver more apartments per building and meet the needs of a growing number of single-person and smaller households. The trade-off is a lower average square footage, but the upside is more availability in markets where inventory has historically been tight.”