Photo illustration by Cecilia Lopez

Across the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno is among the cities offering the most leg room for $1,500 in monthly rent, according to a new study from apartment search website RentCafe.

The average apartment size for $1,500 rent in Fresno is 858 square feet, ranking it No. 7 for Central Valley cities, according to RentCafe. Bakersfield just edges out Fresno with 878 square feet. Visalia came in at No. 6 in the Valley with 828 square feet.

Roseville near Sacramento was the most cramped in the San Joaquin Valley at 646 square feet.

Out of the 100 largest cities in the U.S., Fresno was ranked No. 45 for largest apartment size for $1,500 a month. Of 100 smaller U.S. cities (population less than 225,000) Visalia also came in at No. 45.

California and East Coast cities offer the least space for that budget. In Manhattan, $1,500 buys 228 square feet of apartment. San Francisco is 334 square feet. Los Angeles, San Jose and San Diego offer about 440 square feet — the size of a small studio apartment.

Small Southern cities dominate the list of most apartment space for $1,500. The most affordable is Columbus, Georgia, which offers 1,432 square feet.