So, you're looking at a floor plan. It says 57 m2 to square feet is the conversion you need, and maybe you're feeling a little claustrophobic just looking at the number. 57 sounds small. In the metric world, 57 square meters is that awkward middle ground—it’s bigger than a studio but often smaller than a suburban two-bedroom.
But here is the thing.
When you actually do the math, 57 square meters comes out to approximately 613.54 square feet.
Does that change how you feel? It should. In many dense urban markets like New York, London, or Tokyo, 613 square feet is a legitimate luxury. It’s a spacious one-bedroom. It’s a place where you can actually own a dining table without hitting your shins on the sofa every time you walk by.
The math behind the 57 m2 to square feet conversion
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way first. One square meter is roughly 10.7639 square feet. To get the exact number, you multiply $57 \times 10.7639$.
The result is $613.5423$.
Most real estate agents are going to round that. They’ll call it 614 square feet. Some might even stretch it to 615 if they’re feeling ambitious. Honestly, though, the difference between 613 and 615 is basically the thickness of a few drywall sheets. You won't feel it.
Why does 57 square meters feel different in different countries?
Perspective is a funny thing. If you are moving from a 2,500-square-foot house in Texas to a flat in Paris, 57 square meters will feel like a walk-in closet. You'll wonder where the rest of the house went. But if you’re moving from a 20-square-meter "micro-apartment" in Hong Kong, 57 square meters feels like a goddamn palace.
I've spent time in apartments exactly this size. In Berlin, a 57 m2 Altbau apartment usually has incredibly high ceilings. We’re talking 3.5 meters or more. When you have that much vertical space, those 613 square feet feel massive. You can put in a loft bed or floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Compare that to a modern "glass box" condo in Toronto. The ceilings might only be 8 or 9 feet. Suddenly, that same 57 m2 feels tighter. It’s all about the volume, not just the floor area.
Visualizing the space: What actually fits?
Let’s talk layout because that’s where the 57 m2 to square feet conversion actually matters for your daily life. A well-designed 613-square-foot space usually includes:
- A dedicated bedroom (usually around 120–150 sq ft).
- A combined living and dining area (about 250 sq ft).
- A functional kitchen (maybe 60–80 sq ft).
- A bathroom and some storage.
You can comfortably fit a queen-sized bed. You can have a three-seater sofa. You might even squeeze in a small desk for a home office. It’s the "Goldilocks" of apartment sizes—not too big to clean, not too small to live in.
However, if the floor plan has a lot of hallways, you're in trouble. Hallways are the "dead pixels" of real estate. They eat up your square footage without giving you any usable space. If you see a 57 m2 apartment with a long entrance corridor, recognize that you’re effectively living in a 50 m2 apartment.
The psychological trap of the metric-imperial divide
There is a weird psychological gap when we convert 57 m2 to square feet. In the US and Canada, we are conditioned to think in "hundreds." A 500-square-foot apartment is "small." A 600-square-foot apartment is "decent." A 700-square-foot apartment is "good."
By crossing that 600-square-foot threshold, 57 m2 actually lands in the "decent" category.
But if you just hear "57," your brain anchors to that low number. It sounds meager. It sounds like a hotel room. This is why international buyers often get confused. They see a listing for 57 m2 and assume it's a studio, when in reality, it's a perfectly sized one-bedroom or even a "junior" two-bedroom in some European markets.
Real-world costs of 57 square meters
Price per square foot is the metric everyone obsesses over. If you’re buying in London’s Zone 1, you might pay £1,500 per square foot.
Do the math: $613 \times 1,500 = £919,500$.
That is nearly a million pounds for 57 square meters.
Now look at a city like Chicago. You might find a great condo for $400 per square foot.
$613 \times 400 = $245,200$.
It’s the exact same physical footprint. The same amount of air. The same number of steps from the door to the window. But the context of the city changes the value of those square feet entirely.
Common misconceptions about 57 m2
People often think that because the number is specific—57—it must be an exact measurement. It rarely is.
👉 See also: The Long Layered Face Frame Haircut: Why Your Stylist Might Be Doing It Wrong
In many countries, "square meters" includes the thickness of the external walls. In others, it only counts "habitable" space where the ceiling is a certain height. If you have a sloped ceiling (common in attic apartments), that 57 m2 might actually only be 45 m2 of "walking space."
Always ask for the "net internal area" versus the "gross external area." If you’re looking at a 57 m2 flat and 5 meters of that is a balcony, your indoor living space is actually down to 52 m2 (about 560 sq ft). That is a huge difference in how the home feels.
Maximizing 613 square feet
If you are moving into a space this size, stop buying "apartment-sized" furniture. That’s a mistake. Small furniture often makes a small room look cluttered because you end up needing more pieces.
Instead, buy fewer, full-sized pieces. One large, comfortable sofa looks better and feels more "expensive" than two tiny chairs. Use rugs to define zones. In a 57 m2 open-plan layout, a rug under the dining table and a separate rug in the seating area tells your brain, "These are two different rooms," even if there’s no wall between them.
Lighting is your other secret weapon. Most 57 m2 apartments come with one sad "boob light" in the center of the ceiling. Kill it. Use floor lamps and task lighting. When you illuminate the corners of a 613-square-foot room, the walls feel like they’re pushing outward.
Actionable steps for your move or renovation
- Verify the measurement method. Ask the agent if the 57 m2 includes the balcony, the storage locker, or the thickness of the walls. This can swing your usable space by 10%.
- Map it out with tape. If you are worried about the size, get a roll of painter's tape. Go to an empty park or a large garage and tape out a $24 \times 25.5$ foot rectangle. That’s roughly your 613 square feet.
- Check the "Leasehold" vs. "Freehold" documents. Sometimes the registered size in the deed is different from what's on the marketing brochure. Trust the deed.
- Prioritize ceiling height. If you have a choice between a 57 m2 flat with 8-foot ceilings and a 50 m2 flat with 10-foot ceilings, take the 50 m2. The extra volume makes a bigger impact on your mental health than the extra floor tiles.
- Use a digital floor plan tool. Apps like MagicPlan allow you to plug in these dimensions and "drop" standard-sized furniture in. You’ll see very quickly that 57 m2 is actually quite generous for one or two people.
At the end of the day, 57 square meters is a versatile, manageable, and often very cozy amount of space. Whether you call it 57 m2 or 613 square feet, it's all about how you use the inches you've got.