These Are the 50 Best Cities for Renters
Buying a home seems to be all the rage during the pandemic, as interest rates have bottomed out and made the mortgage loan process a lot easier to swallow. Still, many Americans aren't jumping to buy. After all, the coronavirus pandemic put millions of people out of work, and others fear a future layoff -- not to mention the sky-high listing prices that are causing some experts to warn of an impending crash.
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But while no one likes to pay rent, the cost of that burden differs greatly depending on where you live, a GOBankingRates study shows. GOBankingRates compiled data on the median rental price for different sizes and types of living spaces across the 150 largest cities in America, then scored each and combined the averages to reveal the cheapest places to rent in the country. Before uprooting to a new city, it's financially savvy to find out if you can afford the rent.
Last updated: Aug. 17, 2021
50. Aurora, Illinois
Population: 200,660
Median rent (overall): $1,193
Median rent (1-bedroom): $910
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,182
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49. Corpus Christi, Texas
Population: 324,692
Median rent (overall): $1,108
Median rent (1-bedroom): $913
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,123
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48. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Population: 177,365
Median rent (overall): $1,074
Median rent (1-bedroom): $882
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,054
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47. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Population: 197,081
Median rent (overall): $1,106
Median rent (1-bedroom): $872
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,116
46. St. Paul, Minnesota
Population: 302,760
Median rent (overall): $1,037
Median rent (1-bedroom): $899
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,133
45. Tucson, Arizona
Population: 539,216
Median rent (overall): $1,100
Median rent (1-bedroom): $834
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,107
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44. Kansas City, Missouri
Population: 481,417
Median rent (overall): $1,068
Median rent (1-bedroom): $919
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,078
43. Houston, Texas
Population: 2,295,982
Median rent (overall): $1,031
Median rent (1-bedroom): $906
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,078
42. San Antonio, Texas
Population: 1,486,521
Median rent (overall): $1,044
Median rent (1-bedroom): $898
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,090
41. New Orleans, Louisiana
Population: 389,648
Median rent (overall): $1,049
Median rent (1-bedroom): $917
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,071
40. Greensboro, North Carolina
Population: 288,719
Median rent (overall): $1,014
Median rent (1-bedroom): $864
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,002
39. Huntsville, Alabama
Population: 193,663
Median rent (overall): $1,059
Median rent (1-bedroom): $842
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,005
38. Rochester, New York
Population: 207,778
Median rent (overall): $1,013
Median rent (1-bedroom): $842
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,076
37. Bakersfield, California
Population: 375,699
Median rent (overall): $1,071
Median rent (1-bedroom): $756
Median rent (2-bedroom): $985
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36. Spokane, Washington
Population: 214,804
Median rent (overall): $1,022
Median rent (1-bedroom): $765
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,051
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35. Birmingham, Alabama
Population: 212,021
Median rent (overall): $962
Median rent (1-bedroom): $808
Median rent (2-bedroom): $952
34. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Population: 559,202
Median rent (overall): $1,019
Median rent (1-bedroom): $813
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,001
33. Indianapolis, Indiana
Population: 857,637
Median rent (overall): $996
Median rent (1-bedroom): $831
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,014
32. St. Louis, Missouri
Population: 311,273
Median rent (overall): $941
Median rent (1-bedroom): $827
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,066
31. Omaha, Nebraska
Population: 465,112
Median rent (overall): $977
Median rent (1-bedroom): $810
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,035
30. Columbus, Ohio
Population: 867,628
Median rent (overall): $1,007
Median rent (1-bedroom): $810
Median rent (2-bedroom): $1,020
29. Memphis, Tennessee
Population: 653,248
Median rent (overall): $1,004
Median rent (1-bedroom): $829
Median rent (2-bedroom): $967
28. Columbus, Georgia
Population: 196,670
Median rent (overall): $995
Median rent (1-bedroom): $801
Median rent (2-bedroom): $924
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27. Fayetteville, North Carolina
Population: 209,867
Median rent (overall): $1,027
Median rent (1-bedroom): $777
Median rent (2-bedroom): $914
26. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Population: 225,362
Median rent (overall): $973
Median rent (1-bedroom): $813
Median rent (2-bedroom): $950
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25. Louisville, Kentucky
Population: 617,032
Median rent (overall): $966
Median rent (1-bedroom): $783
Median rent (2-bedroom): $985
24. Knoxville, Tennessee
Population: 185,429
Median rent (overall): $987
Median rent (1-bedroom): $775
Median rent (2-bedroom): $971
23. Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
Population: 318,734
Median rent (overall): $982
Median rent (1-bedroom): $781
Median rent (2-bedroom): $955
22. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Population: 303,587
Median rent (overall): $926
Median rent (1-bedroom): $761
Median rent (2-bedroom): $962
21. Augusta, Georgia
Population: 196,807
Median rent (overall): $997
Median rent (1-bedroom): $792
Median rent (2-bedroom): $932
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20. Montgomery, Alabama
Population: 200,156
Median rent (overall): $992
Median rent (1-bedroom): $763
Median rent (2-bedroom): $941
19. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Population: 637,284
Median rent (overall): $933
Median rent (1-bedroom): $735
Median rent (2-bedroom): $916
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18. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Population: 174,151
Median rent (overall): $886
Median rent (1-bedroom): $740
Median rent (2-bedroom): $901
17. Lincoln, Nebraska
Population: 280,849
Median rent (overall): $913
Median rent (1-bedroom): $743
Median rent (2-bedroom): $932
16. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Population: 402,223
Median rent (overall): $918
Median rent (1-bedroom): $722
Median rent (2-bedroom): $930
15. El Paso, Texas
Population: 680,354
Median rent (overall): $942
Median rent (1-bedroom): $740
Median rent (2-bedroom): $904
14. Mobile, Alabama
Population: 191,485
Median rent (overall): $929
Median rent (1-bedroom): $695
Median rent (2-bedroom): $888
13. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Population: 596,886
Median rent (overall): $914
Median rent (1-bedroom): $747
Median rent (2-bedroom): $918
12. Lubbock, Texas
Population: 250,415
Median rent (overall): $890
Median rent (1-bedroom): $694
Median rent (2-bedroom): $856
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11. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Population: 242,125
Median rent (overall): $883
Median rent (1-bedroom): $702
Median rent (2-bedroom): $856
10. Des Moines, Iowa
Population: 215,932
Median rent (overall): $856
Median rent (1-bedroom): $720
Median rent (2-bedroom): $893
9. Detroit, Michigan
Population: 677,155
Median rent (overall): $916
Median rent (1-bedroom): $671
Median rent (2-bedroom): $895
8. Cincinnati, Ohio
Population: 300,357
Median rent (overall): $806
Median rent (1-bedroom): $691
Median rent (2-bedroom): $878
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7. Little Rock, Arkansas
Population: 198,135
Median rent (overall): $822
Median rent (1-bedroom): $702
Median rent (2-bedroom): $834
6. Shreveport, Louisiana
Population: 193,785
Median rent (overall): $819
Median rent (1-bedroom): $694
Median rent (2-bedroom): $827
5. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Population: 264,052
Median rent (overall): $805
Median rent (1-bedroom): $647
Median rent (2-bedroom): $815
4. Amarillo, Texas
Population: 198,773
Median rent (overall): $802
Median rent (1-bedroom): $625
Median rent (2-bedroom): $807
3. Akron, Ohio
Population: 198,314
Median rent (overall): $792
Median rent (1-bedroom): $603
Median rent (2-bedroom): $800
2. Toledo, Ohio
Population: 278,193
Median rent (overall): $786
Median rent (1-bedroom): $596
Median rent (2-bedroom): $789
1. Cleveland, Ohio
Population: 387,398
Median rent (overall): $773
Median rent (1-bedroom): $611
Median rent (2-bedroom): $779
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Joel Anderson and Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.
To find the 50 best cities for renters, GOBankingRates looked at the 150 largest cities in the U.S. according to the Census Bureau's 2018 American Community Survey and used Apartment List's October, 2020 rental data to find each city's (1) overall estimated typical rent price, (2) estimated rent for a studio, (3) estimated rent for a 1-bedroom, (4) estimated rent for a 2-bedroom, and (5) estimated rent for a 3-bedroom. GOBankingRates then scored all cities with available data against each other on factors (1-5) and ranked them based on their combined score. No. 1 is the overall best city for renters in terms of affordability. All data was collected on and up to date as of Nov. 4, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These Are the 50 Best Cities for Renters