Data
50 articles
How much do you need to earn to afford rent in New York?
We ran the standard affordability rule against nine New York neighborhoods. The cheapest one requires nearly double what…
Carlsbad and Encinitas both cost more to rent than San Diego itself
North County's beach towns have quietly passed San Diego on rent. The inland cities a short drive away are still the che…
Johns Creek and Alpharetta anchor Atlanta's Indian community, and rent just jumped 14% in one
Atlanta's Indian community centers on the northern Fulton suburbs. One of them just posted the steepest rent jump in the…
Nearly a third of Frisco renters moved within two years, these are the cities where renters move most often
How often renters move is a hidden measure of a market. High churn means people can leave, low churn usually means they …
Does rent control actually work?
Rent freezes are usually argued in theory. Three cities have now run the experiment against a neighbor that did not, and…
In New York, crossing into a pricier ZIP code costs $2,396 a month. In Atlanta it costs $695.
Every metro has cheap and expensive corners, but the distance between them varies enormously. In New York the gap is $2,…
When a big employer comes to your town, rent usually jumps 25% in two years
Austin, Nashville, Arlington and Sunnyvale all absorbed a wave of corporate hiring. Our data shows the same shape each t…
Only two US cities over 60,000 people have a median rent under $1,200
A $1,200 budget used to buy a decent apartment almost anywhere. We checked every city in our data, and the answer depend…
Austin rent peaked four years ago and still hasn't recovered
Most rent coverage tracks what happened last month. A longer view shows seven big cities where rent peaked years ago and…
Carrollton, Texas is one of the biggest and best Korean communities in the United States
The two Dallas suburbs with the largest Korean communities are also two of the most affordable. Here is what the Census …
Sag Harbor’s reported rent is $53,556 a month. Here’s why that number is misleading
Some of the numbers on our own site should not be read the way you would read a big-city figure. Small towns produce uns…
Frisco is now 18% Indian American, and Irving is the affordable way into the community
DFW's Indian community is one of the largest in the country, and it concentrates in a handful of suburbs. The rent diffe…
National Rent Report: U.S. Rents Rose 0.1% in July 2026
The typical US rent rose about 0.1% (roughly $1) from June to July 2026 and is +3.5% year over year. San Francisco led w…
Renting a room can save renters 40% to 54%, but insurance still treats it like an edge case
Rent-by-the-room is the cheapest way into an expensive city, and our data shows why. The insurance market hasn't kept up…
Driving farther out no longer makes rent cheaper, suburbs are getting expensive
The old advice was to drive until you qualify. We ran the numbers on 400 ZIP codes across six metros, and in most of the…
The most and least predictable rental markets in America
Some rental markets are steady enough to plan around and others whipsaw. Eleven years of our data shows Tampa swinging 4…
She wanted to leave an expensive city. Then she found the “cheap” ones aren’t cheap anymore
A woman who left Seattle for Michigan says she was shocked that cheap places aren't cheap. Our data says she's right, an…
The average Social Security check cannot cover a studio in any large US city
The average retired worker collects about $2,084 a month. Run that through the standard affordability rule and it buys $…
How much does utilities and renters insurance add to rent?
Utilities and insurance are close to a fixed monthly cost, so they add a far bigger share to a $1,262 rent than a $4,539…
In 7 of 8 major metros, the top suburb now costs more to rent than the city
Renters still assume moving to the suburbs saves money. We checked eight well-known suburb and city pairs, and in seven …
Chicago rent is up 55% since 2015, and the sharpest jump came this year
Chicago rent has risen 55% since 2015, from $1,552 to $2,409. Most of the pain was gradual, but the largest one-year jum…
Pittsburgh is still one of the affordable big cities, but rent is climbing fast
Pittsburgh rent of $1,593 still looks like a bargain next to the coasts. The catch is the trajectory: it rose 7.1% in a …
How much you need to earn per hour to afford a one-bedroom in 19 big cities
Affording a one-bedroom on a single income takes anywhere from $18.98 an hour in Detroit to $55.92 in San Jose. Every fi…
Boomers and Gen Z didn't enter the same rental market. Half of renters are now cost-burdened.
The generational complaint about rent holds up, though not for the reason most people give. The typical renter still pay…
College town rents are cooling as student housing floods in, but a few still climb
A wave of purpose-built student housing is pulling rents down in college towns like Ann Arbor and College Station. A han…
Families with kids are the most rent-burdened Americans
Half of American renters spend more than 30% of income on rent, but families with kids have it worst at 54%. Our data sh…
The beach-town rent premium is cracking in Florida but surging on the Jersey Shore
Living near the water still costs a premium, but the market is splitting. Florida's Gulf coast is cooling while the Jers…
Franklin and Brentwood now cost more to rent than Nashville itself
Renting in Nashville's two priciest suburbs, Franklin and Brentwood, now costs more than renting in Nashville proper. Th…
Only 9 of these 30 jobs can afford a one-bedroom in Los Angeles
Renting a one-bedroom alone in Los Angeles requires about $91,400 a year. Of 30 common occupations, nine earn enough, an…
How to Negotiate your rent, and how to know when you have Leverage
Rent negotiation is less about confidence than about conditions. You have real leverage where supply is rising and rents…
Houston rent looks cheap until you compare it with local incomes
Affording the typical Houston apartment takes about $62,680 a year. The median Houston household earns $64,813, which cl…
Why more Americans in their 30s are moving back home with their parents
Renting the typical US apartment on your own now takes an income of $84,321 a year, up from $63,258 in 2020. That $21,00…
How Much Rent Can You Afford? The 30% Rule and the Salary Math
A $60,000 salary affords about $1,500 in rent and $100,000 affords $2,500. Here is the full salary-to-rent ladder, plus …
Income rose faster than Rent in 14 large US cities
Household income grew faster than rent in 14 large US cities in the latest year both datasets cover. The list is dominat…
How Much Does Rent Go Up Each Year? What Counts as a Normal Increase
Most renters see a single-digit increase at renewal. Here is what counts as a normal annual rent hike, using RentDataNow…
Rent got easier to afford in Oakland and Seattle, but worse in cheaper US cities
Of 155 large US cities, 108 saw rent take a bigger bite of local income since 2020. The ones that improved are mostly ex…
City vs. Suburbs: Where Renters Actually Pay Less
Moving one town over saves about $2,003 a month near New York but only $118 near Denver. Here is where the suburb discou…
Cleveland was Affordable until Outsiders with Bigger Budgets Moved In. Locals are Being Priced Out.
Cleveland rent rose 50.8% since January 2020 against a national 33.3%, while local income grew 32%. The cheapest Rust Be…
Fair Market Rent (HUD) isn't the Market Rate, and in Phoenix it's 29% Higher
In Phoenix the HUD-derived two-bedroom figure runs about 29% above actual market rent, while in New York it runs about 2…
The True Cost of Renting: Why Rent Is Only Part of Your Monthly Bill
The rent line is only the start. See how utilities, insurance, deposits, and fees turn a $1,951 rent into a $2,300-plus …
What $2,000 a Month Rents Across America: A Studio in San Francisco or a 3-Bedroom in Wichita
The same $2,000 budget does not cover a studio in San Francisco yet rents a three-bedroom house in Wichita. Here is what…
The Best Time of Year to Rent an Apartment, From Our Rent Data
The pace of rent increases is smallest in late fall and winter and fastest in spring, which makes October through Januar…
Studio vs. One-Bedroom: Is the Upgrade Worth the Money?
In some cities the jump from a studio to a one-bedroom is nearly free; in others it costs hundreds a month. Here is the …
Splitting Rent With a Roommate: How Much You Save in Every Big City
Renting a one-bedroom solo is expensive. Splitting a two-bedroom with a roommate saves $700 to $1,200 a month in the pri…
Rent Is Falling, but It Still Costs Far More Than Before the Pandemic
Rent is falling in many cities, but zoom out and the typical US rent is still about 36% above its January 2020 level. Ev…
What Is a Good Rent-to-Income Ratio?
The 30 percent rule is the standard rent benchmark, but it is measured against gross income and many renters in expensiv…
National Rent Report: U.S. Rents Rose 0.4% Across the Nation in June 2026, Led by Coastal Cities
The typical US rent rose about 0.4% (roughly $8) from May to June 2026 and is up 3.6% year over year. San Francisco led …
America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes for Renters, Where Rent Tops $10,000 a Month
The most expensive ZIP codes in the country for renters read like a map of celebrity and old-money enclaves, from Montec…
The Great Rent Divergence: The Sun Belt Is Cooling as the Midwest Heats Up
By RentDataNow's Rent Reality Score, the Sun Belt metros that boomed in the pandemic are now renting below trend, while …
Texas Is a Renter's Market Right Now, With Rent Bargains in Almost Every Major City
RentDataNow's Rent Reality Score shows most big Texas cities renting below their own long-term trend, with Austin, Garla…