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Top 3 Most Affordable US Cities (2026)
Percentage of median income spent on rent in the top 3 US cities.
Primary Sources
The US cities with the most affordable rent in 2026
Bismarck, North Dakota, is the most affordable US city in 2026, per a WalletHub report. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock 2026-04-18T14:24:01.242Z While some markets are seeing cooling prices, rent in some areas continues to rise. WalletHub ranked 182 cities across the US by how affordable rents are relative to median income. Bismarck, North Dakota, ranked first, with 15% of the median income going toward rent. Not every city is built the same, and that's also true of rental markets.While some cities are seeing cooling rents and more affordable housing efforts, rent prices in others continue to rise.A recent WalletHub study ranked 182 US cities, including the 150 most populous cities in the country and at least two of the most populous in each state, by how much renters spend on rent, on average.To calculate the share of income spent on rent, WalletHub used US Census Bureau data on median annual gross rent and median household income for each surveyed city."A general rule of thumb is that rent should not exceed 30% of the median income," Maggie Rong Hu, an assistant professor of real estate at Baruch College in New York, said in the study. "This ensures that renters can comfortably afford their housing without sacrificing other essential living expenses."On average, people living in the 31 cities listed below spend about 18.5% of their income on rent, lower than the 23.46% across all measured cities.In the most expensive cities in the study, including Miami, Detroit, and Newark, renters can spend up to 33.8% of their income on rent.See the most affordable cities for renters across the US in 2026. 30. (Tie) Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky The central Kentucky city of Lexington-Fayette is famous for horses and bourbon country. Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 20.10% 30. (Tie) South Burlington, Vermont South Burlington is a city next to Burlington and Lake Champlain. vermontalm/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 20.10% 29. Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is a city next to Norfolk, Virginia. trekandshoot/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.96% 28. Amarillo, Texas The Panhandle city of Amarillo is known for cattle country and wide-open plains. Dani California Dreamin/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.88% 27. Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is a center for insurance and finance. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.84% 26. Oklahoma City Oklahoma City is Oklahoma's capital and one of the bi...
Map shows cities with most affordable rent in 2026 - Newsweek
A newly released study by personal-finance website WalletHub has ranked the U.S. cities with the most affordable rent in 2026.WalletHub’s study, citing the Federal Reserve’s Consumer Price Index, noted that rents have climbed by more than 50 percent over the past decade, tracking closely with the rise in home prices.Wages have failed to keep pace with those increases, leaving housing less affordable for many Americans, said the study.Why It Matters“In the most affordable cities for renters, the median cost of rent is as low as 15 percent of the median income, compared to nearly 34 percent in the most expensive cities,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report.“This gives people in the least expensive cities a clear financial advantage; the money they save on rent could go toward their emergency fund or savings for future home ownership.”What To KnowBismarck, North Dakota, ranks first, with median annual gross rent accounting for about 15.3 percent of median income. It noted that while Bismarck has the 16th‑lowest median annual rent among more than 180 cities in the study, it has the 80th‑highest median income, resulting in a low rent‑to‑income ratio; by comparison, Miami residents spend about 33.8 percent of their income on rent, according to the study.Sioux Falls, South Dakota, placed second for rental affordability, with the average annual gross rent making up roughly 16.4 percent of residents’ median income. WalletHub notes that the city’s median yearly rent is just marginally higher than Bismarck’s, ranking it as the 20th least expensive nationwide, while its median income comes in 86th among the more than 180 cities analyzed in the report.Cedar Rapids, Iowa, came in third, with median annual gross rent representing roughly 16.5 percent of residents’ median income. WalletHub said the city’s rent ranks as the 10th lowest in dollar terms nationwide, and combined with a median income ranking of 105th, this produces the third lowest rent‑to‑income ratio.Rounding out the top 10, according to the study, were:Charleston, West Virginia.Fargo, North Dakota.Cheyenne, Wyoming.Juneau, Alaska.Casper, Wyoming.Anchorage, Alaska.Overland Park, Kansas.How It Was CalculatedTo reach its findings, WalletHub said it compared a sample of 182 U.S. cities—including the 150 most populated cities, along with at least two of the most populated cities in each state—using the median annual gross rent as a share of the median annual household income.Data was sourced as of Mar...
WalletHub report: Rent affordability varies widely in U.S. cities
DALLAS (KDAF) — WalletHub, a personal-finance company, released a report identifying cities with the most affordable rent, with Bismarck, N.D., ranking as the most affordable. The study revealed ...
When it comes to rent, these are the cities most affordable for ...
In an effort to pinpoint where rent is most manageable, WalletHub analyzed median annual gross rent across more than 180 cities, comparing those figures with median household income in each location.
