Rent Prices: The 25 Most Unaffordable Cities in America

Of the expenses that eat the most of your income, housing costs are typically among the biggest.

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While it’s no secret that home prices have increased steeply in the past few years, the cost to rent in America is also becoming more challenging. According to a National Association of Realtors report, rent was still on the rise in March 2024.

In some cities, the price of rent has become so expensive as to be unaffordable for the average American. For example, in many California cities, which dominate this list, the average price of a 1-bedroom rental is double or more the cost of the national average, which is $1,226. 

If you think rent is high where you live, check out the cost to rent in these 25 cities. 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,429 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,882 
• Average rent overall: $2,792 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,693 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,261 
• Average rent overall: $2,797

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,396 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,611 
• Average rent overall: $2,835

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,396 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,611 
• Average rent overall: $2,835

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,535 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,121 
• Average rent overall: $2,847 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,447 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,968 
• Average rent overall: $2,867 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,369 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,105 
• Average rent overall: $2,873

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,645 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,204 
• Average rent overall: $2,913 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,336 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,810 
• Average rent overall: $2,915

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,557 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,019 
• Average rent overall: $2,925 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,846 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,436 
• Average rent overall: $2,937 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,699 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,282 
• Average rent overall: $2,944 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,661 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,949 
• Average rent overall: $2,952 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,511 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,079 
• Average rent overall: $2,959 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,389 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $2,638 
• Average rent overall: $2,972 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,740 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,140 
• Average rent overall: $3,014 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,693 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,411 
• Average rent overall: $3,035 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,758 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,236 
• Average rent overall: $3,048

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,688 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,051 
• Average rent overall: $3,094 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,681 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,104 
• Average rent overall: $3,130 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,697 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,221 
• Average rent overall: $3,140 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,815 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,526 
• Average rent overall: $3,178 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,677 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,324 
• Average rent overall: $3,210 

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,899 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $3,189 
• Average rent overall: $3,252

• Average 1 bedroom rent: $2,931 
• Average 2 bedroom rent: $4,034 
• Average rent overall: $3,451

Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: To find the most unaffordable cities to rent in, GOBankingRates first used ApartmentList data to find (1) average 2022 1-bedroom rents. GOBankingRates then used (2) Sperling’s Best to find cities’ overall cost of living index. Next, For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed average rental costs for cities across the country to find the places with the highest rental costs. Using the average rental costs, as sourced from ApartmentList data from April 2024, the average overall rental cost, the average 1 bedroom rental cost, and the average 2 bedroom rental costs were found for each city. The top 25 most expensive cities were kept to find the most expensive cities for rent. For each city the livability index was included as supplemental information. All data was collected on and is up-to-date as-of May 2, 2024.