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Top US Cities With the Most Affordable Rent Prices in 2026

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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


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 biggest cities in the Southern Plains.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.75%

25. Plano, Texas




Plano is a corporate-heavy suburb just north of Dallas.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.68%

24. Seattle




Seattle is known for tech, trade, and water views.

SCStock/Getty Images

Income spent on rent: 19.67%

23. West Valley City, Utah




West Valley City is a suburb of Salt Lake City in northern Utah.

Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.57%

22. Fort Wayne, Indiana




Fort Wayne, a northeast Indiana city, has strong manufacturing roots.

Nicholas J Klein/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.52%

21. Omaha, Nebraska




Omaha is Nebraska’s largest city and a major business center.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.46%

20. Fremont, California




A Bay Area city in the heart of Silicon Valley’s orbit, Fremont is America’s happiest city.

NorCalStockMedia/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.39%

19. Fort Smith, Arkansas




Fort Smith is a western Arkansas city with deep frontier history.

Jonathan C Wear/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.35%

18. Laredo, Texas




Laredo is a major border city and trade gateway to Mexico.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 19.34%

17. Huntsville, Alabama




Huntsville, a city in north Alabama, is known for aerospace and engineering.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.81%

16. Rapid City, South Dakota




Rapid City is a gateway to the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.78%

15. Columbia, Maryland




Columbia is a planned community between Baltimore and Washington.

Gyro Captain Drone Photos/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.64%

14. Billings, Montana




Billings is Montana’s largest city and a commercial hub for the region.

trekandshoot/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.53%

13. Warwick, Rhode Island




Warwick is a coastal city near Providence and T.F. Green Airport.

Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.44%

12. Lincoln, Nebraska




Lincoln is Nebraska’s capital and home to the University of Nebraska.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.13%

11. Wichita, Kansas




Wichita is Kansas’ largest city.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 18.11%

10. Overland Park, Kansas




The large Kansas City suburb is known for family neighborhoods and being one of America’s happiest cities.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 17.34%

9. Anchorage, Alaska




Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city and a major transportation hub.

TripWalkers/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 17.30%

8. Casper, Wyoming




A central Wyoming city, Casper, has roots in the energy industry.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 17.24%

7. Juneau, Alaska




Framed by mountains and water, Juneau is Alaska’s capital.

Alexandre.ROSA/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 17.04%

6. Cheyenne, Wyoming




Wyoming’s capital, Cheyenne, is a longtime railroad city.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 17.02%

5. Fargo, North Dakota




Fargo is a fast-growing city in North Dakota near the Minnesota border.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 16.94%

4. Charleston, West Virginia




Charleston is West Virginia’s capital, set along the Kanawha River.

Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 16.56%

3. Cedar Rapids, Iowa




The eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids is shaped by manufacturing and food processing.

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 16.48%

2. Sioux Falls, South Dakota




Sioux Falls is South Dakota’s biggest city.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 16.35%

1. Bismarck, North Dakota




North Dakota’s capital is located on the Missouri River.

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock

Income spent on rent: 15.29%

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