Which big U.S. cities have the highest rent?

Of the 332 U.S. cities with 100,000 people or more, median rent including utilities was highest in San Mateo, CA, $3,077 a month, followed by Sunnyvale, CA ($3,039) and Santa Clara, CA ($3,016), in the Census Bureau's 5-year survey ending in 2024. It was lowest in Toledo, OH, $901; the U.S. median was $1,413. Search any city. Averaged over five years, these figures trail the latest rent increases, and each has a margin of error.

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Bars are sorted from highest to lowest and start at zero; each one's value is at its end. The dashed line is “United States”, for comparison. It opens on the top and bottom 10; use “Show all” or the search box for the rest. These are survey estimates: the thin lines and the ± figures show each one's margin of error, and the true value is likely (90% confidence) within that range. Where ranges overlap, the difference may not be real.

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Key facts

Measure: Median gross rent, dollars a month. Written from the data below.

  • San Mateo, CA has the highest figure, $3,077, followed by Sunnyvale, CA ($3,039) and Santa Clara, CA ($3,016).
  • Toledo, OH has the lowest figure, $901, followed by Dayton, OH ($918) and Brownsville, TX ($923).
  • The highest is 3.4 times the lowest.
  • United States: $1,413. Of the 332 compared, 205 are above it, 126 below, and 1 the same.

The bigger picture, in plain words: Which states have the cheapest rent?

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Source and date

Source
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
License
Public domain (U.S. government work). This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Data as of
Published

Citation

Chartly. “Which big U.S. cities have the highest rent?” Chart. Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html (data as of December 31, 2024). https://chart.ly/charts/median-rent-by-city (accessed November 4, 2026).

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The data

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The file has the numbers in this table, with the source, license and date. Please credit the source and Chartly. Developers can also get them as JSON (how).

City Median gross rent, dollars a month Margin of error (±)
San Mateo, CA 3,077 ±100
Sunnyvale, CA 3,039 ±59
Santa Clara, CA 3,016 ±60
Irvine, CA 2,997 ±51
Fremont, CA 2,933 ±48
Carlsbad, CA 2,808 ±100
Cambridge, MA 2,787 ±48
San Jose, CA 2,669 ±28
Thousand Oaks, CA 2,664 ±100
Simi Valley, CA 2,579 ±87
Bellevue, WA 2,572 ±53
Daly City, CA 2,551 ±88
Santa Clarita, CA 2,544 ±58
Huntington Beach, CA 2,510 ±50
Boca Raton, FL 2,508 ±116
San Francisco, CA 2,476 ±30
Costa Mesa, CA 2,446 ±39
Hayward, CA 2,391 ±46
Murrieta, CA 2,388 ±70
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 2,357 ±42
Temecula, CA 2,347 ±50
Orange, CA 2,327 ±50
San Diego, CA 2,313 ±18
Oceanside, CA 2,303 ±37
Vacaville, CA 2,299 ±74
Torrance, CA 2,280 ±52
Antioch, CA 2,278 ±71
Stamford, CT 2,276 ±58
Concord, CA 2,274 ±34
Fairfield, CA 2,266 ±47
Pasadena, CA 2,265 ±38
Elk Grove, CA 2,262 ±50
West Covina, CA 2,245 ±61
Chula Vista, CA 2,229 ±42
Corona, CA 2,228 ±65
Ventura, CA 2,198 ±47
Fullerton, CA 2,194 ±37
Burbank, CA 2,192 ±51
Glendale, CA 2,182 ±34
Anaheim, CA 2,175 ±22
Santa Rosa, CA 2,152 ±51
Centennial, CO 2,148 ±63
Boston, MA 2,147 ±25
Roseville, CA 2,142 ±55
Moreno Valley, CA 2,135 ±38
Berkeley, CA 2,133 ±65
Quincy, MA 2,118 ±59
Miramar, FL 2,117 ±87
Gilbert, AZ 2,110 ±37
Menifee, CA 2,110 ±91
Alexandria, VA 2,089 ±32
Coral Springs, FL 2,084 ±58
Santa Ana, CA 2,082 ±31
Vallejo, CA 2,073 ±62
Davie, FL 2,066 ±62
Escondido, CA 2,046 ±61
Pembroke Pines, FL 2,046 ±71
Surprise, AZ 2,033 ±86
Oxnard, CA 2,032 ±63
Ontario, CA 2,030 ±50
Seattle, WA 2,030 ±22
Boulder, CO 2,018 ±65
Frisco, TX 2,014 ±65
Scottsdale, AZ 2,013 ±48
Garden Grove, CA 2,012 ±48
Jersey City, NJ 2,007 ±39
Renton, WA 1,998 ±64
Salinas, CA 1,991 ±47
Oakland, CA 1,979 ±29
Hillsboro, OR 1,978 ±48
Buckeye, AZ 1,963 ±148
Richmond, CA 1,960 ±90
Sugar Land, TX 1,957 ±102
Goodyear, AZ 1,956 ±84
Washington, DC 1,954 ±26
Downey, CA 1,937 ±41
Port St. Lucie, FL 1,937 ±72
Los Angeles, CA 1,933 ±9
Allen, TX 1,932 ±59
Santa Maria, CA 1,925 ±50
Riverside, CA 1,914 ±33
Kent, WA 1,909 ±48
Chandler, AZ 1,902 ±25
McKinney, TX 1,901 ±45
Thornton, CO 1,895 ±43
Arvada, CO 1,888 ±46
Naperville, IL 1,885 ±39
Bend, OR 1,883 ±54
Westminster, CO 1,882 ±37
Long Beach, CA 1,871 ±20
Sandy Springs, GA 1,870 ±38
Pearland, TX 1,860 ±72
Cape Coral, FL 1,858 ±44
Richardson, TX 1,857 ±37
El Cajon, CA 1,856 ±27
Fort Lauderdale, FL 1,854 ±39
Peoria, AZ 1,843 ±46
Plano, TX 1,841 ±24
Fontana, CA 1,839 ±51
Aurora, CO 1,835 ±26
Denver, CO 1,831 ±17
Henderson, NV 1,824 ±21
Honolulu, HI 1,823 ±25
New York, NY 1,821 ±7
Pomona, CA 1,810 ±38
Lakewood, CO 1,806 ±26
Meridian, ID 1,805 ±34
Palmdale, CA 1,802 ±60
Clovis, CA 1,792 ±56
Inglewood, CA 1,787 ±36
Miami Gardens, FL 1,787 ±53
Yonkers, NY 1,784 ±35
Sacramento, CA 1,779 ±19
West Palm Beach, FL 1,772 ±44
Lancaster, CA 1,764 ±45
Round Rock, TX 1,763 ±38
Rialto, CA 1,759 ±59
Miami, FL 1,758 ±26
West Jordan, UT 1,757 ±54
Orlando, FL 1,747 ±20
Tempe, AZ 1,743 ±26
Jurupa Valley, CA 1,741 ±58
Everett, WA 1,740 ±33
Cary, NC 1,738 ±30
El Monte, CA 1,736 ±28
Carrollton, TX 1,735 ±25
Austin, TX 1,729 ±14
Pompano Beach, FL 1,724 ±47
Charleston, SC 1,722 ±33
Lynn, MA 1,722 ±60
Sparks, NV 1,716 ±48
Virginia Beach, VA 1,714 ±19
Carmel, IN 1,712 ±47
Atlanta, GA 1,711 ±22
North Las Vegas, NV 1,705 ±28
South Fulton, GA 1,702 ±86
Vancouver, WA 1,702 ±23
Tampa, FL 1,701 ±27
Fort Collins, CO 1,690 ±22
Modesto, CA 1,690 ±33
Hialeah, FL 1,689 ±24
League City, TX 1,684 ±47
Tacoma, WA 1,676 ±28
Lewisville, TX 1,670 ±31
St. Petersburg, FL 1,663 ±30
Clearwater, FL 1,658 ±49
Portland, OR 1,655 ±18
New Braunfels, TX 1,654 ±52
Hollywood, FL 1,653 ±52
Ann Arbor, MI 1,649 ±39
Colorado Springs, CO 1,648 ±23
Brockton, MA 1,641 ±52
Garland, TX 1,641 ±33
Grand Prairie, TX 1,629 ±30
Lowell, MA 1,625 ±40
Mesa, AZ 1,620 ±25
Irving, TX 1,619 ±24
Victorville, CA 1,618 ±81
Charlotte, NC 1,612 ±16
Fishers, IN 1,611 ±85
Palm Bay, FL 1,601 ±71
Aurora, IL 1,596 ±55
Hesperia, CA 1,590 ±92
Chesapeake, VA 1,586 ±39
Gresham, OR 1,586 ±37
Nashville, TN 1,586 ±18
Phoenix, AZ 1,582 ±14
Stockton, CA 1,577 ±34
Raleigh, NC 1,572 ±23
Manchester, NH 1,564 ±37
Las Vegas, NV 1,563 ±19
Reno, NV 1,556 ±30
Paterson, NJ 1,548 ±25
St. George, UT 1,545 ±81
Glendale, AZ 1,528 ±42
Elizabeth, NJ 1,523 ±42
Overland Park, KS 1,515 ±35
Rio Rancho, NM 1,514 ±67
Mesquite, TX 1,513 ±57
Fort Worth, TX 1,509 ±21
Durham, NC 1,508 ±31
San Bernardino, CA 1,508 ±34
West Valley City, UT 1,504 ±53
Visalia, CA 1,490 ±43
Anchorage, AK 1,489 ±38
Chico, CA 1,488 ±35
New Haven, CT 1,488 ±33
Worcester, MA 1,487 ±38
Murfreesboro, TN 1,481 ±41
Bakersfield, CA 1,472 ±33
Dallas, TX 1,472 ±9
Arlington, TX 1,470 ±19
Jacksonville, FL 1,465 ±17
Concord, NC 1,451 ±63
Bridgeport, CT 1,450 ±35
Boise, ID 1,446 ±29
Chicago, IL 1,440 ±10
Midland, TX 1,434 ±61
North Charleston, SC 1,430 ±30
Hampton, VA 1,427 ±35
Lee's Summit, MO 1,422 ±54
Fresno, CA 1,421 ±21
Denton, TX 1,420 ±40
Nampa, ID 1,420 ±32
Salt Lake City, UT 1,414 ±25
Madison, WI 1,413 ±20
United States 1,413 ±2
Providence, RI 1,408 ±42
Eugene, OR 1,402 ±28
Salem, OR 1,400 ±29
Rochester, MN 1,399 ±39
Philadelphia, PA 1,397 ±14
Lakeland, FL 1,395 ±41
Wilmington, NC 1,395 ±37
Conroe, TX 1,393 ±29
Newark, NJ 1,392 ±21
Greeley, CO 1,388 ±46
Savannah, GA 1,382 ±32
Richmond, VA 1,372 ±20
Minneapolis, MN 1,371 ±20
Elgin, IL 1,361 ±65
Houston, TX 1,361 ±8
Spokane Valley, WA 1,353 ±44
Newport News, VA 1,339 ±25
Baltimore, MD 1,331 ±15
Dearborn, MI 1,327 ±62
San Antonio, TX 1,324 ±12
Norfolk, VA 1,321 ±27
Broken Arrow, OK 1,320 ±27
Allentown, PA 1,317 ±39
Odessa, TX 1,315 ±41
Olathe, KS 1,314 ±49
Clarksville, TN 1,307 ±35
Gainesville, FL 1,296 ±40
Columbus, OH 1,295 ±10
Tallahassee, FL 1,293 ±28
Corpus Christi, TX 1,292 ±27
Sterling Heights, MI 1,292 ±51
St. Paul, MN 1,281 ±19
Joliet, IL 1,276 ±48
Hartford, CT 1,269 ±25
Grand Rapids, MI 1,266 ±35
Pittsburgh, PA 1,261 ±27
Chattanooga, TN 1,256 ±33
Tyler, TX 1,252 ±46
New Orleans, LA 1,251 ±22
Fayetteville, NC 1,250 ±17
Kansas City, MO 1,238 ±15
Warren, MI 1,225 ±27
Waterbury, CT 1,225 ±38
Athens, GA 1,219 ±31
Albany, NY 1,216 ±37
Spokane, WA 1,215 ±20
Pasadena, TX 1,213 ±27
Killeen, TX 1,208 ±27
Columbia, SC 1,204 ±28
College Station, TX 1,194 ±23
Provo, UT 1,193 ±23
Knoxville, TN 1,191 ±22
Omaha, NE 1,187 ±13
Lubbock, TX 1,182 ±18
Memphis, TN 1,181 ±12
Greensboro, NC 1,172 ±15
Huntsville, AL 1,171 ±24
Waco, TX 1,165 ±28
Lexington, KY 1,164 ±18
Abilene, TX 1,157 ±25
Indianapolis, IN 1,156 ±11
Albuquerque, NM 1,145 ±17
Tucson, AZ 1,145 ±13
Springfield, MA 1,144 ±55
Augusta, GA 1,142 ±22
Billings, MT 1,138 ±38
New Bedford, MA 1,137 ±26
Oklahoma City, OK 1,130 ±11
Kansas City, KS 1,123 ±23
Beaumont, TX 1,121 ±36
Louisville, KY 1,120 ±14
High Point, NC 1,116 ±34
Yuma, AZ 1,114 ±50
Independence, MO 1,109 ±30
Birmingham, AL 1,107 ±21
Columbus, GA 1,106 ±20
Little Rock, AR 1,106 ±22
Lafayette, LA 1,100 ±27
Columbia, MO 1,097 ±22
Amarillo, TX 1,092 ±22
Des Moines, IA 1,090 ±21
Norman, OK 1,090 ±27
Montgomery, AL 1,089 ±21
Winston-Salem, NC 1,087 ±22
Lincoln, NE 1,086 ±20
Pueblo, CO 1,082 ±29
Rochester, NY 1,081 ±16
Detroit, MI 1,074 ±13
El Paso, TX 1,073 ±16
Mobile, AL 1,068 ±23
Baton Rouge, LA 1,067 ±21
Macon, GA 1,066 ±25
Milwaukee, WI 1,059 ±11
Jackson, MS 1,055 ±23
Tuscaloosa, AL 1,055 ±26
Tulsa, OK 1,052 ±10
McAllen, TX 1,049 ±38
Buffalo, NY 1,046 ±18
Syracuse, NY 1,039 ±20
Sioux Falls, SD 1,035 ±26
South Bend, IN 1,033 ±30
Laredo, TX 1,030 ±27
Wichita Falls, TX 1,022 ±36
Peoria, IL 1,005 ±36
Cincinnati, OH 1,001 ±20
Fort Wayne, IN 999 ±17
St. Louis, MO 997 ±15
Edinburg, TX 996 ±35
Lansing, MI 993 ±24
Shreveport, LA 987 ±20
Rockford, IL 985 ±19
Topeka, KS 979 ±32
Davenport, IA 978 ±23
Evansville, IN 975 ±19
Springfield, IL 975 ±21
Wichita, KS 975 ±16
Las Cruces, NM 974 ±41
Cedar Rapids, IA 967 ±44
Springfield, MO 964 ±13
Akron, OH 955 ±16
Fargo, ND 946 ±17
Cleveland, OH 945 ±16
Green Bay, WI 932 ±37
Brownsville, TX 923 ±30
Dayton, OH 918 ±23
Toledo, OH 901 ±14

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