A new study reveals the best cities for renters in the US

The Best Cities in the US for Renters New research conducted by Living Cozy looked at the average rent for a two-bedroom property the average wage, the cost of living rating, the amount of green space and parks and rent control legislation. The study combined it into a single score that gave each factor an equal weighting and determined the best cities for renters in the United States.

The best US cities for renters:

Rank

City

State

Jobs per 1000 people

Average Monthly 2-BR Rent

City Land as Green Space %

% Residents Living 10 Mins Walk From A Park

Average Monthly Salary After Taxes

Cost of Living Index Score

Rent Control

Renting Score

1

Washington

DC

58.57

$3,658

21

98

$5,776.94

85.23

YES

7.02

2

San Francisco

CA

40.75

$5,209

21

100

$8,073.06

94.32

YES

6.64

3

Minneapolis

MN

53.46

$2,091

10

98

$4,566.79

79.57

YES

6.61

4

San Diego

CA

27.21

$3,204

21

81

$5,489.17

76.72

YES

6.59

5

San Jose

CA

21.10

$3,567

15

80

$7,257.94

74.23

YES

6.49

6

Portland

OR

40.69

$2,369

14

90

$4,159.18

77.67

YES

6.42

7

Sacramento

CA

38.39

$2,102

10

83

$3,915.25

78.48

YES

6.01

8

Albuquerque

NM

31.76

$1,053

17

90

$3,602.19

63.88

NO

5.86

9

Las Vegas

NV

54.32

$1,373

18

75

$4,014.73

69.01

NO

5.76

10

Long Beach

CA

16.48

$2,713

8

84

$4,170.63

70.35

YES

5.75

**Washington DC is the best city in the country for renters.**It’s a very green place to live, with 21% of the city’s land area dedicated to parks and green spaces and as many as 98% of the city’s population live within a ten-minute walk of a park. It also boasts a high number of jobs for its size, with 58.57 job postings per 1,000 people. Renters are protected from sudden price hikes by rent control laws; however, living costs are higher than average and the rent for a two-bedroom property averages at $3,658 per month, which is out of many people’s price range. 

The US cities where rent is lowest:

Rank

City

State

Average Monthly 2-BR Rent

1

Tulsa

OK

$895

2

El Paso

TX

$1,020

3

Tucson

AZ

$1,032

4

Memphis

TN

$1,042

5

Oklahoma City

OK

$1,044

6

Albuquerque

NM

$1,053

7

Omaha

NE

$1,166

8

Louisville

KY

$1,197

9

Fresno

CA

$1,217

10

Raleigh

NC

$1,298

The city with the lowest average monthly rent in the study is Tulsa where a two-bedroom property will set you back approximately $895. This is the only city where the average rent is below $1,000, highlighting just how much of a bargain it is. 

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA skyline at twilight.

The Cities in the US With the Most Job Postings Per Capita

Rank

City

State

Population

# of Jobs

# of Jobs Per 1,000 People

1

Atlanta

GA

506,811

56,714

111.90

2

Tampa

FL

399,700

36,511

91.35

3

Miami

FL

467,963

38,075

81.36

4

Boston

MA

692,600

41,419

59.80

5

Washington 

DC

705,749

41,335

58.57

6

Seattle

WA

753,675

43,278

57.42

7

Las Vegas

NV

651,319

35,379

54.32

8

Austin

TX

978,908

53,152

54.30

9

Minneapolis

MN

429,606

22,968

53.46

10

Charlotte

NC

885,708

43,643

49.27

Further Findings: 

• New Orleans has the highest proportion of its land area taken up by green spaces and parks.
• Boston and San Francisco are the two best cities for access to green spaces, with 100% of residents in each location living within a short 10-minute walk from their nearest park.
• The city with the highest average salary in the country is San Francisco.
• El Paso is the most affordable place to live. 

You can view the research in full here: https://www.livingcozy.com/blog/us-rental-index 

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I have put all the information here and the relevant images here. 

I hope this is of interest to you and your readers. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Thanks, 

Chloe

Chloe Bennett
Digital PR Strategist
E: chloe[email protected]