Ohio rent guide
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in Ohio (July 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 648 rentals across 83 Ohio cities
Ohio is one of the most affordable big rental states in the country. The growth and the higher rents are in Columbus (the capital, and one of the fastest-growing metros in the Midwest); the deep value is in the older industrial cities, Dayton, Toledo, Akron, Canton and Youngstown, where a one-bedroom can still go for well under $1,000. We track every apartment we can find and rank the cities below by their typical rent, straight from live listings.
The lowest typical rent right now is in Cuyahoga Falls (about $900/mo), while Westlake sits at the top ($1,600/mo). For most renters the Columbus-vs-everywhere-else gap is the big decision; the bedroom count you need matters from there.
Ohio cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuyahoga Falls | $900 | $825 | 7 |
| 2 | Parma | $915 | $814 | 8 |
| 3 | Kettering | $954 | $809 | 9 |
| 4 | Toledo | $963 | $875 | 14 |
| 5 | Cleveland Heights | $965 | $842 | 9 |
| 6 | Akron | $995 | $800 | 12 |
| 7 | Fairborn | $1,039 | $835 | 5 |
| 8 | Kent | $1,045 | $825 | 10 |
| 9 | Dayton | $1,091 | $800 | 26 |
| 10 | Canton | $1,108 | $845 | 6 |
| 11 | Reynoldsburg | $1,113 | $825 | 20 |
| 12 | Lancaster | $1,114 | $875 | 5 |
| 13 | Huber Heights | $1,179 | $800 | 5 |
| 14 | Columbus | $1,200 | $810 | 139 |
| 15 | Findlay | $1,233 | $925 | 6 |
| 16 | Delaware | $1,237 | $930 | 12 |
| 17 | Stow | $1,245 | $866 | 10 |
| 18 | Springfield | $1,255 | $1,010 | 6 |
| 19 | Hilliard | $1,260 | $810 | 15 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | $1,263 | $814 | 98 |
| 21 | Westerville | $1,269 | $881 | 22 |
| 22 | Gahanna | $1,302 | $1,065 | 6 |
| 23 | Beavercreek | $1,320 | $924 | 10 |
| 24 | Dublin | $1,328 | $1,197 | 13 |
| 25 | Grove City | $1,345 | $890 | 15 |
| 26 | Lakewood | $1,350 | $850 | 7 |
| 27 | Cleveland | $1,368 | $800 | 60 |
| 28 | Westlake | $1,600 | $1,157 | 7 |
How we rank them
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in a city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now. We include cities with at least five live listings and exclude single rooms and senior housing. Small-city medians can swing on a handful of listings, so the bigger markets like Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati are the most stable. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest city to rent in Ohio?
By typical (median) rent it's Cuyahoga Falls, around $900/mo, then Parma and Kettering. The best value is in the older industrial cities (Dayton, Toledo, Akron, Youngstown), which are among the most affordable large markets anywhere in the US. The ranking rebuilds from live listings, so it moves with the market.
Is Columbus or Cleveland cheaper to rent in?
Columbus is a bit cheaper on the typical (median) rent: about $1,200/mo versus $1,368. They're close, but Columbus rents have been climbing with its tech-and-jobs boom, while Cleveland and the rest of northern Ohio stay among the cheaper big markets.
Where is rent most expensive in Ohio?
Westlake tops the list at about $1,600/mo. The priciest rents are the Columbus suburbs (Dublin, Upper Arlington, Westerville) and the close-in Cincinnati and Cleveland-east suburbs, not the mid-size cities. Even so, Ohio's top end is cheap next to the coasts.
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