US rent guide
Where Rent Goes Furthest in the US (July 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 27,862 rentals across 17 states
We track the cheapest rentals across California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Arizona, and Nevada, which makes for an honest side-by-side: how far does the same rent budget go in each? The short version is that California is in a league of its own, and everywhere else we cover is roughly half the price. A one-bedroom that runs $2,203 a month in California rents for around $1,080 in Alabama, about $1,123 less every month, or 51% off, for the same apartment.
Alabama
$1,099
typical / mo
Missouri
$1,128
typical / mo
Indiana
$1,130
typical / mo
Texas
$1,138
typical / mo
Ohio
$1,195
typical / mo
North Carolina
$1,270
typical / mo
Arizona
$1,299
typical / mo
Tennessee
$1,300
typical / mo
Georgia
$1,329
typical / mo
Nevada
$1,331
typical / mo
South Carolina
$1,395
typical / mo
Colorado
$1,432
typical / mo
Pennsylvania
$1,512
typical / mo
Florida
$1,556
typical / mo
Virginia
$1,598
typical / mo
Maryland
$1,621
typical / mo
California
$2,249
typical / mo
Typical rent by bedroom
| State | Studio | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,048 | $1,080 | $1,200 | $1,964 | 332 |
| Missouri | $996 | $1,099 | $1,178 | $1,580 | 265 |
| Indiana | $1,034 | $1,099 | $1,212 | $1,595 | 472 |
| Texas | $1,199 | $1,110 | $1,175 | $1,899 | 4,384 |
| Ohio | $987 | $1,160 | $1,363 | $1,555 | 648 |
| North Carolina | $1,297 | $1,247 | $1,297 | $1,999 | 999 |
| Arizona | $1,100 | $1,291 | $1,417 | $1,705 | 1,189 |
| Tennessee | $1,417 | $1,260 | $1,300 | $1,625 | 528 |
| Georgia | $1,410 | $1,293 | $1,349 | $1,903 | 1,319 |
| Nevada | $1,277 | $1,308 | $1,500 | $2,250 | 505 |
| South Carolina | $1,510 | $1,337 | $1,475 | $1,732 | 398 |
| Colorado | $1,336 | $1,425 | $1,638 | $2,514 | 993 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,352 | $1,500 | $1,600 | $1,870 | 578 |
| Florida | $1,475 | $1,539 | $1,653 | $2,050 | 2,135 |
| Virginia | $1,663 | $1,600 | $1,420 | $2,199 | 718 |
| Maryland | $1,451 | $1,600 | $1,743 | $2,345 | 398 |
| California | $2,111 | $2,203 | $2,477 | $2,995 | 3,953 |
What it means if you’re deciding
If you can work remotely or you’re weighing a move, the gap is big enough to change your whole budget: leaving California for almost anywhere else we cover frees up close to $1,123 a month on a one-bedroom, which is most of a car payment or a big chunk of a down-payment fund. The other eight states cluster well below California, ranging from Texas and the Carolinas at the low end up to Florida (where the South Florida coast pulls the average up), so the city you pick matters as much as the state. Once you’ve picked a state, check the city-level guides to find the actual cheap pockets. Everything here is the median across live listings, last updated Jun 9, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which US state has the cheapest rent?
Alabama, on the overall median (~$1,099/mo). The Carolinas, Tennessee, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada cluster in the affordable middle, Florida runs higher (the South Florida coast pulls it up), and California sits in a tier of its own, well over $2,000 typical. For a one-bedroom specifically, Alabama is the cheapest at about $1,080/mo.
How much cheaper is Texas than California for rent?
A typical California one-bedroom runs $2,203/mo, versus about $1,110 in Texas. That's roughly $1,093/mo less for the same size apartment, close to half off. It's the single biggest reason renters leave California for Texas.
Are these numbers real or estimates?
Real. They're the median rents across 27,862 live listings we track in these 17 states, so half of apartments are cheaper and half pricier. We use the median, not the average, so a few luxury towers don't skew it. Figures refresh with our data (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
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