Budget Leases · Rent Study
The Cheapest Cities to Rent in America
We analyzed 27,862 active apartment listings across 33 states to find where rent is cheapest, where it is most expensive, and where your dollar stretches furthest.
Published June 14, 2026 · Data updated Jun 9, 2026
Key finding: the typical US apartment rents for $1,445/mo, but the gap between metros is enormous. The median in Brookline, MA ($3,600) is about 4.2x the median in the cheapest city we measured, Lubbock, TX ($865).
Listings analyzed
27,862
33 states
US median rent
$1,445
per month
Cheapest city
$865
Lubbock, TX
Priciest city
$3,600
Brookline, MA
The 15 cheapest cities to rent
Median apartment rent, cities with 40+ active listings, cheapest first.
The most affordable states
Median apartment rent by state, states with 50+ active listings.
The most expensive cities
Median apartment rent, cities with 40+ active listings, priciest first.
Where your dollar goes furthest
Lowest median rent per square foot, cities with 40+ listings that report size.
Methodology
This study is based on 27,862 active apartment listings (apartments, condos, townhomes, and multi-family rentals; excludes rooms and senior housing) that Budget Leases tracks across 33 states, as of Jun 9, 2026. City rankings include only cities with at least 40 active listings, and state rankings only states with at least 50, so a handful of listings can't skew a ranking. “Median” is the middle asking rent. Asking rents change constantly; this is a point-in-time snapshot. More on how we collect and verify data is on our data page.
Cite this study
Budget Leases, “The Cheapest Cities to Rent in America” (2026). https://budgetleases.com/research/cheapest-cities-to-rent-america
Free to cite or reference with a link. Press: support@budgetleases.com.
Related: The Most Affordable States to Rent →
See the cheapest rentals near you
Every listing ranked by price, updated regularly.