Budget Leases · Rent Study
The Most Affordable States to Rent
We ranked every state we cover by median apartment rent, using 27,862 active listings, to show where renting costs the least, and the most.
Published June 14, 2026 · Data updated Jun 9, 2026
Key finding: Oklahoma is the most affordable state we cover, with a median apartment rent of $999/mo — about 2.7x cheaper than Massachusetts ($2,669), the priciest. The US median across all 33 states is $1,445/mo.
States ranked
33
27,862 listings
US median rent
$1,445
per month
Cheapest state
$999
Oklahoma
Priciest state
$2,669
Massachusetts
Every state, ranked by median rent
Median apartment rent, states with 50+ active listings, most affordable first.
Methodology
Based on 27,862 active apartment listings (apartments, condos, townhomes, multi-family; excludes rooms and senior housing) that Budget Leases tracks across 33 states, as of Jun 9, 2026. Only states with at least 50 active listings are ranked. “Median” is the middle asking rent; the “cheapest city” in each state needs at least 20 listings. 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 Most Affordable States to Rent” (2026). https://budgetleases.com/research/most-affordable-states-to-rent
See the cheapest rentals near you
Every listing ranked by price, updated regularly.