Best & Worst Places to Rent in America

Homeownership isn’t for everyone. Roughly 46 million American households have opted to rent rather than buy their homes because of convenience, cost or both. But renting isn’t always a cheaper or better alternative to owning a property. The right road to take depends on a variety of factors, including an individual’s or family’s financial means and how well the local real-estate market is doing. 

Inflation has continued to influence rental prices, and 2024 saw a 5.1% increase in price year-over-year.. On the bright side, mortgage rates continue to trend down. Like home prices, however, rental rates can vary significantly by region, state or city. In some places, renting will prove to be more cost-effective and a better overall value than owning.

To determine where renters can get the most bang for their buck, WalletHub compared more than 180 rental markets based on 21 key measures of rental attractiveness and quality of life. Our data set ranges from the difference between rental rates and mortgage payments to historical price changes, the cost of living and job availability. 

“In the best cities for renters, rent can cost you as little as around 15% of your income. You’ll also have access to robust laws that protect renters, such as limiting deposits to only a month or two of rent. Our study also considers quality-of-life factors such as a city’s traffic congestion, job market or recreation options to make sure you can get a good living experience, not just inexpensive housing.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Methodology

In order to determine the best local rental markets, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across two key dimensions, “Rental Market & Affordability” and “Quality of Life.”

We evaluated those dimensions using 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for renters. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. Our sample considers only the city proper in each case and excludes cities in the surrounding metro area.

In-Depth Look at the Best Places to Rent

Overland Park, KS

Overland Park, KS, is the best place to rent, boasting the highest average home square footage in the country, at 2,809 square feet. It also has the eighth-best rental affordability, with the average person only spending around 17% of their annual income on rent. In addition, only around 18% of households pay more than 50% of their income for housing, the eighth-lowest share in the country.

Overland Park is also a great place for people who have or plan to have kids, as it has a very good school system – 55% of public schools in the city get a rating of at least 7 out of 10 from Greatschools.org. While this may not seem like a high percentage, only 11 cities out of 182 in our study achieve percentages of 50% or higher. Overland Park has the 33rd-lowest crime rate, too.

Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale, AZ, is the second-best place to rent, in large part due to the quality of life in the city. Scottsdale ranks as the best city for both the availability of jobs and the driving environment (traffic and infrastructure quality). It also has the fourth-best weather and the sixth-best recreation options.

Scottsdale isn’t the cheapest city to rent in, but it’s also far from the most expensive. It has the 53rd-best rental affordability out of 182 cities, with most people only spending around 21% of their annual income on rent. The city also has one of the largest average home square footages in the country, at 2,331 square feet.

Finally, Arizona has state-level laws addressing bedbug infestations in rental properties, which further protects renters in Scottsdale.

Chandler, AZ

Chandler, AZ, is the third-best place to rent in 2025, partly because most people only spend around 21% of their annual income on rent, and only around 18% of households spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs. Plus, the maximum security deposit that a landlord can charge is only two months’ rent.

In addition, homes in Chandler have a generous average square footage, at 1,909 square feet. There are plenty of new homes to choose from, too, as more than 16% of homes were built between 2010 and 2023. Lastly, Chandler, like its Arizonian counterpart above, also benefits from laws addressing bedbug infestations in rental properties.