Thursday 17 October 2024

24 major cities where renters can save at least 10% compared to the national median

An apartment building in the evening.
Major US cities saw median rent fall last month.
  • Rent edged lower in September, continuing a long streak of year-over-year declines.
  • Southern cities saw some of the largest dips in rent.
  • Here are 24 real-estate markets where rent is at least 10% below the national median.

Apartment dwellers scored a small but much-needed win on the affordability front in September.

Median rent in the 50 largest US metropolitan areas dipped to $1,743 last month, according to an October 16 report from Realtor.com. That was $10 less than in August and $17 under the record peak from the August before, when inflation was coming off of multi-decade highs.

Realtor.com Sept 2024

Asking prices were lower year-over-year for the 14th straight month, though they were only a few dollars cheaper than in September 2023. Apartments cost less across unit sizes, as studios slid by $34 to $1,442 per month, while one- and two-bedroom setups were both $8 more affordable at $1,623 and $1,930, respectively.

Realtor.com Sept 2024 units

Renting is much more expensive now than it was before the pandemic, as the typical unit's price has risen by $286, or nearly 20%, since 2019. However, Realtor.com economic researchers Jiayi Xu and Danielle Hale pointed out that the same is true of most other goods and services.

"This increase is roughly on par with what has occurred in overall consumer prices (up 22.7% in the 5 years ending September 2024) and pales in comparison to the 50.8% increase in median price-per-square-foot of for-sale home listings in the 5 years ending September 2024," Xu and Hale wrote in their note.

The two continued: "Further, the relative steadiness in rents should translate into slower shelter inflation in the months ahead, alleviating one of the biggest recent drivers of rising prices."

Although rent is down across major US cities, improvements in affordability are far from uniform.

Eight of the 10 real-estate markets with the largest year-over-year drops in rent last month were in the South, led by Nashville's 4.8% drop. Dallas and Denver also each tumbled 4% from 2023.

"While the labor market in the South in areas such as Austin (3.7%) and Birmingham (3.1%) continues to outperform the top-50 average, with much lower unemployment, the rapid growth in new multi-family homes is putting downward pressure on rental prices and cooling the market," Xu and Hale wrote.

Conversely, eight of the 10 metro areas in the Midwest that made Realtor.com's list had higher rent than last September. Chicago and Detroit were the only cities in that region where rent fell. Xu and Hale estimate that a combination of lower starting prices and healthy labor markets likely underpinned that move.

24 cities with cheap rent

Renters hunting for a deal are in luck. Business Insider reviewed Realtor.com's list of the 50 biggest US cities and narrowed it down to the two dozen cities where rent was at least 10% less than the national median of $1,743 last month.

Below are those 24 major US cities, along with each location's median rent in September, the year-over-year and month-over-month changes, and the savings versus the national median rate.

1. Oklahoma City
Downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Median rent: $1,037

Year-over-year change: 1.9%

Month-over-month change: -0.3%

Discount vs national median: 40.5%

2. Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio.

Median rent: $1,217

Year-over-year change: 1.2%

Month-over-month change: -1.1%

Discount vs national median: 30.2%

3. Memphis, Tennessee
memphis tennessee city skyline

Median rent: $1,227

Year-over-year change: -3.5%

Month-over-month change: -0.2%

Discount vs national median: 29.6%

4. Cleveland
Cleveland city skyline at night.

Median rent: $1,237

Year-over-year change: 0.6%

Month-over-month change: -1%

Discount vs national median: 29%

5. Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama, downtown city skyline.

Median rent: $1,251

Year-over-year change: -3.5%

Month-over-month change: 0.8%

Discount vs national median: 28.2%

6. San Antonio
San Antonio skyline.

Median rent: $1,268

Year-over-year change: -3.1%

Month-over-month change: -0.9%

Discount vs national median: 27.3%

7. Louisville, Kentucky
A street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky.

Median rent: $1,287

Year-over-year change: 2.5%

Month-over-month change: -0.4%

Discount vs national median: 26.2%

8. Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana.

Median rent: $1,318

Year-over-year change: 0.5%

Month-over-month change: -0.5%

Discount vs national median: 24.4%

9. Detroit
Detroit, Michigan downtown skyline

Median rent: $1,328

Year-over-year change: -0.3%

Month-over-month change: 0.2%

Discount vs national median: 23.8%

10. Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri.

Median rent: $1,357

Year-over-year change: 0.7%

Month-over-month change: 0%

Discount vs national median: 22.1%

11. St. Louis
The skyline of the city of St. Louis.

Median rent: $1,361

Year-over-year change: 2.6%

Month-over-month change: -0.1%

Discount vs national median: 21.9%

12. Houston
skyline of Houston, Texas

Median rent: $1,375

Year-over-year change: -3%

Month-over-month change: -1.2%

Discount vs national median: 21.1%

13. Cincinnati
skyline of Cincinnati, Ohio

Median rent: $1,393

Year-over-year change: 3.4%

Month-over-month change: 0.9%

Discount vs national median: 20.1%

14. Dallas
A picture of Dallas' skyline.

Median rent: $1,475

Year-over-year change: -4%

Month-over-month change: -0.9%

Discount vs national median: 15.4%

15. Pittsburgh
Skyline of Pittsburgh at dusk.

Median rent: $1,480

Year-over-year change: 1.1%

Month-over-month change: 1.4%

Discount vs national median: 15.1%

16. Las Vegas
Aerial view of Las Vegas

Median rent: $1,493

Year-over-year change: -1.1%

Month-over-month change: -1.2%

Discount vs national median: 14.3%

17. Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia.

Median rent: $1,512

Year-over-year change: -0.6%

Month-over-month change: -1.4%

Discount vs national median: 13.3%

18. Austin
Austin skyline

Median rent: $1,522

Year-over-year change: -3.7%

Month-over-month change: -0.8%

Discount vs national median: 12.7%

19. Charlotte, North Carolina
a sky-view of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Median rent: $1,536

Year-over-year change: -2.9%

Month-over-month change: -0.1%

Discount vs national median: 11.9%

20. Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona, Downtown Skyline Aerial.

Median rent: $1,544

Year-over-year change: -3%

Month-over-month change: -1.3%

Discount vs national median: 11.4%

21. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Median rent: $1,544

Year-over-year change: 0.1%

Month-over-month change: -0.3%

Discount vs national median: 11.4%

22. Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville skyline

Median rent: $1,552

Year-over-year change: -2.4%

Month-over-month change: -0.4%

Discount vs national median: 11%

23. Minneapolis
Downtown Minneapolis skyline at dusk with US Bank Stadium in view.

Median rent: $1,555

Year-over-year change: 1.9%

Month-over-month change: -0.1%

Discount vs national median: 10.8%

24. Raleigh, North Carolina
Buildings in Raleigh, North Carolina

Median rent: $1,557

Year-over-year change: -0.3%

Month-over-month change: -0.4%

Discount vs national median: 10.7%

Read the original article on Business Insider


from Business Insider https://ift.tt/U8sVnDZ

No comments:

Post a Comment

24 major cities where renters can save at least 10% compared to the national median

Major US cities saw median rent fall last month. Annex on 12th Rent edged lower in September, continuing a long streak of year-over-yea...