Life is beautiful in a Christmas movie. Imagine a cheerful town square draped in tinsel and lights, the shops all aglow. Picture ice skaters twirling as perfect snowflakes fall, cups of hot cocoa in cozy cafés and a quiet street lined with houses decorated with thousands of twinkling lights.
The films are fiction, but the locations are real. And, U.S. Christmas towns are actually more diverse and compelling than the fleeting images on the screen.
You can actually rent an apartment in these enchanting holiday settings. But, what would holiday town rent actually cost?
The holiday town rent survey
Rent. researchers decided to find out. They calculated the median holiday town rent to learn what living in a Christmas movie location would cost right now. We included only cities with sufficient data, so a few of your favorite holiday movie towns didn’t make this list.
Researchers compared the most recent holiday town rent prices to the median rent price from last year, as well. This reveals how much rents have increased or decreased year over year.
New York, NY
So many Christmas movies filmed in New York that it’s almost easier to list the ones that aren’t filmed here. Standout holiday movies filmed in New York include “Elf,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “Serendipity,” “Scrooged” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” Residents can visit picturesque filming locations, including Macy’s department store, Wollman Rink in Central Park and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center whenever they like.
But, living here isn’t cheap. New York regularly tops the list of the most expensive metros in the U.S. The median rent here costs $3,329 per month. That’s up 13.02 percent from last year.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta is another popular Christmas movie filming location. Tyler Perry’s studio headquarters are in Georgia’s capital city, so it’s no surprise that parts of his film, “A Madea Christmas,” filmed here. The city also appears in “A Bad Moms Christmas” and the Hallmark movie, “Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses.
Sharp-eyed locals will recognize Atlanta landmarks like Phipps Plaza, Cumberland Mall and Lenox Square on film. The median rent price in Atlanta is $2,235. Rent increased just 1.5 percent since last year. That’s the smallest holiday town rent increase of any city on this list.
Wilmington, NC
Source: Rent. / Pier 33
So many Hallmark movies filmed in Wilmington that they’ve become an important part of the city’s economy. They include “Christmas in Harmony,” “A Christmas Proposal,” “USS Christmas,” “A Different Type of Christmas,” and “One Christmas. ” An all-star cast, including Andy Garcia, Mary-Louise Parker and Mandy Moore, made “Christmas in Conway,” one of the most high-profile shoots.
The historic downtown is a popular filming location. Holiday markets, horse-drawn carriage tours and the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla in the suburb of Wrightsville Beach make this charming port community feel festive even when the cameras aren’t rolling.
The median rent here is $1,791. That’s up 11.17 percent from last year.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco appears alongside Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in the comedy “Four Christmases.” It’s also featured in “An All Dogs Christmas Carol,” an animated version of the Charles Dickens classic. “A Big Fat Family Christmas” showcases the city’s iconic cable cars and historic Chinatown, which is the oldest in the U.S. The Tia Carrere film debuted on the Hallmark channel in 2022.
Other popular filming locations include the Golden Gate Bridge, the Financial District, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Embarcadero and Union Square. But, this picturesque city also has some of the highest holiday town rent prices in the country.
Locals pay $3,998 per month in median rent in San Francisco. That’s up 11.81 percent since 2021.
Philadelphia, PA
The Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd classic “Trading Places” is set in Philadelphia during the holiday season. The Hallmark movie “A Gift to Remember” takes place here, too. So does “Dear Santa,” a Jason Priestley Lifetime movie. A family adventure called “Once Upon A Philly Christmas” joined the list of Christmas films shot in Philly in 2022.
Locals will recognize City Hall, the Macy’s Christmas Light Show, the 30th Street Station and numerous locations on Delancey Street onscreen. The median holiday town rent in Philadelphia is $1,946. That’s up 9.23 percent year-over-year.
Bloomington, MN
Bloomington is a suburb of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It’s also the home of the Mall of America, which is the largest shopping complex in the U.S. The mall was prominently featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie “Jingle All the Way.” The madcap comedy also filmed at locations across the Twin Cities, including Downtown Minneapolis and the iconic Mickey’s Diner in St. Paul.
All that snow isn’t just movie magic. Residents of Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs are very likely to experience a white Christmas.
Rent prices in Bloomington increased 6.29 percent over last year. The median rent price is $1,973.
Santa Fe, NM
Source: Rent. / Vizcaya
The Mario Lopez movie “Holiday in Santa Fe” features one of the most charming Christmas cities in the country. It was filmed in the city’s stately Plaza (which is over 400 years old) and among the adobe buildings of historic downtown Santa Fe.
Locals experience the city’s unique brand of Christmas magic every holiday season. The Plaza blazes with light. Paper lanterns glow and the Las Posadas candlelight procession is a holiday tradition. The smell of piñon pine smoke and freshly baked biscochitos (New Mexico’s state cookie) scent the crisp night air.
The median holiday town rent price in Santa Fe is $2,033. That’s up 12.35 percent from last year.
Grand Rapids, MI
The town in the animated children’s film “The Polar Express” is inspired by Grand Rapids. The book’s author, Chris Van Allsburg, grew up here. Movie fans can visit Herpolsheimer’s department store (it appears in the movie) and ride the locomotive that inspired the film. Tours leave from Owosso, about an hour and a half away.
The median cost of an apartment in Grand Rapids is $1,379. That’s way up from last year — a 26.20 percent price hike. That’s the largest holiday town rent increase on this list.
Hammond, IN
Source: Rent. / McLaughlin Apartments
The city of Hohman, where “A Christmas Story” takes place, is fictional. (Yet the state’s ultimate Christmas town — the southwestern city of Santa Claus — is real!) The setting was inspired by Hammond, IN, writer Jean Shepherd’s hometown. His work inspired the popular movie.
Film buffs can still shop on Hohman Avenue in Hammond. But, the movie was filmed in Cleveland and Toronto.
Rent prices in Hammond have increased by 9.53 percent since last year. But, it’s still a holiday town rent bargain at just $969 per month.
Live in a real-life Christmas town
If you want to live in a place that’s as atmospheric as a Christmas movie, you have plenty of options. The median holiday town rent varies and our favorite seasonal film settings are geographically diverse, so there’s a Christmas town for every taste and budget.
Choose the charm of a small town Main Street or a seaside retreat. Settle into a new home in a historic high desert town or a wintery suburb. Or, embrace the energy of some of the country’s most exciting and dynamic cities. No matter which community you choose, it’ll be magical at Christmastime.
