Prices along the coasts remain higher than ever in major urban hubs. Workers are returning to the office, driving demand for apartments near technology and business centers. Nowhere is that more prominent than in California where nearly half of the top 100 cities with the highest rent in the U.S. are located.
The 10 most expensive cities for renters
Many cities rebounded quickly following a lull in prices mid pandemic. Consider, New York City (No. 1). The Big Apple logged the highest rent in the U.S. in this survey period.
The average monthly rent in New York City shot up from $5,260 in 2021 to $6,351 in 2022. While it’s only a 20.7 percent increase, it’s still more than twice the national average rent price in the U.S. for a two-bedroom unit.
Palo Alto, CA, (No. 2), Coral Gables, FL, (No. 3) and Hoboken, NJ, (No. 7) remain in the Top 10 and saw the three highest year-over-year rent changes — 33.1 percent, 31.5 percent and 25.3 percent, respectively.
San Francisco, CA, (No. 9), a staple in the Top 10, saw a 7.6 percent rise in monthly rent — now $4,336, up from $4,030 in 2021.
Palo Alto also logged the second highest rent in the U.S. The average monthly rent went up from $3,606 to $4,799. With Apple, Google and Microsoft requiring hybrid employee models, the demand for housing nearby has likely increased.
Boston, MA, moved down to No. 4, after a 10.8 percent change in monthly rent year-over-year. The average rental rate in the city rose from $4,243 in 2021 to $4,700 in 2022.
In Massachusetts, Medford (No. 5) and Cambridge (No. 8) saw rent hikes at 1.9 percent and 19.1, respectively. Medford saw the smallest year-over-year rent increase of any city in the Top 10, but it still rose from $4,434 in 2021 to $4,516 in 2022. Rent in Cambridge now costs an average of $4,350 (vs. $3,653 in 2021).
Two more California cities, Oakland (No. 6, where rent increased 3.4 percent) and Santa Monica (No. 10, 12.8 percent) round out the Top 10.
The 100 cities with the highest rent in the U.S.
The 100 most expensive places to rent an apartment in the U.S. are split into four regions: the West, the South, the Northeast and the Midwest. But they’re not divided evenly.
The West
The West Coast is home to nearly 60 percent of cities with the highest rent in the U.S. Forty cities in the Top 100 are in California alone.
Two Arizona cities, Scottsdale (No. 84) and Gilbert (No. 97) make the Top 100 again but have slid in the ranking. Gilbert’s average rent in 2022 is $2,260 a month, a 16.4 percent increase from 2021.
Colorado has two cities on the list during this survey period: Westminster (No. 62) and Denver (No. 63). Westminster’s average rent in 2022 is slightly higher at $2,780 than Denver’s after an increase of 18.3 percent since 2021.
Boise, the sole Idaho city on the Top 100, saw rents increase 7.9 percent between 2021 and 2022.
Four Washington cities appear on the list. Seattle moved up to No. 21, with an average rent of $3,614 — a 45.2 percent from 2021. Everett (No. 49), a suburb of Seattle, experienced a 76.8 percent increase year-over-year. Renton (No. 53) and Kent (No. 87) also make the list.
Nearby in Oregon, Portland (No. 77) and Hillsboro (No. 52) close out the west.
The South
Only 19 percent of the Top 100 most expensive cities for renters are in the South. Fourteen of those cities are in Florida.
The top three cities with the highest rents are all in Florida — Coral Gables (No. 3), Doral (No. 44) and Boca Raton (No. 50). All three are in the Miami metro area along with Weston (No. 58), Palm Beach Gardens (No. 68), Pembroke Pines (No. 72) and Boynton Beach (No. 82). The city of Miami (No. 79) saw a 14.1 percent decrease in rents year-over-year of 14.1.
Fort Lauderdale lands at No. 92, with a 38.6 percent decrease in rents year-over-year, from $3,751 in 2021 to $2,302 in 2022.
Other Florida communities in the Top 100 include Orlando (No. 94), Sarasota (No. 65), Melbourne (No. 95), Coral Springs (No. 85) and Bonita Springs (No. 89).
In Georgia, Atlanta (No. 100) surged 16.6 percent year-over-year to $2,215 per month in 2022. Metro Atlanta suburb Brookhaven (No. 80) joins in with a 1.9 percent increase from 2021, at $2,502 per month in 2022.
Tennessee, Virginia and Texas, each with have one entry in the Top 100.
The Northeast
Five of the top 10 most expensive cities in the U.S. are in the Northeast during this survey period. Massachusetts has the most cities on the list, followed by New York.
Out of six Massachusetts cities in the top 100, three of those cities are in the Top 10 most expensive in the U.S.
The other three Massachusetts cities that made the Top 100 are Quincy (No. 54), Somerville (No. 20) and Weymouth (No. 69). The three suburbs saw an increase of 11.3 percent, 14.3 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. Somerville had the most drastic rise of $3,648 per month in 2022.
New York made the list four times. Aside from New York City, New Rochelle (No. 28), White Plains (No. 29) and Yonkers (No. 48) saw increases year over year. New Rochelle, a New York suburb, saw a rent spike of 43.2 percent.
The remaining nine entries are split among five states. They include Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
The Midwest
The Midwest has three cities in the Top 100. Chicago (No. 51), where the average rent for all units increased 11.9 percent from 2021. Carmel, IN, (No. 98) saw an increase of 34 percent in rents year over year, now renting for $2,252 per month.
Finally, in Woodbury, MN, (No. 93) rent has gone up 12.1 percent for all units from 2021.
Rent decreases still above the national average
Despite rising inflation, 14 cities saw a drop in year-over-year rents during this survey period. However, those cities still remained above the national average for rents and within the highest rents in the country.
The biggest drop came from Fort Lauderdale at 38.6 percent, where residents are now saving $1,450 per month, compared to last year. The majority of decreases came from California with 11 cities experiencing drops in their rental prices, including Glendora (No. 73) at 21.8 percent and Camarillo (No. 31) at 18.5 percent.
Miami and Orlando round out the Florida cities, with Nashville (No. 88) and Scottsdale (No. 84) closing out the list.
The takeaway
The most expensive rental markets have shifted significantly between 2021 and 2022.
During this survey period, demand has surged again in major cities within the West and Northeast near tech and business centers.
Despite the fact that California saw the most rent decreases year over year, it still continues to be the state with the most expensive cities in the U.S.
| Rank | State | City | Population | Rent All Units, July 2022 | Rent All Units, July 2021 | YoY % Change | Dollar Diff, All Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NY | New York | 8,336,817 | $6,351 | $5,260 | 20.73% | $1,091 |
| 2 | CA | Palo Alto | 65,364 | $4,799 | $3,605 | 33.12% | $1,194 |
| 3 | FL | Coral Gables | 49,700 | $4,742 | $3,606 | 31.50% | $1,136 |
| 4 | MA | Boston | 692,600 | $4,700 | $4,243 | 10.78% | $458 |
| 5 | MA | Medford | 57,341 | $4,516 | $4,434 | 1.86% | $83 |
| 6 | CA | Oakland | 433,031 | $4,430 | $4,286 | 3.36% | $144 |
| 7 | NJ | Hoboken | 52,677 | $4,361 | $3,480 | 25.33% | $881 |
| 8 | MA | Cambridge | 118,927 | $4,350 | $3,653 | 19.08% | $697 |
| 9 | CA | San Francisco | 881,549 | $4,336 | $4,030 | 7.61% | $306 |
| 10 | CA | Santa Monica | 90,401 | $4,272 | $3,788 | 12.78% | $484 |
| 11 | CA | South San Francisco | 67,789 | $4,029 | $3,212 | 25.42% | $817 |
| 12 | CA | Los Angeles | 3,979,576 | $3,952 | $3,946 | 0.13% | $5 |
| 13 | CA | San Diego | 1,423,851 | $3,913 | $3,654 | 7.07% | $258 |
| 14 | CA | Alameda | 77,624 | $3,840 | $4,160 | -7.69% | $(320) |
| 15 | CA | Aliso Viejo | 50,887 | $3,839 | $3,467 | 10.74% | $372 |
| 16 | CA | Santa Clara | 130,365 | $3,814 | $3,559 | 7.17% | $255 |
| 17 | CA | Vacaville | 100,670 | $3,765 | $2,707 | 39.10% | $1,058 |
| 18 | CA | Sunnyvale | 152,703 | $3,756 | $3,009 | 24.82% | $747 |
| 19 | CA | Ventura | 109,106 | $3,709 | $4,372 | -15.16% | $(663) |
| 20 | MA | Somerville | 81,360 | $3,648 | $3,279 | 11.25% | $369 |
| 21 | WA | Seattle | 753,675 | $3,614 | $2,489 | 45.21% | $1,125 |
| 22 | CA | Mountain View | 82,739 | $3,606 | $3,841 | -6.10% | $(234) |
| 23 | CA | Antioch | 111,502 | $3,574 | $2,324 | 53.79% | $1,250 |
| 24 | CA | Laguna Niguel | 66,385 | $3,533 | $2,904 | 21.66% | $629 |
| 25 | CA | San Jose | 1,021,795 | $3,517 | $2,864 | 22.77% | $652 |
| 26 | CA | Simi Valley | 125,613 | $3,499 | $2,647 | 32.19% | $852 |
| 27 | CA | Milpitas | 84,196 | $3,497 | $3,432 | 1.87% | $64 |
| 28 | NY | New Rochelle | 78,557 | $3,495 | $2,440 | 43.24% | $1,055 |
| 29 | NY | White Plains | 58,109 | $3,491 | $3,117 | 12.01% | $374 |
| 30 | CA | Petaluma | 60,520 | $3,407 | $2,923 | 16.58% | $484 |
| 31 | CA | Camarillo | 69,888 | $3,380 | $4,145 | -18.45% | $(765) |
| 32 | CA | Irvine | 287,401 | $3,373 | $3,567 | -5.44% | $(194) |
| 33 | CT | Stamford | 129,638 | $3,353 | $2,515 | 33.32% | $838 |
| 34 | CA | Union City | 74,107 | $3,321 | $2,837 | 17.07% | $484 |
| 35 | CA | Redlands | 71,513 | $3,187 | $2,316 | 37.60% | $871 |
| 36 | CA | Costa Mesa | 113,003 | $3,170 | $3,000 | 5.67% | $170 |
| 37 | RI | Providence | 179,883 | $3,167 | $3,135 | 1.03% | $32 |
| 38 | CA | Burbank | 102,511 | $3,129 | $3,043 | 2.81% | $86 |
| 39 | CA | Oxnard | 208,881 | $3,121 | $2,877 | 8.48% | $244 |
| 40 | CA | Fountain Valley | 55,357 | $3,056 | $2,687 | 13.72% | $369 |
| 41 | CA | Lake Forest | 85,531 | $3,053 | $2,287 | 33.54% | $767 |
| 42 | CA | Palm Desert | 53,275 | $3,020 | $2,906 | 3.92% | $114 |
| 43 | CA | Corona | 169,868 | $3,012 | $3,665 | -17.80% | $(652) |
| 44 | FL | Doral | 65,741 | $3,006 | $2,645 | 13.66% | $361 |
| 45 | CA | Tustin | 79,348 | $2,992 | $2,511 | 19.16% | $481 |
| 46 | CA | Santa Ana | 332,318 | $2,988 | $3,040 | -1.70% | $(52) |
| 47 | CA | Huntington Beach | 199,223 | $2,961 | $2,693 | 9.96% | $268 |
| 48 | NY | Yonkers | 200,370 | $2,961 | $2,671 | 10.85% | $290 |
| 49 | WA | Everett | 111,475 | $2,960 | $1,674 | 76.81% | $1,286 |
| 50 | FL | Boca Raton | 99,805 | $2,949 | $2,706 | 8.97% | $243 |
| 51 | IL | Chicago | 2,693,976 | $2,947 | $2,633 | 11.95% | $315 |
| 52 | OR | Hillsboro | 109,128 | $2,936 | $2,169 | 35.38% | $767 |
| 53 | WA | Renton | 101,751 | $2,936 | $2,415 | 21.61% | $522 |
| 54 | MA | Quincy | 94,470 | $2,931 | $2,565 | 14.27% | $366 |
| 55 | CA | Mission Viejo | 94,381 | $2,919 | $2,658 | 9.81% | $261 |
| 56 | CA | Folsom | 81,328 | $2,878 | $2,457 | 17.15% | $421 |
| 57 | CA | Ontario | 185,010 | $2,878 | $2,633 | 9.31% | $245 |
| 58 | FL | Weston | 71,166 | $2,852 | $1,950 | 46.32% | $903 |
| 59 | CA | Chino Hills | 83,853 | $2,841 | $2,609 | 8.91% | $232 |
| 60 | DC | Washington | 705,749 | $2,830 | $2,542 | 11.31% | $288 |
| 61 | CA | Rancho Cucamonga | 177,603 | $2,826 | $3,000 | -5.80% | $(174) |
| 62 | CO | Westminster | 113,166 | $2,780 | $2,351 | 18.26% | $429 |
| 63 | CO | Denver | 727,211 | $2,763 | $2,546 | 8.51% | $217 |
| 64 | CA | Moreno Valley | 213,055 | $2,732 | $1,914 | 42.71% | $818 |
| 65 | FL | Sarasota | 58,285 | $2,721 | $2,143 | 27.00% | $578 |
| 66 | CA | Murrieta | 116,223 | $2,700 | $1,968 | 37.18% | $732 |
| 67 | CA | Temecula | 114,761 | $2,695 | $1,848 | 45.85% | $847 |
| 68 | FL | Palm Beach Gardens | 57,704 | $2,665 | $2,132 | 25.04% | $534 |
| 69 | MA | Weymouth | 57,746 | $2,642 | $2,449 | 7.91% | $194 |
| 70 | MD | Annapolis | 39,223 | $2,640 | $2,031 | 30.00% | $609 |
| 71 | CA | Sacramento | 513,624 | $2,631 | $2,305 | 14.16% | $326 |
| 72 | FL | Pembroke Pines | 173,591 | $2,616 | $2,400 | 8.99% | $216 |
| 73 | CA | Glendora | 51,544 | $2,575 | $3,294 | -21.84% | $(719) |
| 74 | CA | Walnut Creek | 70,166 | $2,572 | $2,867 | -10.28% | $(295) |
| 75 | VA | Alexandria | 159,428 | $2,567 | $2,052 | 25.05% | $514 |
| 76 | CA | Rancho Cordova | 75,087 | $2,558 | $1,824 | 40.25% | $734 |
| 77 | OR | Portland | 654,741 | $2,529 | $2,220 | 13.91% | $309 |
| 78 | CA | Upland | 77,140 | $2,517 | $2,316 | 8.67% | $201 |
| 79 | FL | Miami | 467,963 | $2,507 | $2,920 | -14.14% | $(413) |
| 80 | GA | Brookhaven | 55,554 | $2,502 | $2,455 | 1.92% | $47 |
| 81 | CA | Rocklin | 68,823 | $2,497 | $2,722 | -8.26% | $(225) |
| 82 | FL | Boynton Beach | 78,679 | $2,480 | $2,366 | 4.84% | $115 |
| 83 | MD | Rockville | 68,079 | $2,464 | $2,272 | 8.48% | $193 |
| 84 | AZ | Scottsdale | 258,069 | $2,440 | $2,571 | -5.10% | $(131) |
| 85 | FL | Coral Springs | 133,759 | $2,423 | $1,997 | 21.35% | $426 |
| 86 | TX | Frisco | 200,490 | $2,417 | $2,061 | 17.30% | $356 |
| 87 | WA | Kent | 132,319 | $2,397 | $2,164 | 10.73% | $232 |
| 88 | TN | Nashville | 670,820 | $2,370 | $2,505 | -5.40% | $(135) |
| 89 | FL | Bonita Springs | 59,637 | $2,358 | $2,175 | 8.42% | $183 |
| 90 | NH | Manchester | 112,673 | $2,356 | $1,607 | 46.57% | $748 |
| 91 | PA | Philadelphia | 1,584,064 | $2,347 | $2,099 | 11.79% | $248 |
| 92 | FL | Fort Lauderdale | 182,437 | $2,302 | $3,751 | -38.65% | $(1,450) |
| 93 | MN | Woodbury | 72,828 | $2,293 | $2,046 | 12.10% | $247 |
| 94 | FL | Orlando | 287,442 | $2,289 | $2,385 | -4.00% | $(95) |
| 95 | FL | Melbourne | 83,029 | $2,284 | $1,829 | 24.93% | $456 |
| 96 | PA | Allentown | 121,442 | $2,267 | $2,067 | 9.64% | $199 |
| 97 | AZ | Gilbert | 254,114 | $2,260 | $1,942 | 16.38% | $318 |
| 98 | IN | Carmel | 101,068 | $2,252 | $1,680 | 34.03% | $572 |
| 99 | ID | Boise | 228,959 | $2,217 | $2,055 | 7.90% | $162 |
| 100 | GA | Atlanta | 506,811 | $2,215 | $1,899 | 16.62% | $316 |
Methodology
Rental data was pulled from Rent.’s multifamily advertiser rental property inventory for one- and two-bedroom units over July 2022 and July 2021. A single measure of price for all unit types per time period was calculated using a weighted average based on the number of available units. All cities with populations under 50,000, price shifts outside a standard deviation or insufficient inventory at either the one- or two-bedroom level were excluded.
The U.S. Census divides the country into four geographic regions: Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont); Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin); South (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, District of Columbia and West Virginia) and West (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, Utah, Washington and Wyoming).
The rent information included in this article is used for illustrative purposes only. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.
