The US cities with the most affordable rent in 2026

Bismarck, North Dakota, is the most affordable US city in 2026, per a WalletHub report. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock 2026-04-18T14:24:01.242Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. While some markets are seeing cooling prices, rent in some areas continues to rise. WalletHub ranked 182 cities across the US by how affordable rents are relative to median income. Bismarck, North Dakota, ranked first, with 15% of the median income going toward rent. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. Why is Bismarck top for affordable rent? How do rent costs vary across US cities? How does rent impact cost of living? What factors influence rent affordability? What is WalletHub's ranking methodology? Not every city is built the same, and that's also true of rental markets.While some cities are seeing cooling rents and more affordable housing efforts, rent prices in others continue to rise. A recent WalletHub study ranked 182 US cities, including the 150 most populous cities in the country and at least two of the most populous in each state, by how much renters spend on rent, on average.To calculate the share of income spent on rent, WalletHub used US Census Bureau data on median annual gross rent and median household income for each surveyed city."A general rule of thumb is that rent should not exceed 30% of the median income," Maggie Rong Hu, an assistant professor of real estate at Baruch College in New York, said in the study. "This ensures that renters can comfortably afford their housing without sacrificing other essential living expenses." On average, people living in the 31 cities listed below spend about 18.5% of their income on rent, lower than the 23.46% across all measured cities.In the most expensive cities in the study, including Miami, Detroit, and Newark, renters can spend up to 33.8% of their income on rent.See the most affordable cities for renters across the US in 2026. 30. (Tie) Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky The central Kentucky city of Lexington-Fayette is famous for horses and bourbon country.

Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 20.10% 30. (Tie) South Burlington, Vermont South Burlington is a city next to Burlington and Lake Champlain. vermontalm/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 20.10% 29. Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is a city next to Norfolk, Virginia. trekandshoot/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.96% 28. Amarillo, Texas The Panhandle city of Amarillo is known for cattle country and wide-open plains.

Dani California Dreamin/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.88% 27. Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is a center for insurance and finance. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.84% 26.

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City is Oklahoma's capital and one of the biggest cities in the Southern Plains. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.75% 25. Plano, Texas Plano is a corporate-heavy suburb just north of Dallas. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.68% 24. Seattle Seattle is known for tech, trade, and water views. SCStock/Getty Images Income spent on rent: 19.67% 23.

West Valley City, Utah West Valley City is a suburb of Salt Lake City in northern Utah. Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.57% 22. Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne, a northeast Indiana city, has strong manufacturing roots. Nicholas J Klein/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.52% 21. Omaha, Nebraska Omaha is Nebraska's largest city and a major business center. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.46% 20. Fremont, California A Bay Area city in the heart of Silicon Valley's orbit, Fremont is America's happiest city. NorCalStockMedia/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.39% 19. Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is a western Arkansas city with deep frontier history. Jonathan C Wear/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.35% 18. Laredo, Texas Laredo is a major border city and trade gateway to Mexico. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.34% 17. Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville, a city in north Alabama, is known for aerospace and engineering. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.81% 16. Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City is a gateway to the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.78% 15. Columbia, Maryland Columbia is a planned community between Baltimore and Washington.

Gyro Captain Drone Photos/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.64% 14. Billings, Montana Billings is Montana's largest city and a commercial hub for the region. trekandshoot/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.53% 13. Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick is a coastal city near Providence and T.F. Green Airport. Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.44% 12. Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is Nebraska's capital and home to the University of Nebraska. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.13% 11. Wichita, Kansas Wichita is Kansas' largest city. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.11% 10. Overland Park, Kansas The large Kansas City suburb is known for family neighborhoods and being one of America's happiest cities. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.34% 9. Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage is Alaska's largest city and a major transportation hub. TripWalkers/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.30% 8. Casper, Wyoming A central Wyoming city, Casper, has roots in the energy industry. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.24% 7. Juneau, Alaska Framed by mountains and water, Juneau is Alaska's capital. Alexandre.ROSA/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.04% 6. Cheyenne, Wyoming Wyoming's capital, Cheyenne, is a longtime railroad city. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.02% 5. Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is a fast-growing city in North Dakota near the Minnesota border. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.94% 4. Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is West Virginia's capital, set along the Kanawha River. Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.56% 3. Cedar Rapids, Iowa The eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids is shaped by manufacturing and food processing. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.48% 2. Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls is South Dakota's biggest city. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.35% 1. Bismarck, North Dakota North Dakota's capital is located on the Missouri River. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 15.29%