Cities with the Highest Rents in America

Top 100 metro areas ranked by rent price index (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 data — rents component)

The rent component of BEA's Regional Price Parities measures housing rental prices relative to the U.S. national average (100). This ranking isolates rents from goods and services to surface metros where housing pressure is the dominant cost driver. The top of the list — Honolulu, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk — typically prices 60-80% above the national rent average, while the bottom of the metro list (rural Midwestern and Appalachian metros) sits 30-40% below.

BEA computes the rent index from American Community Survey rent observations, blended across all unit types. This means the index reflects an average rent — your specific 2-bedroom apartment may sit higher or lower than the BEA blend depending on local segmentation. For a federal benchmark sized to your unit, cross-reference HUD Fair Market Rent tables, which publish 40th-percentile rents by metro and bedroom count annually. Use the salary equivalent calculator to convert this rent context into a salary delta when evaluating relocation offers.

Most Expensive Cheapest Highest Rents

#	Metro	Rents	Overall	Goods	Services
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	211.9	110.4	105.2	156.7
2	Napa, CA	197.4	112.6	105.2	156.5
3	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	194.7	115.6	108.5	172.6
4	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	179.3	111.9	108.0	174.2
5	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	171.1	110.5	105.2	152.9
6	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	170.4	113.6	106.6	158.6
7	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	164.3	109.9	105.2	152.7
8	Boulder, CO	157.0	105.2	96.1	82.7
9	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	155.6	114.2	103.6	97.2
10	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	151.4	108.8	105.2	149.8
11	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	151.3	111.1	104.0	92.8
12	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	151.1	108.9	104.8	106.7
13	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area	150.5	106.9	97.3	147.1
14	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	148.6	112.6	110.3	127.0
15	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	148.4	108.3	99.7	148.8
16	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	146.9	105.8	101.0	87.9
17	Salinas, CA	145.7	109.0	105.2	154.2
18	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	144.4	108.6	105.2	147.8
19	Vallejo, CA	142.0	108.5	105.2	155.0
20	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	139.6	107.8	105.2	154.8
21	Bozeman, MT	139.2	102.5	96.0	73.6
22	Urban Honolulu, HI	135.5	111.0	111.6	187.3
23	Trenton-Princeton, NJ	135.1	103.2	99.8	112.3
24	Manchester-Nashua, NH	134.2	105.7	97.7	133.5
25	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	130.2	106.7	105.2	151.3
26	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	129.6	105.6	105.0	92.0
27	Naples-Marco Island, FL	129.4	103.2	96.2	87.8
28	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	129.3	106.4	101.4	148.6
29	Ithaca, NY	128.4	103.3	99.7	131.6
30	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	128.0	102.4	96.2	88.2
31	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	125.8	100.9	95.5	88.5
32	Ann Arbor, MI	125.3	100.9	93.7	98.2
33	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	125.1	105.4	105.2	107.0
34	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	125.1	102.3	96.2	86.9
35	New Haven, CT	124.3	104.6	97.3	144.8
36	Reno, NV	123.5	101.0	96.3	89.3
37	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	123.4	101.4	96.2	87.2
38	Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	123.3	100.9	96.4	79.0
39	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	121.2	103.3	95.0	93.3
40	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	120.6	101.1	96.1	82.2
41	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	120.4	98.1	93.8	82.0
42	Charleston-North Charleston, SC	119.8	101.0	96.3	88.2
43	Kahului-Wailuku, HI	119.2	109.4	111.6	190.6
44	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	118.2	104.5	102.4	110.2
45	Ogden, UT	117.9	100.3	96.4	78.8
46	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	117.9	103.1	102.8	90.7
47	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	116.7	103.7	105.0	91.7
48	Colorado Springs, CO	116.2	100.7	96.1	83.2
49	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	115.8	109.4	110.3	136.8
50	Stockton-Lodi, CA	115.6	105.1	105.2	158.2
51	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	115.5	100.2	96.3	90.6
52	Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	115.0	103.9	105.0	100.6
53	Corvallis, OR	114.4	104.0	105.3	108.6
54	Port St. Lucie, FL	113.6	100.2	96.2	87.0
55	Punta Gorda, FL	113.3	100.5	96.2	87.3
56	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	113.1	102.6	96.8	114.4
57	Worcester, MA	113.0	102.5	97.0	155.2
58	Bellingham, WA	112.9	103.3	105.0	99.9
59	Greeley, CO	112.6	100.2	96.1	82.0
60	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	112.0	103.6	107.3	83.6
61	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	111.8	104.8	103.1	93.5
62	Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	111.7	100.0	96.2	88.1
63	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	111.0	100.1	100.4	96.2
64	Salem, OR	110.3	103.6	105.3	104.7
65	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	110.2	102.7	97.3	144.9
66	Kingston, NY	110.2	100.7	99.7	133.6
67	Bend, OR	110.0	103.6	105.3	105.0
68	Anchorage, AK	109.9	105.4	107.3	111.8
69	Jacksonville, FL	109.8	99.5	96.2	87.5
70	Flagstaff, AZ	109.0	100.3	96.2	93.8
71	Modesto, CA	108.5	104.1	105.2	152.3
72	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	108.4	99.4	96.2	87.6
73	Yuba City, CA	108.3	104.2	105.2	160.8
74	Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	108.2	102.4	105.0	96.0
75	Santa Fe, NM	108.0	98.8	96.1	76.7
76	Charlottesville, VA	107.0	99.1	96.8	89.0
77	Coeur d'Alene, ID	105.6	98.3	96.2	70.8
78	Boise City, ID	105.6	98.4	96.2	70.7
79	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	105.5	100.0	100.6	107.6
80	Portland-South Portland, ME	105.2	101.9	97.2	134.6
81	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	104.6	96.3	96.2	72.0
82	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	104.5	98.6	100.6	95.3
83	Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT	104.1	98.2	96.4	78.6
84	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	103.9	101.8	97.1	148.8
85	Burlington-South Burlington, VT	103.8	100.9	97.3	125.5
86	Lexington Park, MD	103.8	100.8	99.7	106.4
87	Raleigh-Cary, NC	103.5	98.2	96.6	89.0
88	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	102.6	99.6	99.7	134.0
89	Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL	101.6	98.3	96.2	87.3
90	Midland, TX	101.5	95.8	93.8	83.2
91	Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC	101.2	98.0	96.3	88.1
92	Carson City, NV	101.2	98.1	96.3	92.7
93	Albany, OR	101.1	102.1	105.3	104.8
94	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	99.8	97.9	96.8	89.6
95	Madison, WI	99.7	97.3	93.8	89.8
96	Richmond, VA	99.1	97.9	96.8	89.2
97	Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	98.9	97.6	96.6	89.3
98	Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ	98.8	98.3	96.2	91.5
99	Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	98.8	97.7	96.2	88.5
100	Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	98.7	98.9	99.8	109.2

About This Ranking

The rent component of the Regional Price Parity (RPP) measures relative rent levels across U.S. metro areas. A value of 100 equals the national average. Cities above 100 have higher rents; below 100, lower rents. This ranking shows the 100 metros with the highest rent index, where housing costs are most elevated relative to the rest of the country.

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area Index where national average = 100

Reviewed byPlaincost Editorial, Cost Of Living Editorial Team · June 5, 2026