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Rankings · Most Expensive Rent by City straight from the tape

San Francisco, California Has the Most Expensive Rent of Any Big City in America (2026)

Most Expensive Rent by City, read from the other end of our cheapest rent by city list. Same readings, same sources, 107 cities, the 100 largest metro areas and every city we cover.

By The Honest Local · 107 cities · every value links to its public source
$4,682San Francisco, California leads with the highest rent of 107 big citiesThe typical monthly rent, straight from the tape.
best neighborhoods in san francisco, moving to san francisco
San Francisco, California, No. 1 highest of 107.
The top five cities a month

Most Expensive Rent by City on the map

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What a typical rental costs each month, cheapest first.

Most Expensive Rent by City, all 107

The full ranking a month
Placea month
1San Francisco, Californiabig city$4,682
2New York, New Yorkbig city$4,154
3San Jose, Californiabig city$3,563
4Boston, Massachusettsbig city$3,338
5San Diego, Californiabig city$3,036
6Miami, Floridabig city$3,008
7Oxnard, California$2,864
8Los Angeles, Californiabig city$2,778
9Honolulu, Hawaiibig city$2,733
10Riverside, Californiabig city$2,444
11Washington DC, Washington, DCbig city$2,433
12Portland, Maine$2,419
13Chicago, Illinoisbig city$2,342
14Charleston, South Carolina$2,312
15Seattle, Washingtonbig city$2,234
16Providence, Rhode Island$2,213
17Sarasota, Florida$2,175
18Worcester, Massachusetts$2,130
19Virginia Beach, Virginiabig city$2,086
20Sacramento, Californiabig city$2,056
21New Haven, Connecticut$2,015
22Stockton, Californiabig city$2,010
23Bridgeport, Connecticut$1,990
24Reno, Nevadabig city$1,967
25Tampa, Floridabig city$1,957
26Cape Coral, Florida$1,949
27Atlanta, Georgiabig city$1,944
28Fresno, Californiabig city$1,941
29Orlando, Floridabig city$1,896
30Boise, Idaho$1,885
31Denver, Coloradobig city$1,881
32Bakersfield, Californiabig city$1,858
33Poughkeepsie, New York$1,842
34Nashville, Tennesseebig city$1,834
35Vancouver, Washington$1,828
36Melbourne, Florida$1,823
37Baltimore, Marylandbig city$1,802
38Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniabig city$1,768
39Savannah, Georgia$1,757
40Charlotte, NCbig city$1,744
41Colorado Springs, Coloradobig city$1,740
42Portland, Oregonbig city$1,732
43Lakeland, Florida$1,722
44Knoxville, Tennessee$1,712
45Las Vegas, Nevadabig city$1,712
46Allentown, Pennsylvania$1,710
47Asheville, North Carolina$1,704
48Minneapolis, Minnesotabig city$1,682
49Durham, North Carolinabig city$1,659
50Richmond, Virginia$1,648
51New Orleans, Louisianabig city$1,637
52Albany, New York$1,631
53Madison, Wisconsinbig city$1,616
54Fayetteville, Arkansas$1,612
55Salt Lake City, Utah$1,603
56Provo, Utah$1,602
57Jacksonville, Floridabig city$1,601
58Jacksonville, Floridabig city$1,601
59Hartford, Connecticut$1,600
60Dallas, Texasbig city$1,591
61Austin, Texasbig city$1,586
62Grand Rapids, Michigan$1,580
63Raleigh, North Carolinabig city$1,577
64Phoenix, Arizonabig city$1,574
65Greenville, SC$1,572
66Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniabig city$1,545
67Houston, Texasbig city$1,542
68Syracuse, New York$1,541
69Daytona Beach, Florida$1,533
70El Paso, Texasbig city$1,519
71Chattanooga, Tennessee$1,513
72Winston-Salem, North Carolinabig city$1,507
73Spokane, Washington$1,507
74Columbia, South Carolina$1,479
75Milwaukee, Wisconsinbig city$1,477
76Rochester, New York$1,476
77Albuquerque, New Mexicobig city$1,455
78Columbus, Ohiobig city$1,450
79St. Louis, Missouribig city$1,443
80Kansas City, Missouribig city$1,428
81Tucson, Arizonabig city$1,425
82Buffalo, New Yorkbig city$1,425
83Cincinnati, Ohiobig city$1,414
84Omaha, Nebraskabig city$1,414
85Greensboro, North Carolinabig city$1,392
86Cleveland, Ohiobig city$1,391
87Indianapolis, Indianabig city$1,389
88San Antonio, Texasbig city$1,386
89Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$1,369
90Augusta, Georgia$1,369
91Louisville, Kentuckybig city$1,353
92Detroit, Michiganbig city$1,341
93Baton Rouge, Louisiana$1,333
94Huntsville, AL$1,330
95Birmingham, Alabama$1,322
96Ogden, Utah$1,305
97Tulsa, Oklahomabig city$1,287
98McAllen, Texas$1,283
99Oklahoma City, Oklahomabig city$1,282
100Jackson, Mississippi$1,265
101Dayton, Ohio$1,251
102Memphis, Tennesseebig city$1,232
103Little Rock, Arkansas$1,212
104Akron, Ohio$1,167
105Wichita, Kansasbig city$1,158
106Toledo, Ohiobig city$1,128
107Des Moines, Iowa$1,126
Sources and method
  1. Zillow Observed Rent Index · 2026-08

How we got this. Typical rent is Zillow's Observed Rent Index for each city's metro area, refreshed monthly. Cities rank from cheapest to priciest. Zillow doesn't publish a state rent index, so there's no state list here, and we won't fake one by handing a whole state one city's number. It refreshes monthly, when Zillow publishes.

Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.

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