The Most Expensive Zip Codes for Renters in 2017 – Mapped

Nadia Balint - July 21, 2017

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Updated May 2018

If you’re moving and looking to rent an apartment, you’ll want to compare rent prices in and around your area, whether you’re in Los Angeles, Houston, or Philadelphia. No matter if you’re on the West Coast, the East Coast or somewhere in between, here are this year’s most expensive and least expensive rents in the country, by zip code. We collected apartment rent averages for every state and every zip code in 125 major U.S. markets from apartment intelligence company Yardi Matrix.

Can you guess where are the most expensive rents in the U.S.?

The poster child for expensive housing, Manhattan boasts the highest apartment rents in the country, taking 8 out of the top 10 spots. San Francisco’s 94129 and 94105 zip codes take the #4 and #9 spots. Here are the top 20 most expensive zip codes for renters in the nation:

#	ZIP Code	City	State	Total No. of Units	Average Rent
1	10282	Manhattan	NY	1654	$5,924
2	10065	Manhattan	NY	2180	$4,898
3	10023	Manhattan	NY	3940	$4,892
4	94129	San Francisco	CA	1120	$4,762
5	10025	Manhattan	NY	2968	$4,535
6	10024	Manhattan	NY	1606	$4,525
7	10002	Manhattan	NY	648	$4,441
8	10013	Manhattan	NY	731	$4,422
9	94105	San Francisco	CA	2430	$4,380
10	10036	Manhattan	NY	5340	$4,375
11	10001	Manhattan	NY	4307	$4,373
12	02199	Boston	MA	888	$4,227
13	10003	Manhattan	NY	2384	$4,178
14	10010	Manhattan	NY	3036	$4,166
15	10022	Manhattan	NY		$4,097
16	94158	San Francisco	CA	1609	$4,070
17	10028	Manhattan	NY	2631	$4,014
18	10014	Manhattan	NY	867	$4,010
19	10011	Manhattan	NY	2678	$4,006
20	10128	Manhattan	NY	2786	$3,977
20	10069	Manhattan	NY	1536	$3,965

Table by RentCafe.

The top award for “most outrageous rent prices” this year goes to New York City‘s 10282 (Battery Park City), where rent costs on average almost $6,000/month. The affluent lower Manhattan neighborhood is an excellent choice if you’re a Financial District or Wall Street professional and love waterfront residences, green spaces, and quiet streets in the heart of the city.

The second location of choice for wealthy renters is 10065 (Upper East Side), where rental apartments go for $4,898/month, on average. You’ll find the third most expensive apartments in zip code 10023 (Upper West Side), renting for a hefty average of $4,892/month.

What are the best locations to find cheap rent?

If you’re looking to trade off the pricey big city life for as little rent as possible, then you may want to consider moving to Wichita, Kansas. Zip codes 67213 and 67211, both located in Wichita, have average rent prices starting around $400/month. Why would you move to Kansas? You might be interested in getting an aircraft manufacturing job or are just attracted by the idea that a month of rent in Manhattan will get you a year worth of rent here. There’s also Decatur, Alabama, where you’ll find apartments for $458/month on average. In fact, there are 10 zip codes with rents under $500/month to choose from.

Want to pay less than half the national average monthly rent? Here’s a list of U.S. zip codes with rents under $600/month:

#	ZIP Code	City	State	Average Rent	Tiotal number of units	Number of Properties
1	67213	Wichita	KS	$407	383	3
2	67211	Wichita	KS	$454	617	6
3	35601	Decatur	AL	$458	1,299	10
4	38106	Memphis	TN	$464	336	3
5	67204	Wichita	KS	$475	511	3
6	31903	Columbus	GA	$482	498	6
7	38127	Memphis	TN	$487	1,325	11
8	67218	Wichita	KS	$490	1,241	11
9	38114	Memphis	TN	$494	1,477	10
10	46809	Fort Wayne	IN	$495	772	5
11	35810	Huntsville	AL	$503	422	4
12	37777	Louisville	TN	$507	913	6
13	72076	Gravel Ridge	AR	$508	968	11
14	67210	Wichita	KS	$508	507	5
15	72301	West Memphis	AR	$509	1,345	12
16	35611	Athens	AL	$510	711	6
17	43611	Toledo	OH	$518	327	4
18	67217	Wichita	KS	$522	1,283	7
19	43616	Oregon	OH	$522	1,079	7
20	43609	Toledo	OH	$524	651	4
21	46816	Fort Wayne	IN	$524	2,112	8
22	43612	Toledo	OH	$526	886	8
23	40215	Louisville	KY	$527	607	3
24	35805	Huntsville	AL	$530	2,108	15
25	63137	St. Louis	MO	$530	709	8
26	46550	Nappanee	IN	$531	233	4
27	48420	Clio	MI	$538	664	5
28	46201	Indianapolis	IN	$540	208	3
29	72209	Little Rock	AR	$544	2,595	15
30	67501	Hutchinson	KS	$544	217	3
31	43620	Toledo	OH	$545	307	3
32	89703	Carson City	NV	$547	342	3
33	72118	North Little Rock	AR	$548	836	5
34	38118	Memphis	TN	$548	4,572	20
35	45414	Dayton	OH	$549	521	4
36	73109	Oklahoma City	OK	$549	803	7
37	29646	Greenwood	SC	$549	516	5
38	74116	Tulsa	OK	$549	579	3
39	43613	Toledo	OH	$550	1,274	10
40	67203	Wichita	KS	$551	2,967	19
41	32209	Jacksonville	FL	$553	354	3
42	44111	Cleveland	OH	$557	820	5
43	48458	Mount Morris	MI	$557	430	3
44	46805	Fort Wayne	IN	$560	951	5
45	67216	Wichita	KS	$560	948	5
46	45225	Cincinnati	OH	$561	531	5
47	32310	Tallahassee	FL	$561	405	5
48	45232	Cincinnati	OH	$562	566	3
49	38109	Memphis	TN	$562	648	4
50	73107	Oklahoma City	OK	$562	743	7
51	38116	Memphis	TN	$563	6,460	28
52	74129	Tulsa	OK	$564	1,788	10
53	73036	El Reno	OK	$564	337	3
54	53208	Milwaukee	WI	$564	449	6
55	35603	Decatur	AL	$566	1,470	11
56	31204	Macon	GA	$566	971	11
57	64050	Independence	MO	$567	639	5
58	49107	Buchanan	MI	$568	535	5
59	27105	Winston-Salem	NC	$569	2,314	14
60	73127	Oklahoma City	OK	$570	3,252	25
61	44110	Cleveland	OH	$571	676	5
62	46563	Plymouth	IN	$573	232	3
63	46235	Indianapolis	IN	$573	2,884	10
64	15227	Brentwood	PA	$573	1,491	7
65	45205	Cincinnati	OH	$574	605	5
66	48234	Detroit	MI	$574	610	3
67	68104	Omaha	NE	$574	407	3
68	35020	Bessemer	AL	$575	419	3
69	48228	Detroit	MI	$576	940	6
70	44109	Cleveland	OH	$576	685	5
71	38122	Memphis	TN	$577	653	5
72	31093	Warner Robins	GA	$577	1,686	14
73	74112	Tulsa	OK	$578	614	5
74	40160	Radcliff	KY	$578	752	6
75	43223	Columbus	OH	$578	956	9
76	48503	Flint	MI	$579	1,010	8
77	74146	Tulsa	OK	$581	2,469	11
78	31206	Macon	GA	$582	973	10
79	85714	Tucson	AZ	$583	1,050	7
80	45377	Vandalia	OH	$584	352	3
81	63111	St. Louis	MO	$584	623	4
82	73119	Oklahoma City	OK	$584	1,522	10
83	73018	Chickasha	OK	$585	282	3
84	44052	Lorain	OH	$585	232	4
85	38128	Memphis	TN	$585	4,504	22
86	76541	Killeen	TX	$585	1,739	13
87	85019	Phoenix	AZ	$585	2,135	12
88	63069	Pacific	MO	$587	315	3
89	31211	Macon	GA	$587	1,556	11
90	98902	Yakima	WA	$589	361	5
91	73115	Del City	OK	$590	728	7
92	37803	Maryville	TN	$591	241	3
93	44053	Lorain	OH	$592	1,317	11
94	36619	Mobile	AL	$592	336	3
95	35769	Scottsboro	AL	$592	276	3
96	70805	Baton Rouge	LA	$592	576	5
97	74136	Tulsa	OK	$593	7,408	31
98	30906	Augusta	GA	$593	1,738	17
99	45505	Springfield	OH	$594	390	5
100	79336	Levelland	TX	$594	298	3
101	48507	Flint	MI	$595	1,551	9
102	74006	Bartlesville	OK	$596	670	6
103	66102	Kansas City	KS	$596	1,033	11
104	67207	Wichita	KS	$596	3,599	22
105	63136	Ferguson	MO	$597	2,299	13
106	40505	Lexington	KY	$597	1,230	11
107	78520	Brownsville	TX	$597	716	8
108	46218	Indianapolis	IN	$599	521	5
109	73122	Oklahoma City	OK	$599	1,530	12
110	72019	Benton	AR	$599	516	3

Table by RentCafe.

Other cities of note are Memphis, TN; Columbus, GA; Fort Wayne, IN; Huntsville, AL; Louisville, TN; West Memphis, AR; Athens, AL; Toledo, OH; Oregon, OH; St. Louis, MO; Nappanee, IN; Clio, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Little Rock, AR; Hutchinson, KS; Carson City, NV; Dayton, OH; Greenwood, SC; Tulsa, OK; Jacksonville, FL; Cleveland, OH; Mount Morris, MI; Cincinnati, OH; Tallahassee, FL; Oklahoma City, OK; El Reno, OK; Milwaukee, WI; Macon, GA; Independence, MO; Buchanan, MI; Brentwood, PA; Omaha, NE; Detroit, MI; Bessemer, AL; Radcliff, KY; Flint, MI; Tucson, AZ; Vandalia, OH; Lorain, OH; Killeen, TX; Phoenix, AZ; Pacific, MO; Yakima, WA; Del City, OK; Mobile, AL and Scottsboro, AL.

Methodology:

This study uses the actual rent charged in apartment buildings with 50 or more rental units, located in 125 U.S. markets, totaling approximately 15 million apartment units.
Zip codes with less than 200 rental units and less than 3 properties were not included in the study.
Average rent prices are as of March 2017.
Rent data provided by our sister company Yardi Matrix, a business development and asset management tool for brokers, sponsors, banks and equity sources underwriting investments in the multifamily, office, industrial and self-storage sectors. For more information, visit https://www.yardimatrix.com/.

Fair use and redistribution

We encourage you and freely grant you permission to reuse, host, or repost the images in this article. When doing so, we only ask that you kindly attribute the authors by linking to RentCafe.com or this page, so that your readers can learn more about this project, the research behind it and its methodology. For more in-depth, customized data, please contact us at media@rentcafe.com.

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Nadia Balint

Nadia Balint is a senior creative writer for RENTCafé. She covers news and trends in residential and commercial real estate and their impact on our everyday life, including rental housing, for-sale housing, real estate development, homeownership, market reports, insurance, landlord-tenant laws, personal finance, urban development, economy, sustainability, and social issues. Nadia holds a B.S. in Business Management from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. You can connect with Nadia via email.

Nadia’s work and expertise have been quoted by major national and local media outlets, including CNN, CNBC, CBS News, Curbed, The NY Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post as well as industry publications, such as GlobeSt, Bisnow, Inman News, Multifamily Executive, and The Commercial Real Estate Show. Nadia also wrote for Multi-Housing News, Commercial Property Executive, HubSpot, and more. Prior to entering the real estate industry, Nadia worked in the legal field, where she gained over 10 years of experience in business, corporate, and real estate law.