These southern US cities are the best for renters: Report

A new study has found that a handful of American metros offer renters a significantly higher quality of life.

According to RentCafe’s “Best Cities for Renters to Live in 2024” report, out earlier this month, a number of Sun Belt cities are measurably better for tenants.

Charleston, South Carolina has, for the second consecutive year, gotten the gold in this regard — followed by Atlanta and, in third place, Sarasota, Florida.

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To determine the winners of its annual best city analysis, RentCafe considered 150 US cities based on 20 metrics that fall into three categories: Cost of living and housing (average apartment size, occupancy rate, share of new apartments, etc.); local economy (unemployment rate, job growth); and quality of life (average air quality, average school quality).

The South outshined all other regions overall, offering “options that cater to nearly every renter’s preference,” the report stated.

Charleston in particular offers a cost of living below the national average, abundant career opportunities and a booming tourism industry.

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If looking specifically at the western US, the cities of Scottsdale and nearby Gilbert, Arizona; Boise, Idaho; and Denver Colorado took the cake for best urban hubs in the area. Thriving local economies, and reasonable costs of living and housing, helped these areas stand out.

For the Midwest, Rochester Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Minneapolis came out on top.

In the northeast, many cities ranked near the bottom of RentCafe’s list, with Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City close to dead last in overall rank thanks to their high occupancy rates, small apartment sizes and exorbitant costs of living. (Newark, New Jersey took home the official title of dead last.)

Stamford, Connecticut and Boston, meanwhile, didn’t fare so badly, coming in 10th and 11th respectively and notably boasting “large shares of apartments in prime locations, offering renters the advantage of picturesque surroundings,” RentCafe noted.

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