Wichita is the most affordable U.S. city for a single person to rent an apartment, an analysis of 1.2 million studio apartment listings has concluded.
The RentHop Singles Index ranks cities based on the median cost of a studio apartment relative to the average salary of single people who live there.
Researchers for the apartment rental service determined that single Wichitans spend less of their annual income on rent than their counterparts in any of the nation’s 50 largest cities.
Wichita renters make $44,028 a year on average and spend $500 on rent each month — accounting for 13.6% of the average annual income, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and an analysis of RentHop’s 2020 and 2021 listings for the city.
Columbus, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City and Tulsa round out the top five most affordable cities for single renters.
Kansas City slotted in seventh of 50 on the list of affordable cities. The median income for a single Kansas City resident is $53,146, and $791 in monthly rent comes out to 17.9% of their income.
On the flip side, Miami, New York, New Orleans, Raleigh and Boston were deemed the least affordable cities to rent. In Miami, single residents spend $1,800 a month on rent, accounting for 37.2% of the median annual income.
Most-affordable cities for a studio apartment
Wichita, KS
Columbus, OH
Albuquerque, NM
Oklahoma City, OK
Tulsa, OK
Minneapolis, MN
Kansas City, MO
Seattle, WA
El Paso, TX
Arlington, TX
Least-affordable cities for a studio apartment
Miami, FL
New York, NY
New Orleans, LA
Raleigh, NC
Boston, MA
Detroit, MI
Philadelphia, PA
Mesa, AZ
Houston, TX
Charlotte, NC
