Expenses · United States
Rent and housing costs in United States
About $1,109 a month for a 70m² flat — 21.8% of what a median local earner takes home. Estimated; see the caveat below.
The figures
- Rent, 70m² flat
- $1,109/mo
- modelled from the price basket
- Share of local median wage
- 21.8%
- local median ≈ $5,087/mo
- Price-to-income
- 111.7%
- of this country's own long-run average
- Price-to-rent
- 130.2%
- above 100 favours renting
- Mortgage rate
- —
- not published free outside the euro area
- Housing price level
- —
- EU27 = 100 (Eurostat)
Updated 2026-09-01. Price-to-income and price-to-rent compare United States with its own long-run average, not with other countries. National averages — not financial advice.
Rent by city
Real published figures for 462 cities, for a 70m² flat.
| Morehouse Parish, LA | $636/mo |
| Jefferson City, MO | $694/mo |
| Carter County, KY | $703/mo |
| Gibson County, TN | $706/mo |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | $714/mo |
| Grainger County, TN | $717/mo |
| Cooper County, MO | $730/mo |
| Morgan County, WV | $732/mo |
| Stone County, MS | $739/mo |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | $745/mo |
| Anniston-Oxford, AL | $757/mo |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | $757/mo |
| Dothan, AL | $762/mo |
| Joplin, MO | $765/mo |
| Holmes County, MS | $768/mo |
| Youngstown-Warren, OH | $771/mo |
| Mansfield, OH | $773/mo |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | $775/mo |
| Decatur, AL | $776/mo |
| Alexandria, LA | $780/mo |
Showing the 20 cheapest of 462.
Countries with similar rent
- Greece — $852/mo , 41.9% of local wage
- Japan — $939/mo , 39.3% of local wage
- Italy — $1,033/mo , 30.1% of local wage
- France — $1,192/mo , 32.4% of local wage
- Germany — $1,285/mo , 32.8% of local wage
- Netherlands — $1,341/mo , 30.7% of local wage
See also: all countries ranked · what people earn in United States · healthcare costs
Frequently asked questions
How much is rent in United States?
About $1,109 a month for a 70m² flat — modelled from this site's price basket, which understates housing where it has decoupled from the general cost of living. That is 21.8% of the local median wage of roughly $5,087 a month. A national average, not a quote: what you pay depends on the city, the neighbourhood and when you look.
Can I afford to live in United States on a remote salary?
That depends on the salary, which is the point. Rent of $1,109 is 21.8% of a local median wage; on a $6,000/month remote income it would be about 18%. The gap between those two figures is the arbitrage, and the housing tool computes it for any income you enter.
Is buying in United States good value right now?
Price-to-income currently sits at 111.7% of United States's own long-run average, so housing is 12% less affordable than its historical norm. Price-to-rent is at 130.2% of its own average — above 100 favours renting. These compare United States with its own past, not with other countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD (price-to-income and price-to-rent), the ECB (mortgage rates, euro area only) and Eurostat (measured city rents and housing price levels), refreshed at build time — last updated 2026-09-01. OECD — DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES, HPI_YDH_AVG (% of long-term average); OECD — DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES, HPI_RPI_AVG (% of long-term average); ECB Data Portal — MIR, new housing loans to households (euro area); Eurostat — prc_ppp_ind, ppp_cat A0104 (EU27=100); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1049V, average annual rent per m² (EUR); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1053V, apartment price per m² (EUR); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1051V, average apartment price (EUR); HUD USER — Fair Market Rents FY2026, One-Bedroom (40th-percentile GROSS rent, incl. tenant-paid utilities, USD/month).