Housing Costs Across U.S. Cities — 2026 Reality

Data: 2026-Q2 · BLS · HUD · KFF

1BR and 2BR fair market rents across all 37 tracked cities, sorted by 1BR rent. The "% of take-home" column shows how much a $60-80k salary's monthly take-home goes to a 1BR.

City 1BR 2BR % take-home Pressure
St. Louis $995 $1,218 22% low
Pittsburgh $1,077 $1,299 23% low
Detroit $1,122 $1,411 25% low
San Antonio $1,177 $1,426 25% low
Albuquerque $1,185 $1,464 27% low
Columbus $1,194 $1,430 26% low
Kansas City $1,197 $1,358 26% low
Indianapolis $1,267 $1,473 27% low
Houston $1,323 $1,573 28% low
Jacksonville $1,382 $1,658 29% low
Minneapolis $1,405 $1,709 33% low
Salt Lake City $1,456 $1,747 32% moderate
Las Vegas $1,478 $1,735 31% low
Baltimore $1,511 $1,857 34% moderate
Philadelphia $1,520 $1,810 33% moderate
Charlotte $1,538 $1,686 34% low
Austin $1,562 $1,852 33% moderate
Nashville $1,578 $1,730 33% low
Chicago $1,581 $1,781 35% low
Phoenix $1,583 $1,839 34% low
Raleigh $1,596 $1,750 35% low
Dallas $1,648 $1,931 34% low
Atlanta $1,660 $1,820 37% low
Portland $1,677 $1,922 40% moderate
Tampa $1,696 $1,977 35% low
Orlando $1,731 $1,972 36% low
Denver $1,754 $2,089 39% moderate
Sacramento $1,832 $2,255 43% moderate
Miami $1,995 $2,436 42% high
Washington, DC $2,015 $2,246 47% moderate
Los Angeles $2,085 $2,601 49% high
Seattle $2,146 $2,501 45% moderate
San Diego $2,459 $3,001 58% high
Boston $2,476 $2,941 58% high
New York City $2,655 $2,910 60% high
San Francisco $2,977 $3,604 70% high
San Jose $2,982 $3,483 70% high

% take-home based on $70,000 salary. Source: HUD FY2026 FMR, IRS 2025.

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Income Reality Check is an educational tool, not financial advice. Your situation has more dimensions than any tool can capture.