Average Rent by State: All 50 States Ranked (2026)

How much does rent cost in your state compared to the rest of the country? We calculated the average monthly rent for all 50 states (plus DC) using county-level Census data. The national median gross rent is $1,163/month — but state averages range from under $700 to over $1,800.

Below is the complete ranking, plus breakdowns of the most and least expensive states for renters in 2026.

Average Rent by State — Full Rankings

All 51 states ranked by average monthly rent, from most to least expensive.

10 Most Expensive States for Rent

These states have the highest average rents in the country. Most are on the coasts or in the Northeast, where housing supply is constrained and demand is driven by proximity to major job centers.

• 1. District of Columbia: $1,900/mo average rent, $724,600 average home value
• 2. Hawaii: $1,688/mo average rent, $758,975 average home value
• 3. California: $1,618/mo average rent, $569,022 average home value
• 4. New Jersey: $1,577/mo average rent, $402,957 average home value
• 5. Massachusetts: $1,558/mo average rent, $587,193 average home value
• 6. Maryland: $1,415/mo average rent, $350,738 average home value
• 7. Connecticut: $1,409/mo average rent, $353,956 average home value
• 8. Rhode Island: $1,362/mo average rent, $434,100 average home value
• 9. Delaware: $1,295/mo average rent, $324,567 average home value
• 10. New Hampshire: $1,273/mo average rent, $316,040 average home value

10 Most Affordable States for Rent

These states offer the lowest average rents. They are predominantly in the South and Midwest, where land is plentiful and the cost structure is fundamentally lower.

• 1. South Dakota: $756/mo average rent, $166,130 average home value
• 2. West Virginia: $760/mo average rent, $141,022 average home value
• 3. Arkansas: $760/mo average rent, $131,967 average home value
• 4. Missouri: $768/mo average rent, $162,432 average home value
• 5. North Dakota: $770/mo average rent, $168,606 average home value
• 6. Kentucky: $771/mo average rent, $150,167 average home value
• 7. Mississippi: $782/mo average rent, $127,595 average home value
• 8. Nebraska: $783/mo average rent, $152,847 average home value
• 9. Kansas: $787/mo average rent, $131,109 average home value
• 10. Alabama: $799/mo average rent, $149,701 average home value

Why State Averages Can Be Misleading

State averages mask enormous variation at the county level. Texas, for example, includes both expensive urban counties (Travis County — Austin) and very affordable rural counties where rent is under $600/month. The state average falls somewhere in the middle, but your experience depends entirely on which county you live in.

This is why CostByCounty provides county-level data for every state. Click any state name in the table above to see the full county breakdown, including the most and least expensive counties in that state.

Rent vs. Home Ownership Costs

In many affordable states, buying a home can be cheaper than renting on a monthly basis — especially with current mortgage rates. In the 10 cheapest states, the average home value is often under $150,000, meaning a 20% down payment is under $30,000 and monthly mortgage payments can be lower than median rent.

Conversely, in expensive states like Hawaii and California, the gap between renting and buying is enormous. The average home value in these states exceeds $500,000, putting homeownership out of reach for many renters.

Methodology

State averages are calculated from county-level median gross rent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023). Each state's average is the mean of its county-level median rents. States are ranked by this average from highest to lowest.