Rent trackers rarely agree with each other, and they almost never agree across cities in a way that makes for an honest side-by-side comparison. This report pulls together the same city-by-city research already published in EMLAKIE's individual "Average Rent" guides — 58 cities across 27 states so far — into one table, so a renter or landlord comparing markets doesn't have to open 58 separate articles to do it.
How This Report Is Compiled
Every figure below comes from one of EMLAKIE's own per-city guides, which are researched individually against Census ACS, HUD Fair Market Rent data, Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI, and rent-tracking services including Zumper, RentCafe/Yardi Matrix, and Apartment List. Rather than blending disagreeing sources into one number — the pattern most national rent reports use — this table shows the two sources with the most consistent city-by-city coverage, Zumper and RentCafe, side by side for 1-bedroom units. Where a city's own guide didn't break out a clean single-source figure for one of these two trackers, that cell is left blank rather than filled with a guess or a blended estimate — see the footnotes below the table.
Each city name links to its full guide, which includes studio through 3-bedroom figures, neighborhood-level detail, 2026 trend analysis, and state-specific tenant rights — this report is a comparison index, not a replacement for that detail.
1-Bedroom Rent by City, 2026
| State | City | Zumper | RentCafe |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ | Mesa | $1,110 | $1,289 |
| AZ | Phoenix | $1,160 | $1,349 |
| AZ | Tucson | $895 | $961 |
| CA | Bakersfield1 | — | — |
| CA | Beverly Hills2 | $2,795 | — |
| CA | Fresno | $1,295 | $1,395 |
| CA | Gardena | $1,775 | $1,884 |
| CA | Glendale | $1,995 | $2,562 |
| CA | Long Beach | $1,850 | $2,469 |
| CA | Los Angeles | $2,100 | $2,545 |
| CA | Palmdale | $1,525 | $1,671 |
| CA | Pasadena | $2,298 | $2,969 |
| CA | Sacramento | $1,480 | $1,689 |
| CA | San Diego | $2,195 | $2,704 |
| CA | San Francisco | $4,050 | $3,764 |
| CA | San Jose | $2,600 | $2,927 |
| CA | West Hollywood | $2,550 | $3,297 |
| CO | Colorado Springs | $1,100 | $1,354 |
| CO | Denver | $1,548 | $1,722 |
| DC | Washington | $2,222 | $2,327 |
| FL | Jacksonville | $1,023 | $1,331 |
| FL | Miami1 | — | — |
| FL | Orlando | $1,400 | $1,590 |
| FL | Tampa | $1,400 | $1,722 |
| GA | Atlanta | $1,649 | $1,599 |
| IL | Chicago | $2,150 | $2,454 |
| IN | Indianapolis | $1,069 | $1,140 |
| KY | Louisville | $995 | $1,166 |
| MA | Boston | $2,800 | $3,434 |
| MD | Baltimore | $1,200 | $1,562 |
| MN | Minneapolis | $1,250 | $1,528 |
| MO | Kansas City3 | $1,125–$1,150 | $1,230 |
| MO | St. Louis | $1,050 | $1,344 |
| NC | Charlotte | $1,395 | $1,475 |
| NC | Raleigh | $1,249 | $1,391 |
| NE | Omaha | $1,009 | $1,178 |
| NM | Albuquerque | $982 | $1,248 |
| NV | Las Vegas | $1,144 | $1,295 |
| NY | New York City | $4,500 | $5,227 |
| OH | Cincinnati | $1,095 | $1,293 |
| OH | Cleveland | $1,200 | $1,451 |
| OH | Columbus | $1,199 | $1,216 |
| OK | Oklahoma City | $895 | $962 |
| OR | Portland | $1,399 | $1,643 |
| PA | Philadelphia | $1,449 | $1,856 |
| PA | Pittsburgh | $1,357 | $1,695 |
| TN | Memphis | $887 | $1,078 |
| TN | Nashville | $1,649 | $1,690 |
| TX | Austin | $1,260 | $1,421 |
| TX | Dallas | $1,242 | $1,416 |
| TX | El Paso | $835 | $994 |
| TX | Fort Worth | $1,174 | $1,272 |
| TX | Houston | $1,090 | $1,191 |
| TX | San Antonio | $944 | $1,085 |
| VA | Virginia Beach | $1,677 | $1,643 |
| WA | Renton | $1,669–$1,775 | $1,921 |
| WA | Seattle | $1,970 | $2,197 |
| WI | Milwaukee | $1,095 | $1,450 |
1 Miami and Bakersfield's guides report 1-bedroom figures as a merged multi-source range rather than a single per-source number, so no individual Zumper/RentCafe figure could be pulled without guessing. See each city's full guide for its reported range.
2 Beverly Hills' guide sources RentHop and Rent.com instead of RentCafe for its comparison table, so no RentCafe figure exists to show here.
3 Kansas City's guide reports Zumper's 1-bedroom figure as a range ($1,125–$1,150) rather than a single number; shown as reported rather than picking one end.
Each city's figures are refreshed on a rolling basis — see each guide's “last updated” date for the data month behind its row.
What the Numbers Show
Across the 54 cities with a clean Zumper 1-bedroom figure, EMLAKIE's own calculated average of the figures in the table above is $1,578/month (this average is not itself published by Zumper or RentCafe), but that single number hides a wide spread. The least expensive markets in this report are El Paso, TX ($835), Memphis, TN ($887), and a tie between Tucson, AZ and Oklahoma City, OK (both $895). The most expensive are New York City ($4,500), San Francisco ($4,050), and Boston ($2,800) — all more than triple the least expensive markets shown here.
Zumper and RentCafe disagree on most cities, sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot — RentCafe reads higher than Zumper in the large majority of cities shown, consistent with the methodology difference each individual city guide already discloses: RentCafe (Yardi Matrix) weights more heavily toward large, professionally managed apartment communities, while Zumper leans on active listing data that skews toward newer product actively being marketed. Neither source is "wrong"; they're measuring overlapping but different slices of each local market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do Zumper and RentCafe show different numbers for the same city?
They pull from different underlying inventory and weight it differently. RentCafe/Yardi Matrix leans on data from large, professionally managed apartment communities; Zumper leans on active online listings, which skew toward newer, actively marketed units. Both are legitimate measurements of overlapping but different slices of a city's rental market — not an error in either source.
Is this the same as a live, real-time rent estimate?
No. Every figure here is a point-in-time snapshot pulled from EMLAKIE's individual city guides, dated at each guide's own "Updated" date (visible on that city's page). For live pricing on a specific unit, browse current listings on EMLAKIE directly.
Will this report be updated?
Yes — as EMLAKIE's underlying city guides are refreshed with newer data, and as new cities are added to the series, this report will be updated to match. The full sourcing methodology for the series is at EMLAKIE's editorial standards page.
Why isn't my city listed?
EMLAKIE's city-guide series currently covers 58 U.S. cities, spanning a mix of major metros and smaller markets, and is expanded in batches over time. If your city isn't listed yet, check EMLAKIE's blog periodically, or browse current listings in your area directly — live inventory isn't limited to cities with a published guide.
Find a Rental Without Broker Fees
Whichever market you're comparing, the search itself shouldn't cost extra. EMLAKIE lists rentals directly from landlords nationwide and connects renters straight to them, with no broker fee of its own added on top of the rent you already see listed.