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Go South, young man.
Well, if you’re a renter, you might want to at least consider it.
According to a new analysis from research firm RentCafe, the 10 best cities in the US for renters are all in southern states, such as the Carolinas, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.
To compile the list, RentCafe considered 20 metrics across three categories: housing affordability, the attractiveness of local economies, and quality of life.
From sources like the Census Bureau and Yardi Matrix, the firm looked at stats like local unemployment rates, average apartment square footage, income growth, how many apartments in the city are new, average commute times, and more.
“The South firmly establishes itself as the top region for renters in 2025, by claiming an impressive 41 of the 50 featured cities,” wrote Adina Dragos in the report. “This growing interest is reflected in the region’s consistently high rankings in key categories, like cost of living and housing and local economy, with nearly all leading cities securing spots within the top 30 for these criteria.”
Below are the top 10 on RentCafe’s list. Each city’s national housing cost of living ranking, which had a 50% weighting in RentCafe’s index, is included. The average apartment square footage and the share of new apartments in the city are also shown.
10. Orlando, Florida
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 17
Average apartment size: 965 square feet
Share of new apartments: 19%
9. Raleigh, North Carolina
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 14
Average apartment size: 947 square feet
Share of new apartments: 21.5%
8. Round Rock, Texas
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 5
Average apartment size: 915 square feet
Share of new apartments: 23.8%
7. Charleston, South Carolina
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 30
Average apartment size: 974 square feet
Share of new apartments: 27.4%
6. Wilmington, North Carolina
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 10
Average apartment size: 952 square feet
Share of new apartments: 28.5%
5. Huntsville, Alabama
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 5
Average apartment size: 945 square feet
Share of new apartments: 27.7%
4. Austin, Texas
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 13
Average apartment size: 866 square feet
Share of new apartments: 26.1%
3. Atlanta, Georgia
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 9
Average apartment size: 968 square feet
Share of new apartments: 21.1%
2. Sarasota, Florida
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 3
Average apartment size: 969 square feet
Share of new apartments: 39%
1. McKinney, Texas
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City’s national housing cost of living rank: 4
Average apartment size: 948 square feet
Share of new apartments: 33.5%
The post The 10 best places to live in the US as a renter are all in the South appeared first on Business Insider.
