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Sep 8, 2026

11 US Cities Where Renting Beats Buying by Up To $8K a Month

Written by Gabrielle Olya
|
Edited by Brendan McGinley
11 US Cities Where Renting Beats Buying by Up To $8K a Month

Buying a home has long been considered a cornerstone of financial success. But in some U.S. cities, today's high home prices, mortgage rates and ownership costs have made renting the cheaper option by a surprisingly wide margin.

To identify where renting delivers the biggest financial advantage, Zumper analyzed the 83 largest cities in the U.S. using home values, rents, price-to-rent ratios and monthly ownership premiums. In some markets, homeowners spend more than $8,500 per month than renters do.

Here are the 11 cities where renters have the largest cost advantages in the country, ranked by home price-to-rent ratio.

1. San Jose, California

  • Median home price: $2,030,000

  • Median rent: $3,073

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 55

  • Ownership premium: $8,593 per month

2. Anaheim, California

  • Median home price: $1,442,900

  • Median rent: $2,514

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 47.8

  • Ownership premium: $5,702 per month

3. Salt Lake City

  • Median home price: $576,500

  • Median rent: $1,378

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 34.9

  • Ownership premium: $1,928 per month

4. Seattle

  • Median home price: $772,600

  • Median rent: $1,972

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 32.6

  • Ownership premium: $2,575 per month

5. Portland, Oregon

  • Median home price: $585,800

  • Median rent: $1,506

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 32.4

  • Ownership premium: $2,077 per month

6. San Diego

  • Median home price: $1,050,000

  • Median rent: $2,818

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 31.1

  • Ownership premium: $3,208 per month

7. Reno, Nevada

  • Median home price: $602,900

  • Median rent: $1,735

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 29

  • Ownership premium: $1,662 per month

8. San Francisco

  • Median home price: $1,350,000

  • Median rent: $3,926

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 28.7

  • Ownership premium: $3,832 per month

9. Boise, Idaho

  • Median home price: $484,000

  • Median rent: $1,450

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 27.8

  • Ownership premium: $1,418 per month

10. Los Angeles

  • Median home price: $858,500

  • Median rent: $2,670

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 26.8

  • Ownership premium: $2,325 per month

11. Milwaukee

  • Median home price: $417,900

  • Median rent: $1,299

  • Price-to-rent ratio: 26.8

  • Ownership premium: $1,687 per month

This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.

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Written by
Gabrielle Olya
Edited by
Brendan McGinley