One of the Best States to Be a Renter Is… Arizona?

Many people choose to rent instead of buy for a variety of reasons: cost, convenience, flexibility, lifestyle, and more. But much like there are cons to owning a home, renting can have its downsides, too. Affordability is a big factor.

WalletHub recently released its Best & Worst Places to Rent in America report “to determine where renters can get the most bang for their buck.”

To compile the list, the WalletHub analysts compared 182 cities across two key dimensions, “Rental Market & Affordability” and “Quality of Life.” The dimensions were evaluated with 21 metrics, including share of renters, rental vacancy rate, rental affordability, cost of living, city satisfaction index, job market, and safety.

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“In the best cities for renters, rent can cost you as little as around 15% of your income,” says Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst. “You’ll also have access to robust laws that protect renters, such as limiting deposits to only a month or two of rent. Our study also considers quality-of-life factors such as a city’s traffic congestion, job market or recreation options to make sure you can get a good living experience, not just inexpensive housing.”

The report found that one of the best states to rent is Arizona, since four cities made the top 10 list. Scottsdale was named number one, mostly due to its quality of life. It ranked as the city when it comes to job availability and driving environment. It may not be the cheapest city to rent in, but it’s not the most expensive—residents spend under 22% of their annual income on rent. 

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Gilbert was number two on the list, with the 10th highest average home square footage in the country and the 37th-best rental affordability. It’s also very family-friendly since the city has an excellent school system and the third-lowest crime rate.

Chandler was ranked number three, mostly since most people spend only about 21% of their annual income on rent and the homes have generous square footage. Peoria rounded out Arizona representation in the top 10—it was ranked number six.

Take a look at the best and worst cities to rent below and check out the full study here.

Best Cities for Renters

1. Scottsdale, AZ
2. Gilbert, AZ
3. Chandler, AZ
4. Overland Park, KS
5. Columbia, MD
6. Peoria, AZ
7. Bismarck, ND
8. Huntsville, Al
9. Sioux Falls, SD
10. Amarillo, TX

Worst Cities for Renters

173. Shreveport, LA
174. Huntington, WV
175. Augusta, GA
176. New Orleans, LA
177. Newark, NJ
178. Akron, OH
179. Memphis, TN
180. Jackson, MS
181. Cleveland, OH
182. Detroit, MI