SpareRoom Rental Index
Average rents are updated every quarter - last updated April 2026
SpareRoom's quarterly rental index uniquely tracks roommate rents in shared households in 27 major US metros across the country.
The 10 most expensive metro areas:
New York, San Francisco Bay Area and Miami are the most expensive metros for roommates in the country.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2026 |
|---|---|
| New York (NJ,NY) | $1,511 |
| San Francisco Bay Area (CA) | $1,353 |
| Miami (FL) | $1,341 |
| Los Angeles (CA) | $1,339 |
| San Diego (CA) | $1,324 |
| Boston (MA,NH) | $1,273 |
| Fort Lauderdale (FL) | $1,153 |
| Washington D.C. (DC,MD,VA,WV) | $1,122 |
| Seattle (WA) | $1,092 |
| Chicago (IL,IN,WI) | $1,037 |
Metro areas that hit record highs:
In the first quarter of 2026, roommates saw monthly rents hit record highs in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, San Bernardino, Seattle and Chicago.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2025 | Year-over-year % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL,IN,WI | $1,037 | $959 | 8.1 |
| Seattle, WA | $1,092 | $1,035 | 5.5 |
| San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $1,353 | $1,296 | 4.4 |
| San Diego, CA | $1,324 | $1,294 | 2.3 |
| San Bernardino, CA | $1,020 | $1,001 | 1.9 |
The 10 cheapest metro areas:
Texan metros San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth top the list of the cheapest metro areas to rent a room in the US. In fact, five out of the top 10 cheapest major metros are located in Texas.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2026 |
|---|---|
| San Antonio (TX) | $736 |
| Houston (TX) | $809 |
| Fort Worth (TX) | $830 |
| Las Vegas (NV) | $873 |
| Austin (TX) | $884 |
| Dallas (TX) | $893 |
| Phoenix (AZ) | $901 |
| Philadelphia (MD,NJ,PA) | $905 |
| Charlotte (NC,SC) | $905 |
| Orlando (FL) | $912 |
The 10 metro areas that have seen the biggest rent increase:
Chicago saw the highest year-over-year average rent increase driven by an extremely tight rental market, with one of the worst supply-demand imbalances.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2025 | Year-over-year % change in rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (IL,IN,WI) | $1,037 | $959 | 8.1 |
| Philadelphia (MD,NJ,PA) | $905 | $857 | 5.6 |
| Seattle (WA) | $1,092 | $1,035 | 5.5 |
| New York (NJ,NY) | $1,511 | $1,446 | 4.5 |
| San Francisco Bay Area (CA) | $1,353 | $1,296 | 4.4 |
| Charlotte (NC,SC) | $905 | $869 | 4.1 |
| Sacramento (CA) | $1,000 | $972 | 2.9 |
| Atlanta (GA) | $963 | $937 | 2.8 |
| San Diego (CA) | $1,324 | $1,294 | 2.3 |
| San Bernardino | $1,020 | $1,001 | 1.9 |
The 10 metros that have seen the biggest rent drop:
Boston has seen the biggest rent decrease over the last year, followed by San Antonio and Phoenix. Meanwhile, Miami is one of the most stable major metros currently. Roommate rents here last hit a record high in Q4 2022 and, in the year to Q1 2026, roommates in Miami saw a marginal 0.5% rent decrease. However, roommate demand is up 11% on the previous year, making significant rent falls in the near future very unlikely.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2025 | Year-over-year % change in rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston (MA,NH) | $1,273 | $1,333 | -4.5 |
| San Antonio (TX) | $736 | $768 | -4.2 |
| Phoenix (AZ) | $901 | $933 | -3.4 |
| Denver (CO) | $1,017 | $1,046 | -2.8 |
| Houston (TX) | $809 | $830 | -2.5 |
| Orlando (FL) | $912 | $932 | -2.2 |
| Fort Worth (TX) | $830 | $847 | -2.0 |
| Miami (FL) | $1,341 | $1,347 | -0.5 |
| Washington D.C. DC,MD,VA,WV | $1,122 | $1,127 | -0.4 |
| Dallas (TX) | $893 | $895 | -0.2 |
For more information on the rental market in the top 27 major metros in the US.
The most expensive metro area for renters: NYC
New York remains the most expensive rental market in the US, with an average room rent of $1,511 per month.
Taking a closer look at NYC boroughs, Manhattan is the most expensive borough overall, while the Bronx is cheapest, and has the highest demand. Out of the NYC boroughs Brooklyn has seen the biggest increase in rent year-over-year.
| Borough | Average monthly room rent Q1 2026 | Demand Q1 2026 | Average monthly room rent Q1 2025 | Demand Q1 2025 | YOY demand change (%) | YOY rent change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx | $1,169 | 5.6 | $1,120 | 5.7 | -1.1 | 4.4 |
| Queens | $1,242 | 4.5 | $1,210 | 4.7 | -3.9 | 2.6 |
| Brooklyn | $1,454 | 3.2 | $1,370 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 6.1 |
| Manhattan | $1,832 | 3.1 | $1,745 | 2.8 | 13.1 | 5.0 |
New York suburb Westchester County saw a year-over-year room rent increase of 7.1%, and a much higher rise in demand (+30%) than the NYC boroughs, no doubt due to pressure mounting from roommates priced out of the city and looking for cheaper accommodation further out.
For more information on the rental market in NYC.
Methodology
Data methodology: Based on asking rents for almost 63,000 room-offered ads placed on SpareRoom in Q1 2026 and Q1 2025. To be included, US metro areas had a minimum of 250 ads for each quarter.
Demand is defined as the number of roommates enquiring per room available to rent. This is compared with the previous year to get 'year-over-year % change in demand'.