SpareRoom Rental Index
This page is updated every quarter. Last updated October 2026 with Q3 2026 rental index data.
SpareRoom's quarterly rental index uniquely tracks roommate rents in shared households in 26 major US metros across the US.
10 most expensive metro areas
New York ($1,543), San Francisco Bay Area ($1,380), San Diego ($1,327) and Los Angeles ($1,327) have the most expensive average roommate rent in the country.
There have been notable changes from the previous quarter (Q2 2026), when San Diego was the second most expensive metro, and Boston was in fifth place, now replaced by Miami. San Francisco Bay Area has moved up from fourth to second position.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York (NJ,NY) | $1,543 |
| 2 | San Francisco Bay Area (CA) | $1,380 |
| 3 | San Diego (CA) | $1,327 |
| 4 | Los Angeles (CA) | $1,327 |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | $1,291 |
| 6 | Boston (MA,NH) | $1,273 |
| 7 | West Palm Beach (FL) | $1,229 |
| 8 | Fort Lauderdale (FL) | $1,157 |
| 9 | Washington D.C. (DC,MD,VA,WV) | $1,121 |
| 10 | Seattle (WA) | $1,078 |
Rent at record highs in three metro areas
Roommates have seen monthly rent hit a record high in New York ($1,543) and San Francisco Bay Area ($1,380) - also the two most expensive metros in which to live as a roommate - as well as West Palm Beach ($1,229).
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2025 | Year-over-year % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $1,380 | $1,320 | 4.6 |
| New York, NJ, NY | $1,543 | $1,492 | 3.4 |
| West Palm Beach, FL | $1,229 | $1,224 | 0.4 |
10 cheapest metro areas
San Antonio ($756) and Houston ($852) top the list of the cheapest places to rent as a roommate in the US. In fact, four of the top 10 cheapest major metros are located in Texas.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio (TX) | $756 |
| 2 | Houston (TX) | $852 |
| 3 | Baltimore (MD) | $867 |
| 4 | Las Vegas (NV) | $872 |
| 5 | Austin (TX) | $885 |
| 6 | Orlando (FL) | $895 |
| 7 | Phoenix (AZ) | $899 |
| 8 | Philadelphia (MD,NJ,PA) | $908 |
| 9 | Dallas (TX) | $908 |
| 10 | Atlanta (GA) | $952 |
10 metro areas with the biggest rent rise
Chicago, where almost five (4.9) people are now competing for every available room and demand is up 46% on last year, saw the highest year-over-year rent rise (+5.3%) across all the metros SpareRoom tracks.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2025 | Year-over-year change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL, IN, WI | $1,026 | $974 | 5.3 |
| 2 | San Antonio, TX | $756 | $721 | 4.9 |
| 3 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $1,380 | $1,320 | 4.6 |
| 4 | New York, NJ, NY | $1,543 | $1,492 | 3.4 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, MD, NJ, PA | $908 | $885 | 2.6 |
| 6 | Atlanta, GA | $952 | $934 | 1.9 |
| 7 | Dallas, TX | $908 | $892 | 1.8 |
| 8 | Seattle, WA | $1,078 | $1,062 | 1.5 |
| 9 | San Bernardino, CA | $1,009 | $996 | 1.3 |
| 10 | Tampa, FL | $961 | $952 | 1.0 |
10 major metros with the biggest rent falls
The biggest year-over-year decreases in rent have been seen in Baltimore (-8.2%), Austin (-3.8%) and Phoenix (-3.8%).
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q3 2025 | Year-over-year change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore, MD | $867 | $944 | -8.2 |
| 2 | Austin, TX | $885 | $920 | -3.8 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $899 | $934 | -3.8 |
| 4 | Denver, CO | $1,022 | $1,051 | -2.8 |
| 5 | Orlando, FL | $895 | $916 | -2.3 |
| 6 | Miami, FL | $1,291 | $1,319 | -2.1 |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | $1,327 | $1,353 | -1.9 |
| 8 | Washington, DC, MD, VA, WV | $1,121 | $1,141 | -1.8 |
| 9 | Houston, TX | $852 | $864 | -1.4 |
| 10 | Sacramento, CA | $994 | $1,004 | -1.0 |
More information on the rental market in the top 26 major metros in the US
Most expensive metro for roommates
New York remains the most expensive rental market in the US, with an average room rent of $1,543 per month, and renter demand for roommate situations in metro New York is rising 38% year over year.
In Manhattan, sharing as a roommate now costs, on average, $1,903/month. That's a 6.5% increase on the previous year but it's still $18,276/year cheaper than renting an average studio apartment at $3,426/month*.
As such, demand for roommate situations in the two most expensive boroughs, Manhattan and Brooklyn, has risen by almost half (48%) in the year to Q3 2026.
The Bronx has both the cheapest ($1,162/month) and most stable (-0.8% year over year) roommate rent in NYC, but demand is now very high - 8.5 people are searching per room available to rent - and rising 35% year over year.
| Borough | Ave roommate rent Q3 2026 | Demand* Q3 2026 | Ave roommate rent Q3 2025 | Demand* Q3 2025 | YOY demand change (%) | YOY rent change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx | $1,162 | 8.5 | $1,171 | 6.3 | 34.6 | -0.8 |
| Brooklyn | $1,468 | 6.1 | $1,430 | 4.1 | 48.4 | 2.7 |
| Manhattan | $1,903 | 5.4 | $1,787 | 3.6 | 48.2 | 6.5 |
| Queens | $1,271 | 7.8 | $1,232 | 5.8 | 34.0 | 3.2 |
| Metro New York, NY, NJ | $1,543 | 4.1 | $1,492 | 3.0 | 37.7 | 3.4 |
*Demand is defined as the number of roommates enquiring per room available to rent on SpareRoom.com
More information on the NYC rental market
Methodology
SpareRoom's quarterly rental index uniquely tracks roommate rents in shared households at the center of America's housing affordability crisis. It is based on asking rents for almost 60K room-offered ads placed on SpareRoom in Q3 2026 and Q3 2025. To be included, US metro areas had a minimum of 250 ads for each quarter, making these metros the largest roommate markets in the US. NYC boroughs had a minimum 550 room ads across both quarters to be included (Staten Island excluded due to low sample size).
*Studio apartment average rent from Apartments.com correct on 10/14/26