SpareRoom Rental Index
Average rents are updated every quarter - last updated July 2026
SpareRoom's quarterly rental index uniquely tracks roommate rents in shared households in 26 major US metros across the country.
The 10 most expensive metro areas:
New York, San Diego and Los Angeles are the most expensive metros for roommates in the country. In Q2 2026, San Diego rents hit record highs and knocked Los Angeles down to the third most expensive city.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2026 |
|---|---|
| New York (NJ,NY) | $1,515 |
| San Diego (CA) | $1,346 |
| Los Angeles (CA) | $1,338 |
| San Francisco Bay Area (CA) | $1,332 |
| Boston (MA,NH) | $1,321 |
| Miami (FL) | $1,314 |
| West Palm Beach (FL) | $1,215 |
| Fort Lauderdale (FL) | $1,157 |
| Washington D.C. (DC,MD,VA,WV) | $1,132 |
| Seattle (WA) | $1,067 |
Metro areas that hit record highs:
In the second quarter of 2026, roommates saw monthly rents hit record highs in San Diego and Philadelphia (matching the previous Philadelphia record set in Q2 2024).
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2025 | Year-over-year % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego (CA) | $1,346 | $1,294 | 4.0 |
| Philadelphia (MD,NJ,PA) | $914 | $876 | 4.3 |
The 10 cheapest major metro areas:
Texan metros San Antonio and Houston top the list of the cheapest major metro areas to rent a room in the US. In fact, four out of the top 10 cheapest major metros are located in Texas.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2026 |
|---|---|
| San Antonio (TX) | $750 |
| Houston (TX) | $835 |
| Las Vegas (NV) | $857 |
| Dallas (TX) | $870 |
| Austin (TX) | $886 |
| Orlando (FL) | $895 |
| Phoenix (AZ) | $903 |
| Baltimore (MD) | $905 |
| Philadelphia (MD,NJ,PA) | $914 |
| Atlanta (GA) | $948 |
The 10 major metro areas that have seen the biggest rent increase:
Sacramento, CA, saw the highest year-over-year average rent increase out of the 26 metro areas tracked (up 5.1%). Followed by Philadelphia (up 4.3%) and San Diego (up 4%). Interestingly, 5 out of the 10 biggest increases were in California.
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2025 | Year-over-year % change in rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento (CA) | $1,009 | $960 | 5.1 |
| Philadelphia (MD,NJ,PA) | $914 | $876 | 4.3 |
| San Diego (CA) | $1,346 | $1,294 | 4.0 |
| San Francisco Bay Area (CA) | $1,332 | $1,284 | 3.7 |
| San Bernardino (CA) | $992 | $961 | 3.2 |
| West Palm Beach (FL) | $1,215 | $1,179 | 3.1 |
| New York (NJ,NY) | $1,515 | $1,477 | 2.6 |
| Chicago (IL,IN,WI) | $996 | $981 | 1.5 |
| Los Angeles (CA) | $1,338 | $1,323 | 1.1 |
| Riverside (CA) | $1,025 | $1,014 | 1.1 |
The 10 major metros that have seen the biggest rent drops:
Dallas has seen the biggest drop in rent year over year (-5.5%), followed by Denver (-4.6%) and Baltimore (-4.1%).
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q2 2025 | Year-over-year % change in rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas (TX) | $870 | $921 | -5.5 |
| Denver (CO) | $996 | $1,044 | -4.6 |
| Baltimore (MD) | $905 | $944 | -4.1 |
| Phoenix (AZ) | $903 | $932 | -3.1 |
| Tampa (FL) | $959 | $985 | -2.6 |
| Miami (FL) | $1,314 | $1,347 | -2.5 |
| Boston (MA,NH) | $1,321 | $1,353 | -2.4 |
| Houston (TX) | $835 | $854 | -2.2 |
| Las Vegas (NV) | $857 | $871 | -1.6 |
| Orlando (FL) | $895 | $909 | -1.5 |
For more information on the rental market in the top 26 major metros in the US.
The most expensive metro area for renters:
New York remains the most expensive rental market in the US, with an average room rent of $1,515 per month.
Taking a closer look at NYC boroughs, The Bronx, still the most affordable New York City borough for roommates ($1,169/month), saw the highest level of demand in Q2, but it's Manhattan that has seen both the highest increase in demand (+28%) and the highest year-over-year rent change (+4.7%), as shown in the table below:
| Borough | Average monthly room rent Q2 2026 | Demand Q2 2026 | Average monthly room rent Q2 2025 | Demand Q2 2025 | YOY demand change (%) | YOY rent change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx | $1,169 | 6.5 | $1,128 | 5.2 | 25.8 | 3.6 |
| Queens | $1,266 | 5.6 | $1,237 | 5.1 | 8.9 | 2.3 |
| Brooklyn | $1,448 | 4.3 | $1,406 | 3.6 | 19.9 | 3.0 |
| Manhattan | $1,847 | 4.1 | $1,765 | 3.2 | 27.7 | 4.7 |
Long Island suburb Ronkonkoma has seen roommate interest more than double (+128%) despite the relatively long commute (minimum 1.25 hours) by express train to Penn Station.
Interest in Tarrytown, a village in Greenburgh, Westchester County, and just 40 minutes by train to Grand Central, has almost doubled (+90%). And roommate searches for Union in New Jersey are also up 90%. Union connects to Penn Station in as little as 30-40 minutes. 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 including bills for almost 65,000 room-offered ads placed on SpareRoom in Q2 2026 and Q2 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'.