People often praise San Antonio’s affordability, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to rental prices here.
The Alamo City came in No. 110 out of 182 U.S. cities in terms of rent affordability in a new analysis from personal finance company WalletHub. That means our rents in our city now rank as less affordable than those in both Austin and Fort Worth.
To find where rent is most affordable, researchers examined 150 most populated U.S. cities and added in at least two of the most populated cities in each state. They compared each city’s median annual gross rent against its median household income, then ranked the metros by the percentage of annual income that goes towards rent.
Overall, San Antonio residents spend 24.42% — nearly a quarter — of their annual incomes on rent, WalletHub found. Though the city’s median annual gross rent from 2020-2024 was only $1,324 monthly, the median household income stood at just $66,176 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Rental costs nationwide have shot up by more than 50% over the past decade, and wages haven’t grown at the same rate, WalletHub officials wrote. The numbers certainly suggest San Antonio renters are feeling the pinch.
Comparatively, residents in the study’s best-ranked city, Bismarck, N.H, only spend 15.29% of their annual income on rent, since it’s one of the cities with the lowest rents and highest income levels.
Against the 16 other Texas cities on the list, San Antonio only ranks better than three in affordability: Dallas at No. 122, Houston at No. 126 and Garland at No. 143.
Though a city’s high median income and low median rent makes for better affordability, researchers also suggested that renters find other ways to save money, including ensuring your apartment includes utilities and living with a roommate.
Those tips may not change San Antonio’s ranking, but they could prevent you from becoming part of the statistic.
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