Homeownership isn’t for everyone. Roughly 43 million American householdshave opted to rent rather than buy their homes because of convenience, cost or both. But renting isn’t always a cheaper or better alternative to owning a property. The right road to take depends on a variety of factors, including an individual’s or family’s financial means and how well the local real-estate market is doing.
One reason this is such an important decision financially is that rental prices have soared over the years, jumping 2.7% in the past year alone. And with demand for affordable housing exceeding supply, more than one-quarter of all renters – 11 million people in total – spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing. They are classified as “severely cost-burdened” by federal housing agencies as a result.
Like home prices, however, rental rates can vary significantly by region, state or city. And in some places, renting will prove to be more cost-effective and a better overall value than owning.
To determine where renters can get the most bang for their buck, WalletHub compared more than 180 rental markets based on 23 key measures of attractiveness. Our data set ranges from the difference between rental rates and mortgage payments to historical price changes, the cost of living and jobs availability. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.
