- \n
- New York, NY, is still the least affordable city for single renters.<\/b> Single renters must spend 67.56% of their income to rent a studio apartment.<\/li>\n
- New York is also the least affordable city when breaking down the data by sex. Female renters must allocate 76.53% of their annual income vs. 57.90% for single men.<\/li>\n
- Meanwhile, Wichita, KS, remains the most affordable city.<\/b> With a median studio rent of $590 per month, a single renter only needs to spend 18.00% of their income on rent.<\/li>\n
- Single female renters in El Paso, TX,<\/b> would have to spend 1.81 times more<\/b> of their income to live alone than men. For male renters, the monthly burden is 19.38%, whereas for women, it is 34.99% of their income.<\/li>\n
- While California has some of the smallest gender wage gaps in the country, San Jose has the third-highest housing cost gap<\/b> among all the cities. Single female renters would have to spend 32.97% of their annual income on a studio home, whereas single men would only need to pay 22.42%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/renthop-singles-index-featured-image.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nLeast Affordable Cities for Singles<\/h2>\n
1. New York, NY<\/h3>\n
New York City<\/a> is yet again the most expensive city for singles, where the median rent for a studio apartment is a whopping $3,375. This city became more expensive for singles this year, where the cost of rent increased at a greater rate than wages. Single men have the advantage in New York City, where their median income outpaces women by over $17,000.<\/p>\n
2. Miami, FL<\/h3>\n
Miami<\/a> rent increased the most out of the five least affordable cities for renters, maintaining its spot as the second least friendly city. The median studio rent increased by 3.22% since last year, and singles can expect to spend 53.53% of their income on rent.<\/p>\n
3. Detroit, MI<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s unaffordable to be single in Detroit<\/a>, where lower wages mean singles spend a high premium to live alone. The median rent for a studio apartment is $879 this year, but singles with a median income of $28,196 end up spending 37.41% of their income on housing. However, Detroit is the only city of the top five to become less expensive this year, giving singles a slight break.<\/p>\n
4. Boston, MA<\/h3>\n
Boston\u2019s<\/a> rent and salaries increased at a proportionate rate, where renters still spend 36.48% of their income on housing. In this city, there is a significant difference in affordability between the genders, where single women earn $69,678 and spend 40.47% toward renting, but single men earn $85,772 and spend 32.88% on rent.<\/p>\n
5. Los Angeles, CA<\/h3>\n
Los Angeles<\/a> moved up to the fifth least affordable city for singles this year. With a median studio rent of $1,775, singles in this city can expect to spend 35.85% of their income on rent yearly. Single men also have the advantage in this city, where they outearn women by $11,711, easing their housing costs.<\/p>\n
Most Affordable Cities for Singles<\/h2>\n
1. Wichita, KS<\/h3>\n
Wichita\u2019s<\/a> low housing costs make it affordable for single renters looking to live on their own. Wichita has the lowest median rent of all the cities at $590, and singles earn a median income of $39,336. Therefore, they will only have to direct 18% of their income toward housing, which leaves plenty of their funds available for dating activities.<\/p>\n
Columbus, OH<\/h3>\n
Columbus<\/a> is also an appealing city for singles because of its housing affordability. Single men in this city earn $53,903 and spend 19.55% of it on housing, and single women earn $47,086 then spend 22.38% on rent. Rent is more affordable in this city, where renters spend a median of $878 for a studio apartment.<\/p>\n
Minneapolis, MN<\/h3>\n
Minneapolis\u2019 median studio rent increased by a staggering 13.46% since last year, but it still offers lower costs than most cities nationwide. The median studio rent surpassed $1,000 this year, but renters will only spend 20.89% of their income on housing costs.<\/p>\n
Seattle, WA<\/h3>\n
Seattle<\/a> remains the fourth most affordable city for singles. The city boasts the fifth-highest median of all cities, where singles earn $85,653 yearly. While the median studio rent is higher, coming in at $1,495, singles only direct 20.94% of their earnings toward renting costs. However, this city does have a noticeable difference in median income by gender, where single men make $24,100 more than single women.<\/p>\n
Colorado Springs, CO<\/h3>\n
Rent became more expensive in Colorado Springs this year, but the city managed to move in the rankings to become the fifth most affordable city for singles. Singles earning a median income of $54,637 can expect to spend 21.52% of it on their monthly rent. While the rent increased to $980, both single men and women pay under the 30% housing budget recommendation, leaving money for other activities.<\/p>\n
Housing Burden Among Singles, Broken Down by Gender<\/h2>\n
Many single renters feel the effects of strenuous economic conditions when considering the gender wage gap. According to Pew Research<\/a>, the gap remained the same in 2024 \u2013 for every dollar men earned, women earned only 82 cents. Translating to housing, the gap means it is harder for women to buy or even rent a home independently.<\/p>\n
Our analysis indicates that across the top 50 U.S. cities, single women, on average, would have to spend 1.21 times more of their annual income on renting a studio than their male counterparts. In numerous cities, renting is unaffordable for single men and women, such as Detroit, MI, Baltimore, MD<\/a>, and Oakland, CA<\/a>. However, we see a different story when ranking the cities by the housing burden gap.<\/p>\n
El Paso is Still the Most Unfriendly City for Single Women Renters<\/h2>\n
The list below highlights the 10 U.S. cities with the worst housing burden gap among single renters. In El Paso, TX<\/a>, single women would have to spend 34.99% of their income on housing if they wished to rent a studio home and live alone, over the commonly known 30% standard for housing affordability. Meanwhile, single men would only need to spend 19.38% of their income.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/housing-burden-gap-for-single-women-renters.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhile California has a smaller gender pay gap at the state level compared to many other states, three of its cities, San Jose<\/a>, Long Beach<\/a>, and Bakersfield<\/a>, are ranked as some of the most unfriendly cities for single women to rent a studio. In San Jose, the median studio rent is $2,000. This means that a single female renter making the median nonfamily household income of $72,785 would have to spend 32.97% of their annual income on rent. Single men, on the other hand, would spend only 22.42% of their income on a studio home with a median income of $107,062.<\/p>\n
New York City, while unaffordable for both men and women, puts a larger burden on single women trying to rent a studio apartment. Women with a median income of $52,923 will need to spend 76.53% monthly to afford a studio, whereas men will spend 57.90% of their income on rent.<\/p>\n
Methodology<\/h2>\n
The RentHop Singles Index analyzes both proprietary and ACS Census data to provide a snapshot of housing affordability for single-income households across the 50 most populous cities in the country. To compile our housing price data, we pulled every listing for a studio apartment advertised on RentHop from January 1 to December 31, 2024. In theory, a single person can rent a larger space, but we chose this unit type to represent the minimum space in which one can live alone.<\/p>\n
To calculate the index, the following statistics were used:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Median non-family household income from the U.S. Census<\/li>\n
- Median advertised prices for the \u201cstudio\u201d unit type via RentHop data<\/li>\n
- Year-over-year price changes for the \u201cstudio\u201d unit type based on RentHop data<\/li>\n
- Population count by city from the U.S. Census<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The income factor reflects median nonfamily household income. Median values are less likely to be skewed by outliers and, therefore, more representative of the income distribution and what typical single Americans make.<\/p>\n
For more information on our methodology or to contact our data team, please email press@renthop.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Full Data<\/h2>\n
You can learn more about our index this year using the two interactive tables below. The first table includes overall rankings and housing burden, and the second one further breaks down the data by gender.<\/p>\n