City rankings · Global
Most expensive cities for renters
Ranked by the share of gross income the typical renter spends on a 1-bedroom apartment. Higher rank means rent consumes a larger portion of your paycheck.
High rank = high rent burden
Being at the top of this list means renters in that city dedicate the largest share of their gross income to housing. This isn't just about absolute rent levels — even prosperous cities like Dublin or Miami rank highly because wages don't fully compensate for the cost of renting. A city can have high nominal salaries yet still impose a heavy rent burden if housing costs have outpaced income growth. Click any city to see the full income and rent breakdown.
🇵🇹Lisbon
Median rent €1,650/mo · Need €66,000/yr
46%
Risky
🇺🇸Miami
Median rent $2,500/mo · Need $100,000/yr
42%
Stretch
Hong Kong
Median rent HK$18,000/mo · Need HK$720,000/yr
42%
Stretch
🇬🇧London
Median rent £2,100/mo · Need £84,000/yr
41%
Stretch
Buenos Aires
Median rent $220,000/mo · Need $8,800,000/yr
40%
Stretch
🇺🇸New York
Median rent $3,200/mo · Need $128,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇺🇸Los Angeles
Median rent $2,700/mo · Need $108,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇨🇦Vancouver
Median rent CA$2,700/mo · Need CA$108,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇪🇸Barcelona
Median rent €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇮🇪Dublin
Median rent €2,400/mo · Need €96,000/yr
38%
Stretch
Mumbai
Median rent ₹40,000/mo · Need ₹1,600,000/yr
38%
Stretch
São Paulo
Median rent R$3,500/mo · Need R$140,000/yr
37%
Stretch
🇮🇹Rome
Median rent €1,100/mo · Need €44,000/yr
36%
Stretch
Prague
Median rent Kč26,000/mo · Need Kč1,040,000/yr
36%
Stretch
🇨🇦Toronto
Median rent CA$2,400/mo · Need CA$96,000/yr
35%
Stretch
🇫🇷Paris
Median rent €1,600/mo · Need €64,000/yr
35%
Stretch
🇦🇺Sydney
Median rent A$2,900/mo · Need A$116,000/yr
35%
Stretch
🇺🇸Boston
Median rent $2,900/mo · Need $116,000/yr
34%
Manageable
Warsaw
Median rent zł3,800/mo · Need zł152,000/yr
34%
Manageable
Mexico City
Median rent MX$12,000/mo · Need MX$480,000/yr
34%
Manageable
🇪🇸Madrid
Median rent €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr
33%
Manageable
🇮🇹Milan
Median rent €1,500/mo · Need €60,000/yr
33%
Manageable
🇦🇺Melbourne
Median rent A$2,300/mo · Need A$92,000/yr
32%
Manageable
Shanghai
Median rent ¥7,000/mo · Need ¥280,000/yr
32%
Manageable
🇺🇸San Francisco
Median rent $2,900/mo · Need $116,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Chicago
Median rent $1,900/mo · Need $76,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Austin
Median rent $2,000/mo · Need $80,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Denver
Median rent $1,900/mo · Need $76,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Atlanta
Median rent $1,700/mo · Need $68,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇳🇱Amsterdam
Median rent €1,900/mo · Need €76,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Seattle
Median rent $2,300/mo · Need $92,000/yr
28%
Manageable
Stockholm
Median rent kr14,000/mo · Need kr560,000/yr
28%
Manageable
Copenhagen
Median rent kr10,000/mo · Need kr400,000/yr
28%
Manageable
🇧🇪Brussels
Median rent €1,100/mo · Need €44,000/yr
28%
Manageable
Tokyo
Median rent ¥130,000/mo · Need ¥5,200,000/yr
28%
Manageable
🇩🇪Berlin
Median rent €1,250/mo · Need €50,000/yr
27%
Manageable
🇨🇭Zurich
Median rent CHF2,700/mo · Need CHF108,000/yr
27%
Manageable
🇦🇪Dubai
Median rent AED7,500/mo · Need AED300,000/yr
27%
Manageable
🇸🇬Singapore
Median rent S$3,800/mo · Need S$152,000/yr
26%
Manageable
Bangalore
Median rent ₹32,000/mo · Need ₹1,280,000/yr
26%
Manageable
Oslo
Median rent kr14,500/mo · Need kr580,000/yr
25%
Manageable
🇦🇹Vienna
Median rent €1,200/mo · Need €48,000/yr
24%
Comfortable
Seoul
Median rent ₩1,000,000/mo · Need ₩40,000,000/yr
23%
Comfortable
How to read this
The % shows the median rent-to-income ratio for renters in each city — based on gross income and typical 1-bedroom rent. Under 25% is comfortable, 25–35% is manageable, 35–45% is a stretch, 45%+ is risky. Click any city for the full breakdown and to check your own salary against local benchmarks.