City rankings · Global
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 €1,650/mo · Need €66,000/yr
46%
Risky
🇺🇸Miami
Median $2,700/mo · Need $108,000/yr
42%
Stretch
🇬🇧London
Median £2,300/mo · Need £92,000/yr
41%
Stretch
🇺🇸New York
Median $3,200/mo · Need $128,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇺🇸Los Angeles
Median $2,700/mo · Need $108,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇨🇦Vancouver
Median CA$2,700/mo · Need CA$108,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇪🇸Barcelona
Median €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇮🇪Dublin
Median €1,800/mo · Need €72,000/yr
38%
Stretch
🇮🇹Rome
Median €1,100/mo · Need €44,000/yr
36%
Stretch
🇨🇦Toronto
Median CA$2,400/mo · Need CA$96,000/yr
35%
Stretch
🇫🇷Paris
Median €1,600/mo · Need €64,000/yr
35%
Stretch
🇦🇺Sydney
Median A$2,900/mo · Need A$116,000/yr
35%
Stretch
🇺🇸Boston
Median $2,900/mo · Need $116,000/yr
34%
Manageable
🇪🇸Madrid
Median €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr
33%
Manageable
🇮🇹Milan
Median €1,500/mo · Need €60,000/yr
33%
Manageable
🇦🇺Melbourne
Median A$2,300/mo · Need A$92,000/yr
32%
Manageable
🇩🇪Munich
Median €1,950/mo · Need €78,000/yr
31%
Manageable
🇺🇸San Francisco
Median $2,800/mo · Need $112,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Chicago
Median $2,000/mo · Need $80,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Austin
Median $1,750/mo · Need $70,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Denver
Median $1,900/mo · Need $76,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇺🇸Atlanta
Median $1,700/mo · Need $68,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇳🇱Amsterdam
Median €2,000/mo · Need €80,000/yr
30%
Manageable
🇩🇪Frankfurt
Median €1,600/mo · Need €64,000/yr
29%
Manageable
🇺🇸Seattle
Median $2,300/mo · Need $92,000/yr
28%
Manageable
🇩🇪Hamburg
Median €1,450/mo · Need €58,000/yr
28%
Manageable
🇧🇪Brussels
Median €1,100/mo · Need €44,000/yr
28%
Manageable
🇩🇪Berlin
Median €1,250/mo · Need €50,000/yr
27%
Manageable
🇨🇭Zurich
Median CHF2,700/mo · Need CHF108,000/yr
27%
Manageable
🇦🇪Dubai
Median AED8,500/mo · Need AED340,000/yr
27%
Manageable
🇸🇬Singapore
Median S$3,700/mo · Need S$148,000/yr
26%
Manageable
🇦🇹Vienna
Median €1,200/mo · Need €48,000/yr
24%
Comfortable
Seoul
Median ₩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.