In Bismarck, Rent Takes Just 15% of Income—In Miami, It’s Nearly 34%

In Bismarck, North Dakota, the typical renter spends just 15.3 percent of their income on housing. In Miami, it’s 33.8 percent. That difference isn’t just a number—it’s a financial reality that shapes what’s possible in a household budget.

Rents have climbed more than 50 percent over the past decade, according to the Federal Reserve’s Consumer Price Index, rising in lockstep with home prices. Wages haven’t kept up. For many Americans, that imbalance has made housing increasingly unaffordable.

A 2026 WalletHub analysis of 182 U.S. cities—using median annual gross rent as a share of median household income—shows how uneven that burden is. Bismarck ranks first in affordability not because rent is the absolute lowest, but because median income is relatively high. The city has the 16th-lowest median rent and the 80th-highest median income.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, comes in second, with rent at 16.4 percent of income. Its rent is slightly above Bismarck’s but still among the 20 lowest nationally, paired with a median income ranking of 86th. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ranks third: rent is 16.5 percent of income, supported by the 10th-lowest rent and a median income ranking of 105th.

Other cities in the top 10 include Charleston, West Virginia; Fargo, North Dakota; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Juneau and Anchorage, Alaska; Casper, Wyoming; and Overland Park, Kansas.

The study used data from the U.S. Census Bureau as of March 18, 2026. In the most affordable cities, the money saved on rent could go toward building an emergency fund or saving for a home. In the least affordable, that same money is gone before the month begins.