Economy

10 U.S. Cities With the Most Outrageous Rent

November 29th 2015

Rent really is too damn high in the U.S. You can tell that the median cost of a vacant, one bedroom in these major cities is expensive just by looking at the numbers.

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ATTN: created the infographic below using data from the apartment rental website Zumper. The data was published in July, and it’s clear that you have to make some major bank to live in some of these American coastal cities.

High Rent InfographicDiana Crandall/ATTN:

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The city to land in the top spot was San Francisco, barely beating out New York. 

Boston, San Jose and Washington, D.C. take a dive into lower numbers, but these cities are still expensive unless you share the cost or bring in a steep paycheck.

Chicago, Miami and Oakland sink below $2,000 per month on rent, while Los Angeles and Seattle sit at the bottom of the list.

But even the least expensive city on this list isn’t affordable to live in if you’re a low wage worker. The federal minimum wage still sits at $7.25 per hour for non-tipped employees, though several states, including California, have chosen to implement higher wages. Minimum wage workers in California currently earn $9.00 per hour, and legislation is being implemented to raise that number to $10.00 statewide by 2018, according to Raise The Wage.

As of now, 29 states have chosen to their minimum wage in recent years, as well as D.C.

But high rent isn’t just a problem for low income workers. Looking at the numbers, even if you have a decent income, rent could end up taking more than half of your money. 

For a comprehensive list of minimum wage in your state, click here. 

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Share your opinion

Would you ever move to a different state to take advantage of low cost of living?

No 31%Yes 69%