The cost of rent has risen by more than 50% over the past 10 years, according to the Federal Reserve’s Consumer Price Index, which mirrors the way home prices have also gone up tremendously during that time. Unfortunately, wages haven’t increased at the same rate, making it harder and harder for people to afford housing. That said, what are the Arizona cities with the most affordable rent?

To determine the cities where rent is the most affordable, WalletHub analyzed the median annual gross rent in more than 180 cities, then compared it to the median household income.

“In the most affordable cities for renters, the median cost of rent is as low as 15% of the median income, compared to more than 33% in the most expensive cities,” said Chip Lupo, Wallethub analyst. “This gives people in the least expensive cities a clear financial advantage; the money they save on rent could go toward their emergency fund or savings for future home ownership.”

Cities Where Rent Is The Most Affordable

Overall Rank*	City	Total Score	Median Annual Gross Rent as % of Median Annual Household Income
1	Bismarck, ND	100.00	15.34%
2	Sioux Falls, SD	96.64	15.95%
3	Cheyenne, WY	95.84	16.09%
4	Cedar Rapids, IA	94.38	16.36%
5	Fargo, ND	92.79	16.65%
6	Charleston, WV	92.48	16.70%
7	Casper, WY	92.37	16.72%
8	Overland Park, KS	91.86	16.81%
9	Juneau, AK	88.34	17.45%
10	Anchorage, AK	86.63	17.76%
11	Warwick, RI	86.39	17.81%
12	Lincoln, NE	85.79	17.92%
13	Wichita, KS	83.87	18.26%
14	Huntsville, AL	83.80	18.28%
15	Billings, MT	83.57	18.32%
16	Columbia, MD	82.24	18.56%
17	Omaha, NE	79.93	18.98%
18	Laredo, TX	79.89	18.99%
19	Fort Wayne, IN	79.34	19.09%
20	Rapid City, SD	78.55	19.23%
21	Fort Smith, AR	77.60	19.40%
22	Chesapeake, VA	77.59	19.40%
23	Oklahoma City, OK	77.15	19.48%
24	Lexington-Fayette, KY	76.87	19.54%
25	West Valley City, UT	76.68	19.57%
26	Seattle, WA	76.21	19.66%
27	Fremont, CA	75.59	19.77%
28	Des Moines, IA	75.56	19.77%
29	Plano, TX	75.45	19.79%
30	Louisville, KY	75.31	19.82%
31	Albuquerque, NM	75.15	19.85%
32	Minneapolis, MN	75.03	19.87%
33	Gilbert, AZ	74.01	20.05%
34	Boise, ID	73.99	20.06%
35	Amarillo, TX	73.48	20.15%
36	Lewiston, ME	72.98	20.24%
37	Aurora, IL	71.87	20.44%
38	St. Paul, MN	71.55	20.50%
39	Tulsa, OK	71.53	20.50%
40	San Francisco, CA	71.43	20.52%
41	Missoula, MT	71.15	20.57%
42	Las Cruces, NM	71.14	20.57%
43	Spokane, WA	69.75	20.83%
44	Chandler, AZ	69.34	20.90%
45	Kansas City, MO	68.24	21.10%
46	Little Rock, AR	68.05	21.13%
47	Fontana, CA	67.80	21.18%
48	Indianapolis, IN	67.79	21.18%
49	St. Louis, MO	67.52	21.23%
50	Bakersfield, CA	67.38	21.26%
51	Madison, WI	67.35	21.26%
52	El Paso, TX	67.31	21.27%
53	Scottsdale, AZ	66.89	21.35%
54	Raleigh, NC	66.74	21.37%
55	Durham, NC	66.67	21.38%
56	Nashua, NH	66.36	21.44%
57	Washington, DC	66.31	21.45%
58	Winston-Salem, NC	66.07	21.49%
59	Salt Lake City, UT	65.99	21.51%
60	Portland, OR	65.65	21.57%
61	South Burlington, VT	65.16	21.66%
62	Austin, TX	64.86	21.71%
63	Charleston, SC	64.66	21.75%
64	Grand Rapids, MI	64.32	21.81%
65	Virginia Beach, VA	64.27	21.82%
66	Chicago, IL	63.06	22.04%
67	Salem, OR	62.84	22.08%
68	Cincinnati, OH	62.64	22.12%
69	Fort Worth, TX	62.62	22.12%
70	San Jose, CA	62.27	22.18%
71	Toledo, OH	62.09	22.22%
72	Reno, NV	62.04	22.23%
73	Corpus Christi, TX	61.88	22.25%
74	Nampa, ID	61.65	22.30%
75	Brownsville, TX	61.43	22.34%
76	Grand Prairie, TX	61.29	22.36%
77	Peoria, AZ	61.11	22.39%
78	Columbus, OH	60.62	22.48%
79	Mesa, AZ	60.45	22.51%
80	Colorado Springs, CO	60.36	22.53%
81	Lubbock, TX	60.21	22.56%
82	Arlington, TX	59.58	22.67%
83	Greensboro, NC	59.41	22.70%
84	Manchester, NH	59.38	22.71%
85	Phoenix, AZ	59.37	22.71%
86	Chattanooga, TN	59.36	22.71%
87	Columbus, GA	59.32	22.72%
88	Montgomery, AL	58.76	22.82%
89	Pittsburgh, PA	58.63	22.84%
90	Tacoma, WA	58.58	22.85%
91	Irving, TX	58.55	22.86%
92	Akron, OH	57.83	22.99%
93	Charlotte, NC	57.72	23.01%
94	Newport News, VA	57.15	23.11%
95	Denver, CO	56.85	23.17%
96	Stockton, CA	55.87	23.34%
97	Norfolk, VA	55.81	23.36%
98	Portland, ME	55.43	23.43%
99	Oakland, CA	54.32	23.63%
100	Atlanta, GA	54.01	23.68%
101	Henderson, NV	53.98	23.69%
102	Nashville, TN	53.84	23.71%
103	Tucson, AZ	53.70	23.74%
104	Fresno, CA	53.45	23.78%
105	Milwaukee, WI	52.86	23.89%
106	Glendale, AZ	52.80	23.90%
107	Providence, RI	52.50	23.96%
108	San Antonio, TX	52.29	23.99%
109	Huntington, WV	52.25	24.00%
110	Springfield, MO	52.21	24.01%
111	Jersey City, NJ	51.86	24.07%
112	Mobile, AL	51.33	24.17%
113	Chula Vista, CA	51.09	24.21%
114	Huntington Beach, CA	50.81	24.26%
115	Shreveport, LA	50.80	24.26%
116	Sacramento, CA	50.76	24.27%
117	Pearl City, HI	49.70	24.46%
118	Garland, TX	49.54	24.49%
119	Riverside, CA	49.23	24.55%
120	Augusta, GA	49.23	24.55%
121	Jacksonville, FL	48.76	24.63%
122	Buffalo, NY	48.40	24.70%
123	Las Vegas, NV	48.37	24.70%
124	Modesto, CA	47.93	24.79%
125	Dallas, TX	47.59	24.85%
126	Santa Clarita, CA	47.43	24.88%
127	Columbia, SC	46.92	24.97%
128	Aurora, CO	46.56	25.03%
129	Honolulu, HI	46.49	25.05%
130	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	46.47	25.05%
131	Houston, TX	46.46	25.05%
132	Vancouver, WA	46.43	25.06%
133	Tempe, AZ	46.28	25.08%
133	Baton Rouge, LA	46.28	25.08%
135	North Las Vegas, NV	46.26	25.09%
135	Fayetteville, NC	46.26	25.09%
137	Worcester, MA	45.98	25.14%
138	Richmond, VA	45.86	25.16%
139	Oxnard, CA	45.56	25.22%
140	St. Petersburg, FL	45.05	25.31%
141	Eugene, OR	44.98	25.32%
142	Yonkers, NY	44.68	25.37%
143	San Diego, CA	43.60	25.57%
144	Santa Rosa, CA	43.04	25.67%
145	Dover, DE	42.59	25.75%
146	Long Beach, CA	42.52	25.77%
147	Wilmington, DE	42.49	25.77%
148	Baltimore, MD	41.44	25.96%
149	Philadelphia, PA	40.38	26.16%
150	Garden Grove, CA	39.96	26.23%
151	New Orleans, LA	39.80	26.26%
152	Knoxville, TN	39.79	26.26%
153	Memphis, TN	39.50	26.31%
154	Tampa, FL	39.18	26.37%
155	Boston, MA	38.44	26.51%
156	Tallahassee, FL	38.14	26.56%
157	Fort Lauderdale, FL	37.59	26.66%
158	Rochester, NY	37.16	26.74%
159	Irvine, CA	36.95	26.78%
160	New York, NY	36.93	26.78%
161	Santa Ana, CA	36.69	26.82%
162	Gulfport, MS	36.58	26.84%
163	San Bernardino, CA	36.42	26.87%
164	Port St. Lucie, FL	33.78	27.35%
165	Cleveland, OH	33.65	27.38%
166	Anaheim, CA	32.52	27.58%
167	Cape Coral, FL	32.28	27.62%
168	Ontario, CA	31.50	27.77%
169	Moreno Valley, CA	30.60	27.93%
170	Burlington, VT	29.98	28.04%
171	Los Angeles, CA	29.90	28.06%
172	Pembroke Pines, FL	29.86	28.06%
173	Jackson, MS	28.82	28.25%
174	Oceanside, CA	28.79	28.26%
175	Birmingham, AL	28.49	28.31%
176	Orlando, FL	26.99	28.58%
177	Bridgeport, CT	20.31	29.80%
178	Glendale, CA	20.09	29.84%
179	Detroit, MI	11.73	31.35%
180	New Haven, CT	7.16	32.18%
181	Newark, NJ	2.85	32.96%
182	Miami, FL	0.00	33.48%

Note: *No. 1 = Most Affordable.

In-Depth Look at the Most Affordable Cities

Bismarck, ND

People in Bismarck, ND, have the most affordable rent as a percentage of their income. The median annual gross rent in the city is around 15.3% of the median annual income. For comparison, Miami residents spend more than double that, or 33.5% of their income.

Bismarck has the 20th-lowest median annual rent among the more than 180 cities in our study, but the 73rd-highest median income, which is why their rent-to-income ratio is so low.

Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, SD, has the second-most affordable rent. Residents’ mean annual gross rent only costs around 16% of the median income.

The median annual rent in Sioux Falls is only slightly more expensive than in Bismarck, the top city, ranking as the 21st-cheapest in the nation. It also has the 88th-highest median annual income among the more than 180 cities in our study.

Cheyenne, WY

Cheyenne, WY, is the city with the third-most affordable rent. Based on the median annual gross rent and median annual income, Cheyenne residents can expect to spend around 16.1% of their earnings on rent.

When you look at dollar amounts, Cheyenne’s rent is the 30th-cheapest in the country, but when you combine that with the fact that the city has the 76th-highest median income, it leads to the third-lowest ratio of rent to income.  – more at azbigmedia.com