Florida cities with the most affordable rent, ranked. Here’s the lineup

This week, WalletHub has released its 2025 ranking of cities with the most affordable rent in the nation.

The list examined the media annual gross rent in over 180 of the country’s most populous cities, comparing those figures to the median household income.

“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,” the study reads. “Unfortunately, wages haven’t increased at the same rate, making it harder and harder for people to afford housing.”

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According to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo, the most affordable cities have a median rent cost as low as 15% of the median income. In the most expensive cities, that ratio is instead over 30%.

“This gives people in the least expensive cities a clear financial advantage,” he said. “The money they save on rent could go toward their emergency fund or savings for future home ownership.”

The top-ranked city on the list is Bismarck in North Dakota. That’s followed by Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in second; and Cheyenne, Wyoming, in third.

But you won’t find a Florida city on the ranking until much further down: Jacksonville all the way at No. 121.

Florida has been a victim of its own success in recent years, with the state seeing hordes of newcomers moving into its borders.

While the massive influx has bolstered the state’s economy and boosted projected production, it’s also led to significantly higher costs of living as compared to other parts of the country — including in terms of rent.

In fact, Miami was the lowest-ranked on WalletHub’s list, earning a total score of 0 thanks to its gross ratio reaching over 33%.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Florida cities fared as follows:

*This metric measures median annual gross rent as a percentage of median annual household income.