Bismarck, North Dakota, is the most affordable US city in 2026, per a WalletHub report. Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock While some markets are seeing cooling prices, rent in some areas continues to rise. WalletHub ranked 182 cities across the US by how affordable rents are relative to median income. Bismarck, North Dakota, ranked first, with 15% of the median income going toward rent. Not every city is built the same, and that's also true of rental markets. While some cities are seeing cooling rents and more affordable housing efforts, rent prices in others continue to rise. A recent WalletHub study ranked 182 US cities, including the 150 most populous cities in the country and at least two of the most populous in each state, by how much renters spend on rent, on average. To calculate the share of income spent on rent, WalletHub used US Census Bureau data on median annual gross rent and median household income for each surveyed city. "A general rule of thumb is that rent should not exceed 30% of the median income," Maggie Rong Hu, an assistant professor of real estate at Baruch College in New York, said in the study. "This ensures that renters can comfortably afford their housing without sacrificing other essential living expenses." On average, people living in the 31 cities listed below spend about 18.5% of their income on rent, lower than the 23.46% across all measured cities. In the most expensive cities in the study, including Miami, Detroit, and Newark, renters can spend up to 33.8% of their income on rent. See the most affordable cities for renters across the US in 2026. 30. (Tie) Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 20.10% 30. (Tie) South Burlington, Vermont South Burlington, Vermont. vermontalm/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 20.10% 29. Chesapeake, Virginia trekandshoot/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.96% 28. Amarillo, Texas Dani California Dreamin/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.88% 27. Des Moines, Iowa Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.84% 26. Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.75% 25. Plano, Texas Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.68% 24. Seattle Seattle. SCStock/Getty Images Income spent on rent: 19.67% 23. West Valley City, Utah Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.57% 22. Fort Wayne, Indiana Nicholas J Klein/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.52% 21. Omaha, Nebraska Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.46% 20. Fremont, California NorCalStockMedia/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.39% 19. Fort Smith, Arkansas Jonathan C Wear/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.35% 18. Laredo, Texas Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 19.34% 17. Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville, Alabama, roughly 15 miles northeast of Triana. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.81% 16. Rapid City, South Dakota Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.78% 15. Columbia, Maryland Gyro Captain Drone Photos/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.64% 14. Billings, Montana trekandshoot/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.53% 13. Warwick, Rhode Island Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.44% 12. Lincoln, Nebraska Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.13% 11. Wichita, Kansas Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 18.11% 10. Overland Park, Kansas Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.34% 9. Anchorage, Alaska TripWalkers/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.30% 8. Casper, Wyoming Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.24% 7. Juneau, Alaska Alexandre.ROSA/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.04% 6. Cheyenne, Wyoming Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 17.02% 5. Fargo, North Dakota Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.94% 4. Charleston, West Virginia Mihai_Andritoiu/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.56% 3. Cedar Rapids, Iowa Sean Pavone/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.48% 2. Sioux Falls, South Dakota Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 16.35% 1. Bismarck, North Dakota Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock Income spent on rent: 15.29% Read the original article on Business Insider