Valentine’s Day might be lonely for the singles out there, but here’s an upside: In some cities, renting a studio by yourself might save you enough money to put toward finding “the one.”

A new report from RentHop ranks the most and least affordable locales for singles by comparing the median list price of a studio apartment against the median “nonfamily” income in the 50 most populous U.S. cities to find the cost of rent in each as a percentage of income. (Data was taken from the RentHop platform and the U.S. Census Bureau. While many singles can afford a larger apartment, the cost of a studio was used as a benchmark.)

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Singles seeking the most affordable city need look no further than Wichita, Kan., where the median rent for a studio in 2024 was just $590. Wichita singles earn a median income of $39,336, meaning only 18 percent of their paycheck goes to rent. Up next was Columbus, Ohio, where the median studio rent of $878 amounted to around 21 percent of the median single’s income, followed by Minneapolis, similarly priced.

Seattle, coming in fourth, had a higher median studio rent, at $1,495. But singles there earn a median income of $85,653, the fifth highest among residents in the 50 biggest U.S. cities, so singles there also pay about 21 percent of their income on rent.

If you’re single in a major metropolis, paying rent and enjoying the nightlife will be more challenging. New York City was the most expensive metro for singles in the study, which is bad news for anyone arriving alone to one of the city’s tried-and-true hot spots. Singles shell out a median of $3,375 to rent a studio in New York, or nearly 68 percent of their median income of $59,947.

Paying the Rent Alone

The cities where singles pay the largest and smallest share of their earnings toward renting a studio.

A chart showing the large U.S. cities in which singles pay the largest and smallest share of their earnings toward rent.

Least income toward rent

Median

single

income

Percent of

income

for rent

City

18%

21%

21%

21%

22%

22%

22%

22%

22%

23%

Wichita, Kan.

Columbus, Ohio

Minneapolis

Seattle

Colorado Springs

Tulsa, Okla.

Albuquerque

Austin, Texas

Oklahoma City

Indianapolis

$39,336

$50,721

$60,539

$85,653

$54,637

$41,022

$44,957

$68,630

$45,092

$43,983

Most income toward rent

Median

single

income

Percent of

income

for rent

City

68%

54%

37%

36%

36%

33%

33%

32%

31%

31%

New York

Miami

Detroit

Boston

Los Angeles

Philadelphia

Baltimore

Virginia Beach

Nashville

Houston

$59,947

$45,956

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$28,196

$77,303

$59,406

$45,022

$46,020

$59,426

$57,683

$49,854

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Least income toward rent

Most income toward rent

Median

single

income

Percent of

income

for rent

Median

single

income

Percent of

income

for rent

City

City

18%

21%

21%

21%

22%

22%

22%

22%

22%

23%

68%

54%

37%

36%

36%

33%

33%

32%

31%

31%

Wichita, Kan.

Columbus, Ohio

Minneapolis

Seattle

Colorado Springs

Tulsa, Okla.

Albuquerque

Austin, Texas

Oklahoma City

Indianapolis

$39,336

$50,721

$60,539

$85,653

$54,637

$41,022

$44,957

$68,630

$45,092

$43,983

New York

Miami

Detroit

Boston

Los Angeles

Philadelphia

Baltimore

Virginia Beach

Nashville

Houston

$59,947

$45,956

$28,196

$77,303

$59,406

$45,022

$46,020

$59,426

$57,683

$49,854

Source: RentHop

By The New York Times

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