Quick answer: Typical rent in the most popular Sun Belt moving destinations ran $1,415 to $2,037 a month in September 2026, against $2,929 to $3,546 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Rents in Texas metros were nearly flat over the past year, while San Francisco rose 11.8% and New York 4.2%, so the rent savings from moving south grew.
Housing is the biggest monthly cost that changes when you move between states, and for renters it changes immediately. This report uses the Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), a smoothed measure of typical asking rent across apartments and rental houses, for September 2026. We compared the metros movers most often leave with the ones they most often choose, based on IRS migration flows.
Last updated: October 23, 2026
Key findings
- The U.S. typical rent was $1,932 in September 2026, up 2.7% from a year earlier and the highest reading in the index since at least 2022.
- Texas metros barely moved: Dallas +0.7%, Austin +0.7%, Houston +0.1% and San Antonio −0.7% year over year.
- Austin rent is still 10.8% below its August 2022 peak, and Cape Coral, Florida, 9.1% below its 2023 peak.
- The rent gap is widening: moving from San Francisco to Austin now saves $1,842 a month in typical rent, $351 more than a year ago.
- The biggest yearly savings among the routes we checked: New York to Charlotte ($21,731) and San Francisco to Austin ($22,099).
What does rent cost in the top moving destinations?
The table lists typical rent for September 2026 and the change from September 2025 in the Zillow ZORI metro data, for destination metros in the states that gained the most households.
| Destination metro | Typical rent, Sep 2026 | 1-year change | vs. peak since 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio, TX | $1,415 | −0.7% | −3.8% |
| Greenville, SC | $1,566 | +2.6% | At peak |
| Austin, TX | $1,603 | +0.7% | −10.8% |
| Houston, TX | $1,638 | +0.1% | −0.3% |
| Dallas, TX | $1,659 | +0.7% | −0.9% |
| Raleigh, NC | $1,669 | +1.4% | At peak |
| Jacksonville, FL | $1,680 | +2.2% | At peak |
| Phoenix, AZ | $1,720 | +1.0% | −0.9% |
| Knoxville, TN | $1,725 | +1.4% | At peak |
| Las Vegas, NV | $1,732 | +0.5% | −0.6% |
| Charlotte, NC | $1,735 | +1.4% | At peak |
| Nashville, TN | $1,803 | +1.2% | At peak |
| Cape Coral, FL | $1,827 | −0.1% | −9.1% |
| Atlanta, GA | $1,843 | +2.1% | At peak |
| Boise, ID | $1,924 | +7.6% | At peak |
| Orlando, FL | $1,929 | +0.8% | −0.4% |
| Tampa, FL | $1,991 | +0.4% | −0.6% |
| Charleston, SC | $2,037 | +4.4% | −0.2% |
Texas stands out as the cheapest and calmest group of large destination metros. Boise and Charleston are the exceptions among popular destinations, with rents rising faster than the national average.
What does rent cost in the metros people are leaving?
The large coastal metros that send the most movers south all sit well above the national typical rent, and several hit new highs in September 2026, according to the same ZORI data.
| Origin metro | Typical rent, Sep 2026 | 1-year change |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $3,546 | +4.2% |
| San Francisco, CA | $3,445 | +11.8% |
| Boston, MA | $2,987 | +2.3% |
| San Diego, CA | $2,967 | +2.2% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $2,929 | +1.8% |
| Miami, FL | $2,654 | +1.8% |
| Washington, DC | $2,407 | +1.4% |
| Seattle, WA | $2,250 | +1.8% |
| Chicago, IL | $2,163 | +4.7% |
Miami is on this list because it is both a destination and an origin: it is Florida’s most expensive large rental market, and many Floridians move on to cheaper metros in Georgia and the Carolinas, a pattern our Florida to Georgia report covers.
Our analysis: how much rent do you save on popular routes?
We paired common origin and destination metros and compared typical rent now and a year ago. Figures are the difference in ZORI typical rent, not a quote for a specific apartment.
| Route | Monthly rent gap | Yearly saving | Change in gap vs. 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco → Austin | $1,842 | $22,099 | +$351 |
| New York → Charlotte | $1,811 | $21,731 | +$118 |
| New York → Tampa | $1,555 | $18,656 | +$134 |
| Boston → Raleigh | $1,319 | $15,824 | +$43 |
| Los Angeles → Dallas | $1,270 | $15,235 | +$39 |
| Los Angeles → Phoenix | $1,209 | $14,503 | +$33 |
| Los Angeles → Las Vegas | $1,197 | $14,365 | +$43 |
| New York → Miami | $892 | $10,701 | +$94 |
| Miami → Atlanta | $811 | $9,733 | +$10 |
| Washington, DC → Nashville | $604 | $7,250 | +$11 |
| Chicago → Dallas | $504 | $6,043 | +$84 |
| Seattle → Boise | $327 | $3,919 | −$95 |
| Chicago → Tampa | $172 | $2,063 | +$88 |
On most routes the gap grew, because origin rents rose faster than destination rents. Seattle to Boise is the one route where it shrank, as Boise rents jumped 7.6%. The payback is fast on the big coastal routes: at the Los Angeles to Dallas gap of $1,270 a month, a $5,000 move is covered by rent savings in about four months. On Chicago to Tampa, the rent saving alone takes more than two years to repay the same move, so taxes, jobs or family are the real reasons to go. See moving costs on these routes in our California to Texas and New York to Florida reports.
Should you rent first after an interstate move?
For many movers, yes. Flat rents in Texas, Phoenix and Florida’s large metros make a short first lease a low-risk way to learn a new city before buying. Our guide to renting in a new state before buying covers leases, deposits and remote apartment hunting. Homeowners weighing the same decision can compare with our housing affordability and migration report.
Methodology and sources
Rents are from the Zillow Observed Rent Index, metro level, all homes (single-family, condo and multifamily), smoothed and seasonally unadjusted, for September 2026, downloaded October 23, 2026. ZORI measures typical asking rents for listings, not rents paid by existing tenants. One-year changes compare September 2026 with September 2025. “Peak since 2022” is the highest monthly value from January 2022 to September 2026. Route pairs are illustrative choices based on large flows in the IRS SOI 2022–2023 migration data; gaps and savings are our calculations. Metro averages hide large differences between neighborhoods.
FAQ
Which popular moving destination has the cheapest rent?
Among the destination metros we tracked, San Antonio, Texas, had the lowest typical rent at $1,415 a month in September 2026, followed by Greenville, South Carolina, at $1,566.
Are rents falling in Texas?
Mostly flat. In September 2026, typical rent was up 0.7% in Dallas and Austin, 0.1% in Houston and down 0.7% in San Antonio from a year earlier. Austin remains 10.8% below its 2022 peak.
How much can I save on rent by moving from California to Texas?
Moving from Los Angeles to Dallas cuts typical rent by about $1,270 a month, or $15,235 a year. San Francisco to Austin saves about $1,842 a month.
What is the Zillow Observed Rent Index?
ZORI is Zillow’s measure of typical market asking rent across a region’s rental homes and apartments. We used the smoothed, all-homes metro series.
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