Las Vegas Returns to Top 100 Cities for Renters, but Affordability Is Only Part of the Story
HENDERSON, NV – Las Vegas has climbed back into RentCafe’s top 100 cities for renters, reaching No. 92 in the company’s 2026 report after falling to No. 113 last year. The 21-place improvement follows changes in the city’s relative cost of living and local economy, although the ranking measures more than rent prices.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s coverage, Las Vegas ranked No. 77 in 2023 and No. 95 in 2024 before dropping out of the top 100 in 2025. This year’s result reverses that slide, but leaves the city below its position three years ago.
RentCafe communications specialist Georgie Gulimas told the newspaper that Las Vegas’ cost of living moved from 1.5 percent above the national average to 4.5 percent below it. The city’s local economy ranking also improved 46 places to No. 88. Those figures describe its standing within the study; the change relative to the national average should not be read as an equivalent decline in local prices.
RentCafe’s ranking compares 150 cities across 20 measures. Housing and cost of living account for 40 percent of the score, the local economy contributes 35 percent, and quality of life makes up the remaining 25 percent. The calculation includes apartment availability, employment, renter income growth, school ratings, transportation and air quality. A city can therefore rise in the overall standings without a comparable drop in rent.
A separate RentCafe rental market update for Las Vegas, dated September 30, illustrates that distinction. It lists average apartment rent at $1,468 per month, up 0.3 percent from $1,464 a year earlier. One-bedroom apartments average $1,302, while two-bedroom units average $1,571. In that dataset, rents have changed little over the past year rather than fallen sharply.
The geography also matters. Gulimas told the Review-Journal that Henderson and North Las Vegas were excluded from the best-cities ranking because complete cost-of-living data was unavailable. Las Vegas’ position should therefore not be presented as a ranking for the entire valley.
The apartment figures also have limits for owners of rental houses. RentCafe’s Yardi Matrix data covers apartment buildings with at least 50 units. Its best-cities report uses apartment data through June 2026 alongside other sources from different periods. Those figures do not directly establish what a single-family home should rent for today.
For local property owners, the report provides important context, but pricing still requires a closer look at comparable homes, condition, location and how long competing rentals remain available. For renters, the improved ranking offers a broader comparison of cities, while the monthly cost of a particular home remains a more immediate concern.
Shelter Realty Property Management specializes in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.
