The salary you need to comfortably afford a 2-bedroom apartment in the 25 biggest US cities

• SmartAsset found what income is needed to comfortably afford rent for a two-bedroom apartment in 25 cities across the US.
• The study calculated how much a renter would need to earn to spend no more than 28% of their annual income on rent.
• In seven cities, renters need to earn more than $US100,000.

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Rent for a two-bedroom apartment in New York City is more than double the cost of rent in Denver, Colorado.

It’s clear that depending on where in the United States you live, rent may take up a bigger portion of your income.

SmartAsset found what income is needed to comfortably afford rent for a two-bedroom apartment in 25 cities across the US. Comfortably, in this case, means spending no more than 28% of annual salary. The data on average apartment costs came from RentCafe.com and is from June 2018.

To be clear, 28% is just a benchmark and is actually lower than the 30% budget many experts recommend. In some cities with expensive housing markets, that figure can be higher. Though you can cut costs by pairing up with a roommate and splitting the rent.

Below are the top 25 cities with rent costs for a two-bedroom apartment and the annual income you’ll need (before taxes) to comfortably afford rent there.

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25. Memphis, Tennessee

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US769

Annual income needed: $US32,957

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24. El Paso, Texas

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US773

Annual income needed: $US33,129

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23. Indianapolis, Indiana

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US852

Annual income needed: $US36,514

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22. Columbus, Ohio

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US917

Annual income needed: $US39,300

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21. Phoenix, Arizona

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,040

Annual income needed: $US44,571

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20. Jacksonville, Florida

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,058

Annual income needed: $US45,343

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19. San Antonio, Texas

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,085

Annual income needed: $US46,500

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18. Fort Worth, Texas

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,124

Annual income needed: $US48,171

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17. Detroit, Michigan

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,135

Annual income needed: $US48,643

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16. Charlotte, North Carolina

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,175

Annual income needed: $US50,357

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15. Houston, Texas

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,205

Annual income needed: $US51,643

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14. Dallas, Texas

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,324

Annual income needed: $US56,743

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13. Nashville, Tennessee

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,338

Annual income needed: $US57,343

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12. Austin, Texas

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,431

Annual income needed: $US61,329

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11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,672

Annual income needed: $US71,657

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10. Denver, Colorado

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US1,720

Annual income needed: $US73,714

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9. San Diego, California

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US2,207

Annual income needed: $US94,586

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8. Seattle, Washington

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US2,245

Annual income needed: $US96,214

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7. Chicago, Illinois

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US2,381

Annual income needed: $US102,043

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6. Washington, DC

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US2,527

Annual income needed: $US108,300

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5. Los Angeles, California

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US2,773

Annual income needed: $US118,843

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4. San Jose, California

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US2,878

Annual income needed: $US123,343

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3. Boston, Massachusetts

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US3,356

Annual income needed: $US143,829

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2. New York, New York

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US3,789

Annual income needed: $US162,386

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1. San Francisco, California

Average 2-bedroom rent: $US4,382

Annual income needed: $US187,800

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