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“What’s Inflated. What Isn’t.”

Top 50 U.S. Cities Where Rent Rose Most: January–June 2026

The 50 U.S. cities with the biggest rent increases from January to June 2026. Ranked by percent change using Zillow ZORI. See Jan vs June prices for every city on the list.

Which cities got more expensive to rent in the first half of 2026? Below are the 50 U.S. cities with the largest percent rent increases from January to June 2026, using Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI) from the June 2026 release — same vintage for both months. Ranked by percent change, not dollar change. For the full city database and longer history, see Rent by City, Rent by State, Rent Trends by State, and The Rent Index.
The Rent Index: 2015–2026
U.S. typical market rent (Zillow ZORI, all homes + multifamily, smoothed)
$981.75$1217.70$1453.65$1689.60$1925.55$2161.502015$1210.002016$1252.002017$1307.002018$1362.002019$1416.002020$1445.002021$1668.002022$1775.002023$1829.002024$1882.002025$1965.002026
Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), All Homes Plus Multifamilykeepingupwithinflation.com
Then (2019)
$1,362/mo
Now (2026)
$1,965/mo
Change
+44%
Quick answer: From January to June 2026, Hood River, OR led the country with a +63.4% rent increase ($2,156 → $3,522/mo), followed by Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA (+53.7%) and Mission Viejo, CA (+25.2%). Full Top 50 below.
The Top 50 — Ranked by % Rent Increase (Jan → June 2026)keepingupwithinflation.com
  1. 1.Hood River, OR · $2,156 → $3,522/mo+63.4% (+$1,366)
  2. 2.Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA · $4,087 → $6,281/mo+53.7% (+$2,194)
  3. 3.Mission Viejo, CA · $2,455 → $3,074/mo+25.2% (+$619)
  4. 4.Farmingdale, NY · $2,448 → $3,028/mo+23.7% (+$580)
  5. 5.Water Mill, NY · $78,647 → $96,167/mo+22.3% (+$17,520)
  6. 6.Joshua Tree, CA · $1,673 → $2,043/mo+22.1% (+$370)
  7. 7.Oswego, NY · $1,166 → $1,415/mo+21.4% (+$249)
  8. 8.Hampton Bays, NY · $10,741 → $13,026/mo+21.3% (+$2,285)
  9. 9.Indiana, PA · $805 → $976/mo+21.2% (+$171)
  10. 10.Southampton, NY · $34,939 → $42,218/mo+20.8% (+$7,279)
  11. 11.Tomah, WI · $1,076 → $1,298/mo+20.6% (+$222)
  12. 12.Dobbs Ferry, NY · $3,703 → $4,460/mo+20.4% (+$757)
  13. 13.Kailua Kona, HI · $2,858 → $3,433/mo+20.1% (+$575)
  14. 14.Monroe, LA · $1,351 → $1,622/mo+20.1% (+$271)
  15. 15.North Myrtle Beach, SC · $1,468 → $1,745/mo+18.9% (+$277)
  16. 16.Silverthorne, CO · $2,843 → $3,377/mo+18.8% (+$534)
  17. 17.Scarsdale, NY · $8,233 → $9,756/mo+18.5% (+$1,523)
  18. 18.Clairton, PA · $1,210 → $1,433/mo+18.4% (+$223)
  19. 19.Eagle, CO · $2,318 → $2,732/mo+17.9% (+$414)
  20. 20.East Greenwich, RI · $2,429 → $2,858/mo+17.7% (+$429)
  21. 21.Niles, IL · $1,836 → $2,160/mo+17.6% (+$324)
  22. 22.Haleiwa, HI · $3,715 → $4,369/mo+17.6% (+$654)
  23. 23.Bunnell, FL · $1,427 → $1,677/mo+17.5% (+$250)
  24. 24.Sag Harbor, NY · $40,543 → $47,569/mo+17.3% (+$7,026)
  25. 25.Hampton, NH · $2,183 → $2,556/mo+17.1% (+$373)
  26. 26.Granger, IN · $1,729 → $2,024/mo+17.1% (+$295)
  27. 27.Abilene, TX · $1,666 → $1,947/mo+16.9% (+$281)
  28. 28.Oxford, FL · $1,484 → $1,733/mo+16.8% (+$249)
  29. 29.Anderson Mill, TX · $1,886 → $2,198/mo+16.5% (+$312)
  30. 30.New Carrollton, MD · $1,508 → $1,757/mo+16.5% (+$249)
  31. 31.Brattleboro, VT · $1,508 → $1,753/mo+16.2% (+$245)
  32. 32.Corte Madera, CA · $5,090 → $5,915/mo+16.2% (+$825)
  33. 33.Auburn, NY · $1,227 → $1,425/mo+16.1% (+$198)
  34. 34.Wayzata, MN · $1,605 → $1,856/mo+15.6% (+$251)
  35. 35.Woodland Park, CO · $1,877 → $2,165/mo+15.3% (+$288)
  36. 36.Harrison, NY · $4,491 → $5,176/mo+15.3% (+$685)
  37. 37.Hackettstown, NJ · $1,995 → $2,296/mo+15.1% (+$301)
  38. 38.Ambridge, PA · $758 → $872/mo+15.0% (+$114)
  39. 39.Park City, UT · $3,400 → $3,888/mo+14.4% (+$488)
  40. 40.Rye, NY · $7,440 → $8,489/mo+14.1% (+$1,049)
  41. 41.Grand Haven, MI · $1,390 → $1,584/mo+14.0% (+$194)
  42. 42.Clementon, NJ · $1,542 → $1,753/mo+13.7% (+$211)
  43. 43.Ventnor City, NJ · $2,199 → $2,499/mo+13.6% (+$300)
  44. 44.Sugarcreek, OH · $1,956 → $2,222/mo+13.6% (+$266)
  45. 45.Carolina Beach, NC · $2,372 → $2,691/mo+13.4% (+$319)
  46. 46.Burlington, WA · $1,862 → $2,110/mo+13.3% (+$248)
  47. 47.San Francisco, CA · $3,887 → $4,401/mo+13.2% (+$514)
  48. 48.South Lake Tahoe, CA · $2,411 → $2,729/mo+13.2% (+$318)
  49. 49.West Bend, WI · $1,259 → $1,425/mo+13.2% (+$166)
  50. 50.Fernandina Beach, FL · $2,125 → $2,403/mo+13.1% (+$278)

Source: Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), June 2026 release — January 2026 vs June 2026 for each city. Ranked by percent increase. See also Rent by City · Rent Trends by State · Rent Index.

How we ranked these cities
We took every city in the June 2026 Zillow ZORI city file with both a January 2026 and June 2026 reading, calculated percent change ((June − January) / January), and ranked highest to lowest. Absolute dollar jumps on ultra-expensive resort markets can look huge in dollars but still lose on percent rank to smaller cities with sharp mid-year moves.
What this list is (and isn’t)
This is a first-half-of-2026 listicle — not the full story since 2019. Many cities that “cooled” after 2022 are still far above pre-pandemic rent. For the long-run ranking, use our Top 50 since 2019 table on the Rent by City page.
Why ZORI numbers can shift
Zillow revises historical ZORI when it publishes a new monthly file. We use one consistent release for both January and June so the change isn’t mixing old and new vintages. National metro ZORI was about $1,965/month as of June 2026.
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