3 North Texas Cities Named 'Best Places for Renters to Live'

A new study reports that a trio of North Texas cities are among the best places in America for renters to live.

RentCafe, a nationwide apartment listing site, named McKinney as the best city for renters to live in Texas, and No. 4 in the United States, ahead of Round Rock (No. 6) and Austin (No. 7). Also high on the list, Plano came in at No. 17, and Denton at No. 38. Charleston, South Carolina, took the top spot nationwide.

“When looking for the best place to rent in 2024, factors such as the size of apartments, employment or the quality of schools can really make a difference in the vetting process,” the RentCafe report stated. “And while no city has everything, there are quite a few that come close and rank high for renters searching for options that better fit their wallets and lifestyle.”

Twenty measures were considered in the survey, including cost of living, unemployment rate, job growth, average air quality, apartment occupancy rate, average school quality and share of new apartments.

McKinney ranked No. 2 in the cost of living and housing category and No. 9 in quality of life. RentCafe had plenty of nice things to say about the North Texas 'burb high on its list.


“With its small-town feel and a strong sense of community, McKinney is an ideal choice for renters who want to escape the bustle of the city without compromising on urban comfort,” RentCafe wrote. “Boasting a variety of parks, farmers markets and local businesses — all centered around its historic downtown — McKinney is a big draw for both young professionals and students.”

Just to be clear: this study is devoted to long-term rentals, and not the increasingly controversial short-term rentals you can find on Airbnb and VRBO. Farmers Branch, which has been pondering the question of whether it has too many apartments, was not listed in the report.

To be sure, when ranking the best places for renters to live, RentCafe did not focus on the cheapest places to live. The report also indicates that anyone looking to rent in McKinney or Plano should be ready to dole out a good chunk of change in monthly rent. McKinney recorded an 81.7% share of high-end apartments and Plano 78.1%.

According to RentCafe, the average monthly rent for an apartment in McKinney is $1,677 and Plano’s is $1,736. Both of those averages are close to the national apartment rental average of $1,713.

Interestingly, another Texas town made quite the varied impression on study authors. San Marcos was ranked as the best city in the country in the cost of living and housing individual category and the worst in quality of life.