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These are the U.S. cities where Americans can actually afford to live on a single person’s income—and the ones out-of-budget for singletons
As rents climb, the once-romanticized vision of living alone and eating your first cup of noodles in an unfurnished apartment recently started to feel like a dream of the past.
But now, the rent-burdened generation may see some hope.
The “Carrie Bradshaw Index,” (named after the fictional Sex and the City character), released by The Economist, ranks 100 of the country’s major cities by affordability for people who are chasing that solo-living dream, from the most expensive to the least.
To measure affordability, they used a rule that the tenant should spend no more than 30% of their gross income on rent, a recommendation which has been more or less not followed now by Gen Z).
Then, the study used online rental marketplace Zumper to calculate the rent price and salary needed to afford a studio apartment in the city that was measured. The city was then ranked from more than one (which meant the home was affordable) and less than one (where it was unaffordable).
Budget-friendly options came down to these locations
For the second year in a row, Wichita, Kansas, had a score of about 1.75. It may not be the first city everyone dreams of to live in solo, but it’s one of the only cities where median wages (calculated as $58,000 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) are 75% higher than what is needed to afford an average studio apartment.
Below are the top five most affordable options, with data collected from Zumper’s average cost of a studio apartment, along with the required salary using the 30% income rule The Economist uses in their study.
1) Wichita, Kansas
Average rent: $585
Required income: $23,400
2) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Average rent: $715
Required income: $28,600
3) Lincoln, Nebraska
Average rent: $715
Required income: $28,600
4) Des Moines, Iowa
Average rent: $735
Required income: $29,400
5) Akron, Ohio
Average rent: $725
Required income: $29,000
Locations out-of-budget for singles
It may not surprise you, but New York City was ranked as one of the least affordable places for singles looking to live alone in 2025. On average, the median rent for an apartment is $3,811, which requires earners to rack in more than six-figures, $91,140 above the median wage.
1) New York, New York
Average rent: $3,811
Required income: $152,440
2) Miami, Florida
Average rent: $2,100
Required income: $84,000
3) Jersey City, New Jersey
Average rent: $3,036
Required income: $121,440
4) Charleston, South Carolina
Average rent: $1,663
Required income: $66,520
5) Boston, Massachusetts
Average rent: $2,500
Required income: $100,000
