The Best—and Worst—Cities for Renters to Find True Love

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Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Then break your lease and high-tail it to Austin, TX!

The capital of Texas is the nation’s best place for dating among renters, according to a recent report from Apartment List, a rentals website. The findings were based on a survey of more than 9,000 single renters that Apartment List conducted between Feb. 15 and Dec. 31, 2018. Just 66 metropolitan areas (cities and surrounding suburbs) were included, as only those with at least 25 responses were added to the ranking.

Nearly 40% of single renters reported being satisfied with the dating scene in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” as Austin is known. The emerging tech hub is also known for having a young vibe as the home of the University of Texas at Austin and its nearly 40,000 students.

“A lot of the top cities have growing economies that bring in a diverse dating pool,” says Apartment List’s Justin Chaplin, who wrote the report. “Often, they have a great tech and arts scene.”

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Austin is $1,153 a month, while a median-priced home in the metro goes for $345,825, according to Apartment List and realtor.com® data. Those high prices are reason enough to couple up and split expenses.

The other best places to find a mate were Charlotte, NC; San Francisco; Minneapolis; and Little Rock, AR.

Die-hard romantics should probably avoid renting a home in Palm Bay, FL. The city, located between Daytona Beach and West Palm Beach, along the coast of the Sunshine State, was ranked as having the worst dating scene for renters.

Singles “could be moving to bigger cities nearby,” like Orlando, says Chaplin. (Orlando is about an hour’s drive northwest from Palm Bay.) Larger cities offer more nightlife and dating opportunities.

But while Palm Bay may not boast a bachelor or bachelorette’s paradise, renters can score a one-bedroom apartment in the city for just $821 a month, according to Apartment List. Meanwhile, Palm Bay buyers can scoop up a home for a median $274,745 in the metro area, according to realtor.com data.

The other worst places for renters looking for love were New Haven, CT; Providence, RI; Riverside, CA; Kansas City, MO; and Albany, NY.

The post The Best—and Worst—Cities for Renters to Find True Love appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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