Housing decisions · Research and practical tools
What another bedroom costs across 30 metro benchmarks
A reproducible comparison of historical Census rent estimates, with margins of error, geographic definitions and downloadable calculations.
Historical benchmarks, not current asking rents. This is Homzora analysis of public Census estimates. It is not an original Homzora renter survey and does not forecast rent changes.
What an extra bedroom changes in the benchmark
Across the 30 metropolitan areas serving Homzora’s editions, the two bedroom median gross rent point estimate exceeds the one bedroom estimate in 30 areas. The dollar difference ranges from $40 in the Charlotte edition’s metro to $463 in the San Francisco edition’s metro. These are differences between separate groups of occupied homes. They do not establish what a landlord will charge to add one bedroom to a comparable apartment.
The contribution of this report is a consistent worksheet across the same 30 markets: the same observation period, bedroom categories, displayed uncertainty and transparent calculation. A household can use it to identify the size of a historical difference and then replace the benchmark with current written offers. A market with a larger difference may deserve closer attention to the space tradeoff, but it is not automatically a worse place to rent.
Download all 30 metro rows as CSV · Download source details and calculations as JSON
| Edition and Census metro code | One bedroom | Two bedrooms | Three bedrooms | Two minus one bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta 12060 | $1,524 ± $15 | $1,632 ± $11 | $1,764 ± $13 | $108 7.09% |
| Austin 12420 | $1,500 ± $20 | $1,795 ± $14 | $2,108 ± $26 | $295 19.67% |
| Boston 14460 | $1,701 ± $20 | $2,155 ± $16 | $2,291 ± $27 | $454 26.69% |
| Charlotte 16740 | $1,382 ± $16 | $1,422 ± $19 | $1,573 ± $28 | $40 2.89% |
| Chicago 16980 | $1,246 ± $9 | $1,444 ± $9 | $1,699 ± $14 | $198 15.89% |
| Columbus 18140 | $1,088 ± $14 | $1,317 ± $13 | $1,417 ± $20 | $229 21.05% |
| Dallas and Fort Worth 19100 | $1,393 ± $7 | $1,660 ± $11 | $1,934 ± $15 | $267 19.17% |
| Denver 19740 | $1,648 ± $12 | $1,961 ± $14 | $2,367 ± $29 | $313 18.99% |
| Detroit 19820 | $984 ± $9 | $1,254 ± $12 | $1,399 ± $10 | $270 27.44% |
| Greenville 24860 | $1,056 ± $27 | $1,140 ± $17 | $1,235 ± $36 | $84 7.95% |
| Houston 26420 | $1,214 ± $9 | $1,438 ± $9 | $1,773 ± $14 | $224 18.45% |
| Indianapolis 26900 | $1,038 ± $15 | $1,192 ± $13 | $1,427 ± $24 | $154 14.84% |
| Inland Empire 40140 | $1,436 ± $21 | $1,758 ± $16 | $2,107 ± $23 | $322 22.42% |
| Jacksonville 27260 | $1,264 ± $23 | $1,515 ± $29 | $1,685 ± $28 | $251 19.86% |
| Las Vegas 29820 | $1,308 ± $17 | $1,553 ± $15 | $1,908 ± $19 | $245 18.73% |
| Los Angeles 31080 | $1,784 ± $8 | $2,210 ± $8 | $2,636 ± $21 | $426 23.88% |
| Miami 33100 | $1,592 ± $18 | $1,900 ± $10 | $2,292 ± $23 | $308 19.35% |
| Minneapolis 33460 | $1,240 ± $11 | $1,553 ± $16 | $1,827 ± $22 | $313 25.24% |
| Nashville 34980 | $1,374 ± $19 | $1,489 ± $19 | $1,780 ± $31 | $115 8.37% |
| New York 35620 | $1,686 ± $7 | $1,869 ± $8 | $2,162 ± $15 | $183 10.85% |
| Orlando 36740 | $1,538 ± $21 | $1,723 ± $14 | $1,993 ± $31 | $185 12.03% |
| Philadelphia 37980 | $1,299 ± $14 | $1,585 ± $14 | $1,656 ± $18 | $286 22.02% |
| Phoenix 38060 | $1,447 ± $14 | $1,684 ± $10 | $2,003 ± $22 | $237 16.38% |
| Raleigh 39580 | $1,400 ± $19 | $1,549 ± $21 | $1,741 ± $27 | $149 10.64% |
| San Antonio 41700 | $1,146 ± $13 | $1,389 ± $15 | $1,674 ± $18 | $243 21.2% |
| San Diego 41740 | $1,888 ± $14 | $2,290 ± $15 | $2,826 ± $40 | $402 21.29% |
| San Francisco 41860 | $2,217 ± $17 | $2,680 ± $19 | $3,209 ± $42 | $463 20.88% |
| Seattle 42660 | $1,771 ± $13 | $2,080 ± $16 | $2,444 ± $24 | $309 17.45% |
| Tampa 45300 | $1,380 ± $18 | $1,621 ± $15 | $1,896 ± $27 | $241 17.46% |
| Washington, DC 47900 | $1,839 ± $12 | $2,054 ± $17 | $2,375 ± $20 | $215 11.69% |
Exact geographic coverage
The edition names above are navigation labels. Every observation in this report describes a complete Census metropolitan area, not only its central municipality. These boundaries matter when using a result for a particular home. The downloadable files preserve the source geography names exactly.
Show all Census metropolitan area names
- Atlanta: Atlanta to Sandy Springs to Roswell, GA Metro Area; code 12060
- Austin: Austin to Round Rock to San Marcos, TX Metro Area; code 12420
- Boston: Boston to Cambridge to Newton, MA to NH Metro Area; code 14460
- Charlotte: Charlotte to Concord to Gastonia, NC to SC Metro Area; code 16740
- Chicago: Chicago to Naperville to Elgin, IL to IN Metro Area; code 16980
- Columbus: Columbus, OH Metro Area; code 18140
- Dallas and Fort Worth: Dallas to Fort Worth to Arlington, TX Metro Area; code 19100
- Denver: Denver to Aurora to Centennial, CO Metro Area; code 19740
- Detroit: Detroit to Warren to Dearborn, MI Metro Area; code 19820
- Greenville: Greenville to Anderson to Greer, SC Metro Area; code 24860
- Houston: Houston to Pasadena to The Woodlands, TX Metro Area; code 26420
- Indianapolis: Indianapolis to Carmel to Greenwood, IN Metro Area; code 26900
- Inland Empire: Riverside to San Bernardino to Ontario, CA Metro Area; code 40140
- Jacksonville: Jacksonville, FL Metro Area; code 27260
- Las Vegas: Las Vegas to Henderson to North Las Vegas, NV Metro Area; code 29820
- Los Angeles: Los Angeles to Long Beach to Anaheim, CA Metro Area; code 31080
- Miami: Miami to Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, FL Metro Area; code 33100
- Minneapolis: Minneapolis to St. Paul to Bloomington, MN to WI Metro Area; code 33460
- Nashville: Nashville to Davidson to to Murfreesboro to to Franklin, TN Metro Area; code 34980
- New York: New York to Newark to Jersey City, NY to NJ Metro Area; code 35620
- Orlando: Orlando to Kissimmee to Sanford, FL Metro Area; code 36740
- Philadelphia: Philadelphia to Camden to Wilmington, PA to NJ to DE to MD Metro Area; code 37980
- Phoenix: Phoenix to Mesa to Chandler, AZ Metro Area; code 38060
- Raleigh: Raleigh to Cary, NC Metro Area; code 39580
- San Antonio: San Antonio to New Braunfels, TX Metro Area; code 41700
- San Diego: San Diego to Chula Vista to Carlsbad, CA Metro Area; code 41740
- San Francisco: San Francisco to Oakland to Fremont, CA Metro Area; code 41860
- Seattle: Seattle to Tacoma to Bellevue, WA Metro Area; code 42660
- Tampa: Tampa to St. Petersburg to Clearwater, FL Metro Area; code 45300
- Washington, DC: Washington to Arlington to Alexandria, DC to VA to MD to WV Metro Area; code 47900
How to reproduce the calculations
The inputs come from the 2024 ACS five year detailed table B25031, Median Gross Rent by Bedrooms. The one bedroom estimate is B25031_003E, two bedrooms is B25031_004E and three bedrooms is B25031_005E in the Census API naming convention. The corresponding variables ending in M provide the published margins of error. The archived summary file uses the equivalent E003 and M003 style of field names.
For each metro, subtract the one bedroom estimate from the two bedroom estimate to obtain the displayed dollar difference. Divide that difference by the one bedroom estimate and multiply by 100 to obtain the percentage difference. Percentage results are rounded to two decimal places. The report does not calculate a margin of error for these differences and does not perform significance tests or rank metros by statistical certainty.
All 30 rows use the same release and period. The values are not updated automatically when a new Census release appears. The publication date records when this analysis was prepared; it does not move the observation period forward. A future revision should preserve the old release, document any geographic changes and state whether comparisons are genuinely like for like.
Sources and definitions
- Census B25031 variable definitions
- Census guidance on one year and five year estimates
- Census 2024 table based summary files
The five year release pools observations from 2020 through 2024. It is not a single month snapshot. Gross rent is a Census housing cost measure that combines contract rent with applicable renter paid utility and fuel costs under its definition. It is not a total household cost of living measure. Check included utilities before comparing a listing price with the benchmark.
The rent figures describe occupied rental housing with the relevant characteristics. They do not measure only newly signed leases or currently available advertisements. Housing quality, location, tenure duration and included services differ within and across the bedroom groups. A difference between group medians cannot isolate the causal price of another bedroom.
Margins of error describe sampling uncertainty, not every source of error or mismatch. A narrow margin does not make a metro estimate an accurate quote for your building. Likewise, differences in the displayed point estimates do not prove that the same ordering would hold under a formal statistical test. Avoid treating closely spaced values as a reliable ranking.
Use the evidence for a real shortlist
Choose two or more current offers with the same intended occupancy and an acceptable layout. Record the stated rent, required recurring charges, utility responsibilities, parking and lease term for each. Keep the geographic benchmark in a separate reference column so it cannot silently replace an actual quote.
Next, inspect what additional space would solve. A separate room might support work or storage, but its value depends on usable dimensions, access and household needs. A bedroom label does not guarantee a workable desk, appropriate light or a quiet environment. Verify the actual property before translating a statistical gap into a household decision.
For shared housing, dividing total rent by the number of residents is only a starting point. Differences in room size, private facilities and household agreements may change the allocation. This report does not recommend an occupancy level or determine whether a particular arrangement is allowed. Use the agreed household plan and the property requirements.
Finally, compare the recurring difference with moving expenses and the payment calendar. A cheaper monthly offer can still require more cash before move day. The stay or move calculator and first month planner make those two questions explicit without pretending that a metropolitan median is your personal price.