Atlanta holds onto a place on the podium of America’s best cities for renters this year and continues to be the highest-ranking mid-size city thanks to an excellent local economy. Despite an equally great score in the housing & cost of living category, Atlanta was surpassed by McKinney, TX, and Sarasota, FL, which claimed the top spots in 2025.  

Let’s dive into some of the 20 factors that make Atlanta the 3rd best city for renters as well as the metrics that kept it from claiming 1st place: 

Local economy Rank: 5 

• Atlanta stands out with a renter income growth of 44% over the course of 5 years, marking one of the highest increases among the nation’s mid-sized cities.  

• Furthermore, Atlanta is an entrepreneurial haven with 475 business applications per 10,000 residents. That’s double, even triple the number of business applications you’d find in any other city with a population between 450-550.000.  

• A notable characteristic of Atlanta's residents is their high level of education: 33% of Atlanta’s adult population holds an upper education degree. 

By comparison, McKinney, TX; and Sarasota, FL; gained more points in this category due to lower unemployment rates and higher job growth than in Atlanta. 

Housing and cost of living Rank: 9 

• Atlanta’s cost of living is 4% below the national average, lower even than the top two cities on our list.  

• Renters will be pleased to know that Atlanta has the biggest apartments (averaging 968 sq. ft.) and the highest share of high-end apartments (70%) than in any other mid-sized city.  

However, McKinney and Sarasota offer renters more attractive rental options with higher shares of high-end apartments and newly built units, which helped them earn a better ranking in this category. 

Quality of Life Rank: 25 

• Atlanta boasts the second-highest share of public transportation usage and overall city walkability among mid-sized cities (9.7%). In fact, it’s higher than in the top two cities. 

• Similarly, the social association ratio (or how many opportunities locals have to connect with their communities) is higher than in the top two cities and in most mid-sized cities too.   

• About 44% of Atlanta’s apartments are located in desirable locations near transportation, shopping and entertainment. Among mid-sized cities, only Raleigh, NC, boasts a higher share, with half of apartments here being in top locations. 

McKinney and Sarasota scored better for school quality, natural amenities and air quality, which boasted their overall score in this category.