Austin and Atlanta have pulled off something rare: rent declines. Their rapid construction and intentional growth offer a model for the rest of the country.

In the modern world, prices always seem to be rising. With the exception of technology and maybe a few other industries, no one wonders whether prices will rise. The only question is how much they will go up.

But in recent years, the housing market has been challenging this trend. Believe it or not, average rental rates are actually going down. “October 2025 marks the 27th straight month of year-over-year rent decline for 0-2 bedroom properties,” notes a recent report from Realtor.com. “…Asking rents dipped by $29, or -1.7 percent, year-over-year.”

“The median asking rent in the 50 largest metros registered at $1,696, $63 (-3.6 percent) lower than its August 2022 peak,” the report continues. True, we are still above pre-pandemic levels, but the fact that rents are lower than they were three years ago is still something to celebrate. The report also notes that rents are down across all size categories, including studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units.

Naturally, this change is not uniform across the US. Some areas are seeing bigger drops in rental rates, while others are seeing smaller drops or even increases. In a September article, Realtor.com highlighted three metros that are seeing the biggest declines.

...read more at thedailyeconomy.org