The Average Rent in Salt Lake City

With its stunning mountain views and close proximity to outdoor recreation, Salt Lake City calls to nature-lovers and city-dwellers alike. And the growing tech scene is opening up more and more jobs, especially for recent college graduates, attracting a diverse crowd of young professionals.

Salt Lake's rent prices, like many, have continually grown over the years. But recently, they've seen a slight dip overall, meaning it's slightly more affordable for apartment renters than it was before. And in such a large city with many unique neighborhoods, there's bound to be something on the map that fits your style and budget.

What is the average rent in Salt Lake City?

The economic uncertainty from the recent pandemic, along with new housing options being built in the cities surrounding Salt Lake, has caused the city to see a decrease in rent prices. Over just the last year, the average rent in Salt Lake City has decreased by 14 percent, bringing it down to $1,244.

This leaves it a few hundred dollars less than the national average, which is $1,617, making it fairly affordable to renters.

How much do I need to make to live in Salt Lake City?

Experts recommend that we spend 30 percent or less of our pre-tax income on housing in order to live comfortably. After all, we still want to afford food and transportation and have a little bit of extra cash for fun!

To comfortably afford a one-bedroom apartment in Salt Lake City at $1,244 per month, you would need to make $49,760 before taxes. Or, for a monthly perspective, you would need to make $4,147.

You can also figure out how much you can afford to pay in rent by using our rent calculator.

The cost of living in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City's cost of living closely aligns with the national average. As compared to other cities, Salt Lake is a little bit smaller and not quite as packed as some of the others. This contributes to it being a more affordable place to live while still providing big-city amenities, like great restaurants, museums and cultural events.

• Overall: The overall cost of living in Salt Lake City is 1.6 percent more than the national average
• Groceries: The cost of living for groceries in Salt Lake City is 0.3 percent more than the national average
• Housing: The cost of living for housing in Salt Lake City is 0.5 percent more than the national average
• Utilities: The cost of living for utilities in Salt Lake City is 9.2 percent less than the national average
• Transportation: The cost of living for transportation in Salt Lake City is 12.3 percent more than the national average
• Healthcare: The cost of living for healthcare in Salt Lake City is 1.9 percent more than the national average
• Miscellaneous goods and services: The cost of living for miscellaneous goods and services in Salt Lake City is 3.1 percent more than the national average

The most and least expensive neighborhoods in Salt Lake City

Typically, the neighborhoods located on the west side of I-15 in Salt Lake are the least expensive. To the east of the freeway, downtown and the immediately surrounding areas are the most expensive. It gets progressively more affordable as you move further north, east and south of the main city center.

The most expensive Salt Lake City neighborhoods

As the most expensive neighborhoods in Salt Lake, Westpointe and Garfield are two of the safest places to live and are extremely family-friendly, with easy access to some of the best parks and schools in the valley.

The other more expensive neighborhoods have plenty of restaurants and are very diverse, offering many amenities and fun activities, like shopping and museums — all while being 15 minutes away from the solitude of the mountains.

*May not be a true market representation due to insufficient inventory

The least expensive Salt Lake City neighborhoods

Sitting west of the interstate, the least expensive neighborhoods don't have quite as quick access to the mountains and outdoor recreation, but you'll be able to get more for your money.

And even though these neighborhoods may not be right in the middle of the action, they still are only a few minutes away from all of the downtown hustle and bustle. You'll be about 10 minutes further from the mountains, but for half the price in rent, it's well worth it!

Average rent prices in Salt Lake City neighborhoods

The average rent prices in Salt Lake City vary greatly. Some areas run nearly $1,800 per month, while others will cost you less than half of that. But no matter where you live, you'll have plenty of big-city amenities within only a few minutes. Almost anyone can find something they can afford in SLC!

*May not be a true market representation due to insufficient inventory

Find your Salt Lake City neighborhood

Living in a culturally-diverse city nestled in the heart of the Wasatch Front, Salt Lake offers big-city living with outdoor access — and a lower price tag. Whether you're after great food, mountain views or world-class winter sports, Salt Lake City is calling your name.

Find an apartment in SLC in your perfect neighborhood.

Rent prices are based on a rolling weighted average from Apartment Guide and Rent.com's multifamily rental property inventory of one-bedroom apartments. Data was pulled in December 2020 and goes back for one year. We use a weighted average formula that more accurately represents price availability for each individual unit type and reduces the influence of seasonality on rent prices in specific markets.

Neighborhoods with insufficient inventory were excluded.

Cost of living data comes from the Council for Community and Economic Research.

The rent information included in this article is used for illustrative purposes only. The data contained herein do not constitute financial advice or a pricing guarantee for any apartment.