This is how much income a San Antonio resident needs to afford rent in the city

rising rent sucks

Photo by Henry Becerra on Unsplash

If there's one thing nearly all renters can all agree on, it's the collective disdain for rising rent prices. Every year is an ongoing battle for affordability.

But luckily for San Antonio renters, they live in one of the most affordable cities in the United States. San Antonio has an average rent price that's much lower than the nearly $2,000 national average, and a lower-than-average annual income necessary to afford it. That's according to a recent income-to-rent study by business experts Chamber of Commerce.

The median annual income of a San Antonio resident is $44,167, the study says, which is $2,207 higher than what they would need to earn to afford the rent for a one bedroom apartment. A local would only need to make $41,960 a year to afford the median monthly rent, which amounts to $1,049.

San Antonio is not within the top 30 places with highest rents or income-rent gaps on the overall list of 120 U.S. cities.

The study used a 30 percent income-to-rent ratio to determine what a resident would need to make to afford their rent without using more than that generally recommended amount of their income.

The study's findings speak to a bigger problem of housing affordability and availability around the nation.

"Factors such as a lack of housing inventory and high mortgage rates have driven up rental costs across the country, which has left renters with limited options when it comes to finding affordable housing," the study's author said.

Elsewhere in Texas, someone living in Austin would need to make $63,800 a year to afford the $1,595 median monthly rent for their one bedroom apartment. Austin has the highest rent price out of all Texas cities listed in the study, but still does not crack the top 30.

In comparison, the study says, New York City has the highest rent in the country. Median rent costs $3,495 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, meaning that a New Yorker would need to make nearly $140,000 a year to afford it. According to the study's data, a New Yorker's median income sits at $65,317. But Miami has a larger gap, needing to make $120,000 instead of the actual median of $41,287.

Unsurprisingly, California cities dominate the top 10 most expensive cities on the list.

The top 10 cities with the highest incomes needed to afford rent are:

No. 1 – New York City, New York
No. 2 – Miami, Florida
No. 3 – San Francisco, California
No. 4 – Irvine, California
No. 5 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 6 – Jersey City, New Jersey
No. 7 – San Diego, California
No. 8 – Fremont, California
No. 9 – San Jose, California
No. 10 – Santa Clarita, California

Data for Chamber of Commerce's study was found using the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Zillow, and Zumper.

The full report can be found on chamberofcommerce.org.

rentcafe.com

This is how big San Antonio apartments get for $1,500 a month

NO SPACE TO WASTE

We all know what renters dream about when they’re not thinking about the logistics of owning a home: low rent prices with the perfect amount of space. In a city like San Antonio, that’s getting harder and harder to come by.

In fact, for renters who have a budget of $1,500 a month, the average apartment size they can get in San Antonio spans about 1,010 square feet. That’s according to a new study by apartment rental marketplace RentCafe. RentCafe’s study looked at data from their sister site, Yardi Matrix, to determine the average size and price per square foot for a $1,500 monthly budget in 200 of the largest American cities.

Alamo City is No. 9 among the Texas cities with the most space for the same budget. This may not sound like a great rating, but San Antonio is significantly bigger than the rest of the most spacious top 10 — so there's more to do outside that 1,010-square-foot apartment.

The worst offender, with the smallest space for the price, is Austin. Austin renters have to make do with an average apartment size of 714 square feet, which is a nearly 300-square-foot difference in comparison to San Antonio. In Killeen, which is only 70 miles north of Austin, renters can find an average apartment size of 1,095 square feet. Austin is at the bottom of the list in the overall analysis of Texas cities.

If you head to the Houston area, Pasadena residents get an average of 1,180 square feet of space for $1,500 a month, whereas renters searching for apartments in Houston proper will only get about 997 square feet.

Renters looking to live in Fort Worth or Dallas will notice a nearly 100 square foot difference between apartments, at 909 and 805 square feet, respectively. Residents can get the most bang for their buck in the suburbs with an average apartment size well into the 900-square-foot range. Mesquite residents, by far, get the most space, at 999 square feet, whereas renters in Garland and Arlington get an average of 937 and 928 square feet for the same budget.

Elsewhere in Texas, apartments in the Rio Grande Valley have the best price per square foot in the state. McAllen residents get the most space out of any other Texas city with an average apartment size of 1,471 square feet. Renters in Brownsville, which is 60 miles east on the border, can get a similarly sized apartment that’s 1,307 square feet for the same $1,500 a month budget.

Here’s how much space you can rent for $1,500 a month in other Texas cities:

Amarillo – 1,318 square feet
El Paso – 1,222 square feet
Lubbock – 1,218 square feet
Corpus Christi – 1,126 square feet
Grand Prairie – 873 square feet
Denton – 868 square feet
Irving – 848 square feet
McKinney – 809 square feet
Plano – 766 square feet
Frisco – 740 square feet

The full report can be found on rentcafe.com.

Photo by Henry Becerra on Unsplash

San Antonio rent prices increased 7 percent from 2022, report finds

RENT'S DUE

Apartment rent keeps going up in Texas, and in San Antonio the increase is seven percent more than last year, making it more difficult to afford living in the city. That’s according to a new national rent report from online rental marketplace Zumper.

Despite rent increases showing small improvements month-over-month, overall prices are still on the high side from the previous year. For example, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in San Antonio is $1,430 now, in March of 2023, which is a 1.4 percent decrease from the previous month, but a 4.4 percent increase from 2022. The average rent for a one-bedroom is $1,160, which is a mere .90 percent increase month-over-month, but a whopping 7.4 percent increase from last year.

The report looked at rental data from more than one million active listings in the top 100 cities in the United States to determine the rankings. Zumper ranked San Antonio the No. 66 most expensive rental market across the nation in February of 2023, up three places from the last report.

The report attributes these recent rental increase trends to the nation's rising inflation rate and unpredictable economy. Though unemployment is low (less than 3.4 percent), potential homebuyers are being sidelined with increasing interest rates. This is causing more competition among renters all over the country.

“Many markets continue to either normalize or correct following the steep increases in rent seen in 2021 [and 2022] in the zero interest rate [and] QE environment we went through,” said Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades in the report. “With interest rates expected to rise further in 2023, we anticipate continued deceleration in rent rises as new household formation freezes or is at least postponed.”

Much higher up the list from San Antonio is its Central Texas neighbor Austin, coming in as the No. 25 most expensive rental market, which is a two-place increase from a previous report. Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment stayed relatively flat over the last month, at $1,670, yet is still 7.7 percent higher than it was last year. Two-bedroom apartments saw a higher year-over-year increase at 8.4 percent, with the average rent price at $2,070.

Several cities in the DFW metro area also made the list, as well as Houston (No. 51) and El Paso (No. 95). Most notably, Irving (No. 34) is experiencing a nearly 15 percent year-over-year rent increase for both one- and two-bedroom apartments.

The nine total Texas cities that made the list include:

No. 25 – Austin
No. 34 – Irving
No. 36 – Dallas
No. 40 – Plano
No. 51 – Houston
No. 55 – Fort Worth
No. 66 – San Antonio
No. 67 – Arlington
No. 95 – El Paso

The full data from Zumper’s National Rent Report can be found at zumper.com.

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

Here are the top 7 things to do in San Antonio this weekend

Weekend Event Guide

Entertainment is the name of the game for the days ahead, and this list of happenings is proof. Catch Becky G or Alejandro Fernández live in concert, or sample some of the best beers around at Flying Saucer’s inaugural BeerFest. Check out the top seven things to do in San Antonio this weekend. For a complete list of events, please visit our calendar.

Friday, September 29

San Antonio Parks Foundation presents the 40th Annual Jazz’SAlive
Jazz’SAlive, San Antonio’s official jazz festival and one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country, is back for another year of music at Civic Park at Hemisfair. The two-day event will feature a lineup of jazz talent including Kirk Whalum, Jackie Venson, Dirty River Jazz Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, and the Aaron Prado Sextet featuring Azul Barrientos across two stages. For a schedule of events and more details, go to saparks.org.

Majestic Theatre presents Becky G in concert
Latin music sensation Becky G comes to San Antonio for a live concert. The California-based artist is best known for hit songs such as "Mamiii" and "Bubalu" performs at Majestic Theatre in support of her 2022 album, Esquemas. Get more details on Ticketmaster.

13th Floor Haunted House
Test your mettle at this year’s 13th Floor Haunted House San Antonio experience. Guests can choose between two separate haunted attractions — The Deadlands and the Rot Shop — to explore. Cocktails will be available onsite at the Copper Tavern for guests who prefer a frighteningly good drink. Check out 13thfloorsanantonio.com for more information. The haunted house is open through November 4.

Saturday, September 30

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents BeerFeast
The first-ever BeerFeast at Flying Saucer Draught Emporium invites guests to celebrate all things brewed for one day only. Tickets include samples from a curated selection of 80 local, national, and international breweries in commemorative BeerFeast taster cups for attendees to take home. Special tasting cards will also be available as souvenir swag. To purchase tickets, learn about VIP experience offerings, and more, go to beerknurd.com.

Tobin Center presents OktobinFest
Local entertainment takes the stage at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in homage to the rich cultural background of Texas. Festival programming includes several live performances from Grupo TanTan, Conjunto Heritage Taller, El Tallercito de Ballet Folklorico, and others. This event is suitable for guests of all ages. Go to tobincenter.org for more information.

AT&T Center presents Alejandro Fernández in concert
Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández brings his Amor y Patria U.S. Tour to San Antonio’s AT&T Center for a live show. The multi-Grammy-winning artist, widely known as “El Potrillo,” is the voice behind songs such as “Hoy Tengo Ganas De Ti” and “Caballero.” Find more information on Ticketmaster.

Sunday, October 1

Majestic Theatre presents "Russell Peters: Act Your Age World Tour"
Comedian Russell Peters performs live as part of his Act Your Age world tour at Majestic Theatre. He’s been recognized by Rolling Stone among the magazin'e's "50 Best Comics of All Time" and for his specials on Showtime and Comedy Central. Guests can expect a humorous evening of Peters’ musings and takes on the current state of the world fully uncensored. Get ticket details on majesticempire.com.

Photo by Andrews Cope

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium presents BeerFeast on September 30.

Hot San Antonio hotel brings back popular live fire dinner series for fall

Straight fire

Fall is finally upon us, and while we welcome the end of 100 degree days, we're all for the heat at Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails, which is bringing back its popular live fire series.

The downtown restaurant, located inside the Hotel Contessa, is reprising a summer series, this time for the fall season. Led by executive chef Michael Collins, the Ambler live fire dinners are a fun, interactive dining experience out on the hotel patio. If you're looking for a way to eat well and stay warm as temperatures (hopefully) cool, the live fire dinner is a guaranteed way to get the best of both worlds.

Chef Collins and his team are essentially hosting a hotel cookout where every item on the plate is grilled. It kicks off with a complimentary welcome cocktail, alongside buttermilk biscuits made with Shiner Bock beer and honey, plus a romaine salad for starters.

Guests will then choose between starters like mesquite-smoked and grilled Texas Akaushi ribeye, cast iron-blackened Gulf mahi-mahi, or mesquite-smoked beer can chicken. These entrees have more than a touch of Texas in the tasty mesquite smoke — and the 22-ounce ribeye and the half-chicken are seriously big portions.

Ambler invited CultureMap to a previous live fire dinner, where the sides were a surprising star. The cast iron-griddled potatoes also caught some smoke from being on the grill, and each dish is only lightly seasoned, to enhance the natural flavors rather than create a new taste.

Reservations for the fall live fire series ($79-$129 per person depending on entree, beverages at additional cost) are available on OpenTable. The fall live fire dinners kick off on September 30, and occur every Saturday all the way through November.

Stylish Barbie merch truck cruises through San Antonio on 'Dreamhouse Living Tour'

This Barbie Sells Merch

Hot on the heels — or wheels — of the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck comes another timely pink rolling shop. Actually, this truck will beat the Sanrio version here on September 30.

The Barbie Truck will stop in San Antonio on its 2023 "Dreamhouse Living Tour," which celebrates the 60th anniversary of Barbie's ever more popular property, and will give visitors a chance to spice up their own homes.

Although this is all about the house, there are only a few homewares: things like coasters, glass tumblers, a glass mug, a throw blanket, and an "accessories cup." Visiting Barbies have more opportunities to take home wearable and on-the-go items like graphic tees, hoodies, and denim; a baseball cap; embroidered patches; and keychains.

Photo courtesy of the Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour

Most people who have been awake and on social media in the past year have learned that Barbie's Dreamhouse has a more empowering history than many girls realized while orchestrating drama between the dolls.

A release announcing the arrival of the truck reminds fans (and detractors) that when the Dreamhouse came out, only a tenth of a percent of young women were independent homeowners, and states that someone buys a Dreamhouse every minute.

This is not the first time a Barbie truck has visited San Antonio, but for obvious reasons, it should be in very high demand this time around.

Photo courtesy of the Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour

Dreamhouse aside, this is a dream ride.

The Barbie Truck will be in San Antonio on Saturday, September 30th, from 10 am to 7 pm at North Star Mall. See it in the parking lot on the corner of the 410 access road and McCollough. Arrive early in case of long lines.

These Barbies will hit six other Texas cities on the tour:

October 7 — Austin
October 14 — Laredo
October 21 — Friendswood (Houston)
October 28 — The Woodlands (Houston)
November 4 — Plano (Dallas)
November 11 — Fort Worth

Follow along to see more stops on Instagram or Facebook.

View All Listings