How Much Does It Cost to Live in Cleveland? A 2026 Rent and Budget Guide

Updated September 2026. Rent figures reflect Apartment List data as of August 2026.

According to the Apartment List Rent Index, the median rent across all apartment sizes in Cleveland is $1,045 as of August 2026, with one-bedrooms at $853 and two-bedrooms at $1,063. That runs about 24.8% below the national median of $1,390.

Rent here is moving against the national trend. Cleveland rents rose 0.45% over the past year while the national median fell 0.76%. What you cannot pin down from a listing is power, because which utility serves a Cleveland address varies within the city.

Cleveland Cost of Living at a Glance

Rent anchors this guide, and the advertised price covers one part of the monthly bill. The figures below set a starting range for Cleveland.

Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates. Full method and sources are in the appendix.

How to use these numbers: Start with the rent for the unit size you're considering. Add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with listing-specific charges and your expected usage.

What Is the Median Rent in Cleveland in 2026?

The median one-bedroom rent in Cleveland is $853 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. Two-bedrooms run $1,063 and the all-sizes median is $1,045.

Cleveland rents went up over the past year, which puts the city on the opposite side of the national trend. The citywide median is up 0.45% while the national median fell 0.76% over the same period. The most recent month ran the other way, down 0.83%. Over the longer span since the pandemic, Cleveland is up 10.92%.

The monthly and annual figures cover different periods, and the twelve-month change is the steadier of the two. What these figures do not tell you is what any specific building is offering right now, so ask each one directly about concessions, fees, and the move-in total.

How the City Median Compares With the Metro Median

According to the Apartment List Rent Index, the Cleveland-Elyria metro median is $1,137 across all apartment sizes as of August 2026, against the city's $1,045. The city runs below the metro by a consistent margin at all three sizes shown.

All figures are Apartment List August 2026 estimates.

This is a comparison between a city and the larger area containing it, and nothing more. It does not tell you that suburbs price higher, that moving outward saves money, or which direction from downtown is cheaper.

How Does Cleveland Rent Compare With Other Midwest and Rust Belt Cities?

The table sets Cleveland against selected Midwest and Rust Belt cities and the national median. It is not a ranking of every Midwest rental market.

All figures are Apartment List medians as of August 2026.

Cleveland and Detroit are priced the same. The $9 between them is inside what these markets move in a single month, so treat the two as one price and let the buildings decide it.

Above them, the gaps are real. Cleveland runs $263 under Columbus and $401 under Pittsburgh, and $345 under the national median. Within Ohio, the state median of $1,122 sits above Cleveland's citywide figure.

What Income Corresponds to Cleveland Rent at the 30% Benchmark?

Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $853, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $34,120 in annual gross income.

Each income figure is the monthly rent multiplied by 12 and divided by 0.30, calculated from the unrounded medians. The shared row assumes an equal split of the two-bedroom median between two renters, which is $531.50 before rounding. Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates for Cleveland.

The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable. HUD's version includes utilities. That $34,120 is rent alone. Heating is a genuine expense through a Cleveland winter, and none of it is in there.

This calculation uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for after-tax income and will produce a different estimate.

Treat $34,120 as a planning benchmark, not a salary requirement or a screening rule.

How Do You Set a Rent Ceiling for a Specific Listing?

Start from what you earn:

1. Take your gross annual income.
2. Multiply by 0.30 to get the annual rent your budget supports at the 30% benchmark.
3. Divide by 12 for a monthly rent ceiling.

On a $40,000 salary that is about $1,000 a month, which sits above Cleveland's $853 median one-bedroom. On $50,000 it is about $1,250. On $32,000 it is about $800, which lands just below the median one-bedroom.

The arithmetic also runs the other way if you are looking at a specific listing. Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by 0.30 to see the income it implies: a $1,000 listing points to about $40,000, and a $750 listing to about $30,000.

Run the number before you tour, not after. Then check it against the Apartment List Rent Calculator, which works from your actual income and debts instead of a flat percentage. Apartment List does not charge renters a fee.

What Should You Budget Beyond Rent in Cleveland?

Electricity: Budget the Average, Then Confirm the Utility

At Ohio's average residential rate (EIA, June 2026), 500 kWh comes to about $96 a month. The statewide average bill is higher, $166.81, but that reflects an average monthly use of 869 kWh across all Ohio residential accounts, well above what a 500 kWh apartment draws.

What you cannot pin down in advance is which rate applies to you. Two utilities serve addresses inside the city, Cleveland Public Power and the Illuminating Company, and which one serves a given address varies within the city. You do not get to pick. Ohio also lets residents buy power from a competitive supplier, and a community can enroll its residents in an aggregation program by default, which you can opt out of.

So plan on $96, then ask the building which utility serves the unit and what a recent January bill came to.

Natural Gas

Enbridge Gas Ohio supplies the area. Where a renter is billed for gas directly, this is the winter bill that matters.

For renters billed by Enbridge directly, 25 therms comes to about $59 a month before tax, and roughly $48 of that is fixed charges you pay before burning any gas. Conserving moves only the remaining $11. Whether you pay it at all depends on the building, so ask whether gas is billed to you or included in rent.

Water and Sewer

Cleveland Water bills drinking water and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District bills wastewater and stormwater. In most apartments both come bundled into rent or split across the building, which is why no figure appears here. Ask which applies at a specific address.

Transit

The Greater Cleveland RTA runs the buses, the Red Line rail, and the HealthLine. A single adult fare is $2.50 in cash and an all-day pass is $5.00. Longer passes run $25.00 for 7 days and $95.00 for a month. Seniors and riders with disabilities pay $1.25 a ride and $48.00 a month.

RTA added account-based fare capping on June 1, 2026, so once your spending hits the cap for a period the rest of your rides that period are free. Check the current caps before buying a monthly pass outright.

Groceries

The USDA Moderate-Cost Food Plan puts groceries for a single adult at about $440 a month, based on the July 2026 monthly cost of food report. That's a national benchmark rather than a Cleveland number, so treat it as a starting point and adjust it for how much you cook against how often you eat out.

How Do Solo and Shared Cleveland Budgets Compare?

Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates, with the half-share of $531.50 shown as $532. The shared column splits rent and utilities between two renters on the same usage basket; groceries and a transit pass are per person. Gas applies only where a renter is billed directly. No total is shown, because the electricity figure is an Ohio state average rather than a Cleveland tariff.

Rent is the line that moves most, $322 a month per renter. Gas moves too, but about $48 of its $59 is fixed regardless of use, so what lowers it is splitting the bill rather than using less. Sharing also lowers the income the 30% benchmark points to by roughly $12,860 a year.

Cleveland's Two-Bedroom Median Runs $210 Above Its One-Bedroom

In Cleveland a two-bedroom runs $210 more than a one-bedroom at the median, or about 24.6% above the one-bedroom figure (Apartment List, August 2026).

Because that step is smaller than the one-bedroom median itself, splitting a two-bedroom lands below renting a one-bedroom alone.

What Should You Confirm Before Paying an Application Fee?

• Which electric utility serves the unit, Cleveland Public Power or the Illuminating Company
• Whether the address is enrolled in a community aggregation program for electricity or gas supply
• Whether gas is billed to you or included, and what a recent winter bill came to
• Whether water and sewer are billed to you, allocated across the building, or included
• Whether the unit has gas or electric heat, and what the last tenant paid in January
• Total move-in cost: first month, security deposit, and any administrative, pet, or amenity fees

Ask the property for its total move-in amount in writing before paying anything. Apartment List does not charge renters a fee, so every fee you are checking for belongs to the property.

How Do You Find Lower Rent in Cleveland?

Run your actual numbers first. The Apartment List Rent Calculator sets a ceiling from your income and debts, and Rate My Rent grades a specific listing against comparable nearby apartments on rent, square footage, and amenities. That grade is a starting point for questions to ask the building, not a verdict on the unit.

Compare Cleveland With Your Current City

If you are moving in from somewhere else, the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares your current city against Cleveland. It asks for monthly household income after taxes, which is a different input than the gross-income benchmark used above.

In Cleveland, which company bills you for electricity depends on your address. Cleveland Public Power and the Illuminating Company both serve parts of the city, their rates are built differently, and Illuminating customers may also sit on default supply, a competitive supplier, or a city aggregation program. Ask the building which utility serves the unit before you sign, and ask what a winter bill there actually ran.

Browse Cleveland apartments and start comparing real listings.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Rent figures come from the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, which uses a same-unit, repeat-transaction analysis.

Income figures are calculations based on the cited Apartment List rent medians and the 30% rent-to-income benchmark, not measured income data.

The gas estimate assumes 25 therms a month, converted at roughly 10.3 therms per thousand cubic feet because Enbridge Gas Ohio bills in Mcf, and includes the fixed monthly charges in effect as of September 2026. It excludes the Ohio gross receipts tax and applies only where a renter is billed for gas directly. The electricity figure is an Ohio state average rather than a Cleveland tariff figure, because two utilities serve the city and supply may be default, competitive, or aggregation, and no monthly total is published for the same reason.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cleveland Rent & Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Cleveland?

The median all-sizes rent in Cleveland is $1,045 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, with one-bedrooms at $853 and two-bedrooms at $1,063. Apartment List reports a median rather than an average because a median better represents a typical apartment and is less distorted by a handful of luxury units.

Is Cleveland Expensive?

No. Cleveland's $1,045 all-sizes median runs 24.8% below the national median of $1,390 as of August 2026 (Apartment List). It also sits below Columbus by $263 and Pittsburgh by $401, and about level with Detroit.

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Cleveland?

Up slightly, which puts Cleveland on the opposite side of the national trend. Citywide rents rose 0.45% year over year as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, while the national median fell 0.76%. The most recent month moved the other way, down 0.83%. These are citywide figures and do not establish what any individual building is asking or offering.

Is Rent Cheaper Inside Cleveland City Limits Than in the Metro?

At the median, yes. The city median is $1,045 against $1,137 for the wider Cleveland-Elyria metro as of August 2026 (Apartment List), about 8% lower. The gap holds at a similar size across one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms. That is a comparison between a city and the larger area containing it. It does not tell you which specific suburbs or neighborhoods price higher or lower.

How Much More Does a Two-Bedroom Cost Than a One-Bedroom in Cleveland?

About $210 a month, or roughly 24.6% above the one-bedroom figure. The median one-bedroom is $853 and the median two-bedroom is $1,063 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. That is the cost of renting the larger apartment, not the cost per person: two renters splitting that two-bedroom equally would pay about $532 each.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Cleveland?

Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $853, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $34,120 in annual gross income. This is a planning benchmark, not a requirement. That $34,120 is rent alone, and heating through a Cleveland winter is not in it.

How Much Is Electricity in a Cleveland Apartment?

At Ohio's average residential rate, 500 kWh comes to about $96 a month (EIA, June 2026). What you cannot look up in advance is which rate applies. Two utilities serve addresses inside the city, Cleveland Public Power and the Illuminating Company, and you do not get to choose which one serves yours. Ohio also lets residents buy power from a competitive supplier. Plan on $96 and ask the building which utility serves the unit.

Is 30% of Income a Hard Limit for Rent?

No. It is a widely used benchmark, and HUD treats housing costs above 30% of income as cost-burdened. Plenty of renters exceed it. According to Apartment List research, about 51.8% of U.S. renter households are cost-burdened and 26.1% are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing, based on 2024 ACS data. Those are national figures, not Cleveland-specific.

How Do Solo and Shared Cleveland Budgets Compare?

At the August 2026 median, a two-bedroom would cost about $532 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $853 for a one-bedroom you pay for on your own (Apartment List, August 2026), a difference of roughly $322 a month before utilities and fees. That share corresponds to about $21,260 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.