How Much Does It Cost to Live in Salt Lake City? 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 Salt Lake City is $1,254 as of August 2026, with one-bedrooms at $1,085 and two-bedrooms at $1,372. That runs about 9.8% below the national median of $1,390.

It prices $362 under Denver and $171 under Boise. A one-bedroom with power, gas, and groceries comes to around $1,609 a month, before water, sewer, transit, and anything else.

Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City.

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 Salt Lake City in 2026?

The median one-bedroom rent in Salt Lake City is $1,085 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. Two-bedrooms run $1,372 and the all-sizes median is $1,254.

Rents are coming down. The citywide median fell 3.19% year over year, against a national decline of 0.76%, while the most recent month was flat at down 0.03%. Over the longer span since the pandemic, Salt Lake City is up 14.68%.

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 Salt Lake City metro median is $1,445 across all apartment sizes as of August 2026, against the city's $1,254. The city runs below the metro at all three sizes shown, and the gap narrows sharply as unit size rises.

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 Salt Lake City Rent Compare With Other Mountain West Cities?

The table sets Salt Lake City against selected Mountain West cities and the national median. It is not a ranking of every Mountain West rental market.

All figures are Apartment List medians as of August 2026, and every gap here is wide enough to be stable.

Salt Lake City prices below the national median and below both regional comparisons, $362 under Denver and $171 under Boise. Within Utah the picture is mixed rather than a straight line: the state median is $1,330, above Salt Lake City's citywide figure, while nearby West Valley City runs $114 higher and Ogden $201 lower.

What Income Corresponds to Salt Lake City Rent at the 30% Benchmark?

Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,085, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $43,400 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. Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates for Salt Lake City.

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 and this one does not, so the two figures answer different questions. Add the gas and electricity above to get closer to a housing budget.

This calculation uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for after-tax income and will produce a different estimate. Utah taxes wage income at a flat rate, so your take-home depends on that as well as federal withholding.

Treat $43,400 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 $43,000 salary that is about $1,075 a month, which lands just under Salt Lake City's $1,085 median one-bedroom. On $55,000 it is about $1,375. On $36,000 it is about $900, which sits below the median one-bedroom, so a solo unit at the median would run above the benchmark at that income.

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 $1,300 listing points to about $52,000, and a $1,000 listing to about $40,000.

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 Salt Lake City?

Electricity: Apartments Get a Lower Fixed Charge

Rocky Mountain Power serves Salt Lake City. At 500 kWh a month an apartment account comes to about $53 from October through May and about $59 from June through September, before surcharges and taxes.

Apartments get a lower fixed charge than houses here, $7.00 a month against $12.00, which is part of why those figures sit low. Ask whether the unit is billed on its own meter or through a single meter for the whole building, because the tariff applies the customer charge per apartment unit served, and that changes how a landlord allocates it.

Natural Gas

Enbridge Gas Utah supplies natural gas. At 25 therms a month the bill runs about $31 from November through March and about $27 from April through October, before weather normalization, local charges and state sales tax.

Whether you pay it at all depends on the building. Ask whether gas is billed to you, and if it is, ask for a recent January amount.

Water and Sewer

Salt Lake City Public Utilities handles water, sewer and stormwater. In most apartments all three come bundled into rent or split across the building, which is why no figure appears here. Ask which applies at a specific address.

Transit: Fare Capping Replaced Monthly Paper Passes

UTA stopped selling monthly paper passes after April 12, 2026, shifting regular riders toward FAREPAY and automatic fare capping. Passes bought in April stayed usable through the end of that month.

Fare capping works on a reloadable card. Once your spending hits the cap for a period, the rest of your rides that period are free. On local service the caps are $5 a day and $20 a week, so a five-day-a-week commuter pays $20 instead of $25. The base fare is $2.50 one way, a day pass is $5, and FrontRunner is priced by distance, from $2.50 up to $9.70 for the full run between Provo and Ogden.

Part of downtown is a free fare zone. Board and exit TRAX within it and the ride costs nothing, so if you live and work inside that area your transit cost can be zero.

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 Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City Budgets Compare?

Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates. The shared column assumes two renters splitting the median two-bedroom rent, one electricity bill, and one gas bill equally. Utility figures use the winter schedule; because the two utilities peak in opposite seasons, the total moves by about $6 across the year. Both columns exclude water, sewer and stormwater, for the reason given in its own section, and exclude transit, internet, insurance, and parking.

Splitting a two-bedroom equally costs about $399 a month less per renter than paying for a one-bedroom on your own, or roughly $4,788 a year. Almost all of that comes from the rent line, since groceries do not split at all. That $686 share corresponds to about $27,440 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark, against $43,400 for the one-bedroom.

Salt Lake City's Two-Bedroom Median Runs $287 Above Its One-Bedroom

In Salt Lake City a two-bedroom runs $287 more than a one-bedroom at the median, or about 26.5% above the one-bedroom figure (Apartment List, August 2026).

That is a wider step than typical. Across the 50 largest U.S. cities the median difference is about 19.5%, or $222, and Salt Lake City sits above both figures.

What Should You Confirm Before Paying an Application Fee?

• Whether the electric account is billed per unit or through a single building meter
• Whether gas is billed to you or included, and what a recent January amount came to
• Whether water, sewer, and stormwater are billed to you, allocated across the building, or included
• Whether the address sits inside the downtown free fare zone, if you plan to use transit
• Whether parking is included, and what it costs if not
• 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 Salt Lake City?

Start with the neighborhood guide: Best Neighborhoods in Salt Lake City.

Then run your actual numbers. 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.

Ogden prices $201 below Salt Lake City, and the FrontRunner line connects the two, so a longer commute is a trade worth pricing out. FrontRunner is priced by distance, so weigh the fare against whatever you save on rent.

Compare Salt Lake City With Your Current City

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

UTA stopped selling monthly paper passes after April 12, 2026, shifting regular riders toward FAREPAY and automatic fare capping. A commuter here plans against the $2.50 base fare, the free fare zone covering part of downtown, and caps of $5 a day and $20 a week on local service.

Browse Salt Lake City 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 $1,609 monthly planning total combines the median one-bedroom rent with the electricity, gas, and grocery estimates from the At-a-Glance table, with both utilities on their winter schedules. Because electricity peaks in summer and gas in winter, the same basket ranges from about $1,605 to $1,611 across the year. Both utility figures are calculated from published rates rather than reported by the utilities as apartment averages, and both sit before surcharges, riders and taxes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Salt Lake City Rent & Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Salt Lake City?

The median all-sizes rent in Salt Lake City is $1,254 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, with one-bedrooms at $1,085 and two-bedrooms at $1,372. 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 Salt Lake City Expensive?

No. Salt Lake City's $1,254 all-sizes median runs 9.8% below the national median of $1,390 as of August 2026 (Apartment List). It sits $362 below Denver and $171 below Boise, and below the Utah state median of $1,330. Nearby Ogden is cheaper still, by $201.

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Salt Lake City?

Down. Salt Lake City rents fell 3.19% year over year as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, against a national decline of 0.76%, while the most recent month was essentially flat at down 0.03%. These are citywide figures and do not establish what any individual building is asking or offering.

Is Rent Cheaper Inside Salt Lake City Limits Than in the Metro?

At the median, yes. The city median is $1,254 against $1,445 for the wider Salt Lake City metro as of August 2026 (Apartment List), about 13% lower. The gap narrows to about 4% at 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 Salt Lake City?

About $287 a month, or roughly 26.5% above the one-bedroom figure. The median one-bedroom is $1,085 and the median two-bedroom is $1,372 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. That is a wider step than typical, since across the 50 largest U.S. cities the median difference is about 19.5%, or $222. It is also the cost of renting the larger apartment rather than the cost per person: two renters splitting that two-bedroom equally would pay about $686 each.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Salt Lake City?

Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,085, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $43,400 in annual gross income. This is a planning benchmark, not a requirement. The calculation covers rent only, so add the gas and electricity figures from this page to get closer to a housing budget.

Does Salt Lake City Have a Monthly Transit Pass?

Not as a paper pass. UTA stopped selling monthly paper passes after April 12, 2026, shifting regular riders toward FAREPAY and automatic fare capping. On local service the regular caps are $5 a day and $20 a week. The base fare is $2.50 one way and a day pass is $5, so a weekly commuter pays the $20 cap instead of ten separate fares.

How Much Is Electricity in a Salt Lake City Apartment?

At 500 kWh a month, Rocky Mountain Power's residential schedule works out to about $53 from October through May and about $59 from June through September. Both include the $7.00 multi-family customer charge, which is lower than the $12.00 charged to single-family homes, and both sit before surcharge adjustments and taxes. The roughly $6 seasonal difference comes from the tariff rather than from using more power.

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 Salt Lake City-specific.

How Do Solo and Shared Salt Lake City Budgets Compare?

At the August 2026 median, a two-bedroom would cost about $686 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $1,085 for a one-bedroom you pay for on your own (Apartment List, August 2026), a difference of roughly $399 a month before utilities and fees. That $686 share corresponds to about $27,440 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.