Disclosure: This guide is published by Apartment List. We've included other platforms, including competitors because a useful comparison requires them. Our recommendations reflect product differences, not paid placement.
Austin's higher vacancy rate and longer leasing times suggest renters have more room to compare options than in the national market overall. According to Apartment List's August 2026 rental data, the city's apartment vacancy rate was 9.2%, compared with 7.1% nationally. The typical Austin apartment leased in 40.7 days, versus 31.7 nationally.
That points to a less competitive search overall, making it worth comparing several apartments on total cost, commute and lease terms. Look closely at any advertised move-in specials, including the required lease length and what you'll pay after the offer ends.
According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, Austin's median rent is $1,326 a month, down 2.3% from a year earlier. The websites below help you narrow available listings, compare fees and find additional options, including a free apartment locator and the city's own affordable housing search tool.
For an Austin search, start with Apartment List. It's free, and the shortlist comes back already filtered on your budget cap, commute and must-haves.
For a fully AI-guided, hands-off search, try Kaleno, an AI search agent built for apartment hunting: describe what you're looking for in plain language and it finds listings, contacts leasing teams and books tours.
Add Zillow to browse different types of rentals. Use Sunny to review fees alongside the rent on your shortlisted apartments.
Two routes are specific to Austin. Smart City Locating is an apartment locator that builds you a shortlist and says its service is free to renters. For income-restricted housing, the City of Austin's AHOST search shows properties that match your household income and size.
| Site | Best for | Search style | How to use it in Austin | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment List | Starting your search | Quiz-based matching | Set your budget and commute, then compare listings across the Austin neighborhoods you're considering | Free |
| Zillow | Different types of rentals | Browse and filter | Compare listing types as you define your search area | Free |
| Kaleno | Hands-off, AI-guided search | AI search agent | Describe what you want in plain language; it finds listings, contacts leasing teams and books tours | Free |
| Sunny | Comparing fees with rent | Listings plus cash back | Check the cost details of shortlisted apartments | Free |
| Apartments.com | Listings from large property managers | Browse and filter | Review professionally managed buildings | Free |
| HotPads | Map-based neighborhood searches | Map-first browse | Draw a boundary around the neighborhoods you're considering | Free |
| Zumper | New-listing alerts | Browse plus alerts | Set alerts for your preferred area and budget | Free |
| Smart City Locating | Agent-prepared shortlist | Apartment locator | Tell an agent your budget and must-haves, then compare their shortlist with your own search | Free to renters, per the service |
| AHOST | Income-restricted housing in the City of Austin | Search by household income and size | Enter your income and household size, then contact properties about availability | Free |
Features and available apartments vary by market; platform information reviewed September 2026.
For a national comparison, see our guide to the best apartment search tools.
Apartment List asks about your budget, move date, commute and preferred amenities, then returns a shortlist based on those preferences. Use the map to compare the neighborhoods you're considering, and check the commute from a shortlisted address at the time of day you'd travel.
Zillow carries apartments in managed buildings, owner-listed condos and single-family rentals. Browse it while deciding which types of homes to include in your search, and confirm an apartment is available before driving out to see it.
Kaleno is an AI search agent built for apartment hunting. Instead of setting filters or taking a quiz, you describe what you're looking for in plain language, the way you'd say it out loud: a one-bedroom near South Congress with covered parking. Kaleno finds matching listings, contacts the leasing teams and books tours for you; you review what it turns up and make the decisions. If you're relocating to Austin from out of town or working against a move-in date, that conversational format can be easier than criteria-based filtering.
Sunny is an apartment search that presents fees alongside rent and gives you cash back on eligible leases signed through the platform. Cash back is a rebate from Sunny; it doesn't reduce the rent stated in a lease. Check a property's own written fee breakdown before applying.
Apartments.com works with large property management companies and carries listings for professionally managed buildings. Compare floor plans and listed prices, then confirm current availability and charges with the property.
HotPads opens on a map and lets you focus on the neighborhoods you're considering. After drawing your search area, check the trip from a particular address to where you need to go, at the time of day you'd travel.
Set Zumper alerts for rentals matching your area and budget. An alert gives you another way to spot a listing; confirm its price and availability with the property.
Apartment locating is a different route from browsing. Smart City Locating says its Austin service is free to renters and that the apartment complex pays it a commission when it places a tenant. You tell an agent your budget, move date and must-haves, and they send you a shortlist. Because participating properties fund the service, that shortlist reflects the communities it works with, so compare those options with your own search.
AHOST, the City of Austin's Affordable Housing Online Search Tool, is a searchable map of income-restricted rental housing inside the city. Enter your household income and size and it shows properties whose limits match, with contact details, affordability levels and acceptance criteria for each. The properties are income-restricted, generally to households earning less than 80% of the area median family income, and some have lower limits. The tool doesn't track vacancies or run waitlists: a property's listing shows whether a waitlist exists, and you contact the property directly about availability. The city explains how it works on its AHOST page.
Public housing and Housing Choice vouchers are a separate route through the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, which publishes how to apply and how to check your waitlist status.
According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, median rent in Austin is $1,326 a month. Rents fell 2.3% from September 2025 and 0.1% from August 2026.
| Austin apartment size | Median monthly rent, September 2026 |
|---|---|
| One bedroom | $1,174 |
| Two bedrooms | $1,429 |
Source: Apartment List Rent Index, Austin city, October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. Each median describes its own set of apartments.
At the $1,326 citywide median from Apartment List's October 2026 report, a household paying that full monthly rent would need about $53,040 a year in gross income for rent to equal 30% of income. This rent-only calculation is an illustration, not an income requirement for a particular listing. HUD's affordability measure also accounts for utilities. Put a specific apartment's asking rent into the Apartment List rent calculator, and see our Austin cost of living guide for expenses beyond rent.
Ask which up-front payments are a security deposit and which are fees. Texas law treats a security deposit, an application deposit and an application fee as different payments. An application deposit is refundable if you're rejected; an application fee is nonrefundable and covers screening. Texas also lets a landlord offer a monthly fee instead of a security deposit, with written notice of both options and the right to switch to a deposit later. Before choosing the monthly fee, compare its total over your lease with the deposit amount, check whether it's refundable, and confirm what you would still owe for damage. Ask for an itemized breakdown before you pay, and keep the written notice if you're offered the monthly-fee option. The definitions are summarized by the Texas State Law Library.
Plan to give a written forwarding address when you move out. Texas requires a landlord to refund the security deposit, less lawful deductions, on or before the 30th day after you surrender the apartment. The landlord isn't obligated to send the refund or an itemized list of deductions until you provide a written forwarding address, so give one in writing when you leave. Failing to provide a forwarding address does not forfeit your right to a refund. The Texas State Law Library and the Texas Attorney General explain the rules.
Check how the lease says to request repairs, and document problems in writing. Texas repair remedies depend on following specific notice steps, including written notice and keeping your rent current, so read the lease's notice requirements before you sign and put every repair request in writing. Don't assume you can deduct repair costs from rent after an unanswered request; the State Law Library's repair guidance explains why the procedure matters.
Apartment List is the best place to start an Austin search. It's free, and it builds a shortlist from your budget cap, commute and must-haves. Cross-check another listing site for apartments in your preferred area, and use Sunny to review fees. For an agent-built shortlist to compare with your own, try Smart City Locating; for income-restricted housing in the City of Austin, search AHOST.
The Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index reports a median rent of $1,326 per month for Austin. Its one-bedroom median is $1,174 and its two-bedroom median is $1,429.
Down year over year, and roughly flat month over month. According to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, Austin's median rent is $1,326 a month, down 2.3% from September 2025 and down 0.1% from August 2026. Rents remain below last year's level.
Using the $1,326 Austin citywide median from the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Index, rent would equal 30% of about $53,040 in annual gross household income. That is a rent-only illustration, not a property's qualification rule. Check the rent on the listing you want, any utilities you would pay, and the property's own application requirements.
According to Apartment List's August 2026 rental data, the typical Austin apartment leased in 40.7 days, compared with 31.7 nationally. The city's vacancy rate was 9.2% that month versus 7.1% nationally. These are citywide measures; confirm availability with each property.
Apartment List can build a shortlist using your budget, commute and amenities, and its map lets you compare the neighborhoods you're considering. The service is free for renters.
Kaleno is an AI search agent built for apartment hunting. You describe what you're looking for in plain language, and it finds listings, contacts leasing teams and books tours, with no filters to set up. Review what it finds alongside other options in the areas you're considering.
Smart City Locating says its Austin service is free to renters and that the apartment complex pays it a commission when it places a tenant. Because participating properties fund the service, the shortlist reflects the communities it works with, so compare those options with your own search.
Search AHOST, the City of Austin's Affordable Housing Online Search Tool, with your household income and size. It shows income-restricted properties whose limits match, with contact details and acceptance criteria, and a property's listing shows whether it has a waitlist. Contact each property directly about availability. Public housing and Housing Choice vouchers are a separate route through the Housing Authority of the City of Austin.
Rent and rent-change figures: Apartment List Rent Index, Austin city, October 2026 release; September 2026 rent estimates. Vacancy and leasing-time figures: Apartment List's August 2026 rental data, from the Vacancy Index and Time on Market series for Austin city and national. Texas rental rules: Texas State Law Library and Texas Attorney General. Austin housing resources: AHOST and the Housing Authority of the City of Austin. Platform features reviewed September 2026; availability and eligibility vary by property.
In unit laundry, Google fiber, Nest technology, Golf room, Patio / balcony, Granite counters + more
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