The average rent in Atlanta has declined for two consecutive months but is still 2.3 percent higher than at this time last year.
While the median price of a two bedroom apartment in Atlanta is still more affordable than most other large metros at $1,170, it is slightly above the national average of $1,160, according to the monthly rental report from Apartment List.
The most expensive rent in the metro area is in Alpharetta where median rent is $1,410, but of all the cities in the metro area, Alpharetta saw the greatest decline (1.7 percent) in rent over the past month.
Douglasville has seen the fastest overall growth in rents with a year over year increase of 8.9 percent.
Statewide, rents have increased 3.4 percent over the past year with steeper increases reported in cities like Augusta (3.2 percent).
But when you look across the country, Atlanta still offers the most affordable living options.
Renters in San Francisco, for example, pay more than 2.5 times the median rent for a two bedroom ($3,050) than renters in Atlanta.
Apartment List recently adjusted its methodology for reporting this data to avoid the sample bias from the luxury apartments that tend to populate private listing sites.
The site now uses data from the Census as a basis for interpreting their own data.
About the Author
