This Will Be the Most Competitive Rental Market of Summer 2026, According to Zillow

As summer arrives, college students graduate and look for jobs, while families might take advantage of the school break and warm weather to relocate. But if you’re looking to rent an apartment or house over the next few months, there are some markets that will be more difficult to break into than others.

In fact, real estate resource Zillow Group, which also owns rental search platform StreetEasy, says one New England city is slated to be the most competitive rental market in the country this summer.

What are the hardest cities to rent in this summer?

According to Zillow, Providence, Rhode Island is projected to be the hottest rental market in the country this summer, followed by the predictably competitive markets of New York City and San Francisco. However, Providence’s place on the top of the list doesn’t necessarily mean rents are more expensive than those larger metropolises.

Zillow determined its rankings based on factors like estimated vacancy rates, annual rent increase rates and the instances of landlord concessions — for example, free months of rent promotions, waived application fees or other expenses and deposits.

So, though the average rent in Providence ($2,154) is over $1,200 per month cheaper than in New York City ($3,406), only 12.9% of landlords are making any kind of negotiations or deals with renters. Coupled with a year-over-year rent growth increase of 5% and relatively low unit vacancy of just 5.1% over the next year, this city of under 200,000 residents could be tougher to sign a lease in than most. And for buyers it doesn't get much better, as Providence also ranked high (4th) in Zillow’s hottest housing markets of 2026.

Here are the top ten hottest rental markets of summer 2026, according to Zillow:

1. Providence
2. New York
3. San Francisco
4. Hartford
5. Los Angeles
6. Chicago
7. Boston
8. Milwaukee
9. Virginia Beach
10. San Jose

Why is renting so competitive in the Northeast and California?

"In Zillow's hottest rental markets, the math is simple: More people want to live there than there are homes to rent — whether for access to amenities, strong job markets or family ties, renters are competing over a limited supply," Kara Ng, senior economist at Zillow, said.

Apartments are more readily available in other parts of the country.

"The U.S. built more new units in 2024 than any year in the past half-century, but that boom largely bypassed the Northeast and coastal California, which is exactly why rental competition there is so intense," Ng says. "Markets that missed out on the list aren't necessarily lacking demand; they just did a better job bringing new supply online."

But for some good news, rent increases are generally slowing down across the country. According to an April 2026 report from Zillow, the average rent increase from the previous year was only 1.8%, which marks the slowest growth since 2020. And this means renters in major cities like Austin, Tampa and Denver are saving over $3,000 on annual costs compared to last year.

Tips for finding apartments in competitive markets:

Zillow recommends a few things to help find and secure apartments or home rentals in these hotter markets. In your search, it pays to sign up for instant alerts on saved search parameters, so that any potential property is on your radar as soon as possible. And before you apply, make sure your credit score and other necessary documents are in order, improving the attractiveness of your application to landlords.

You can read more about Zillow’s Summer 2026 rental market predictions here.