Fleeing High Rent in Major Cities? Why These ‘Affordable Refuge’ Metros Are Getting Pricier

High rents in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, DC, have pushed many to relocate to "affordability refuges." But now, rents are rising in several of those cities.The Realtor.com® September 2026 rental report shows that the national median asking rent for 0-2 bedroom properties is $1,694—down 0.4% year over year. This is the 38th consecutive month of annual declines.However, across the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, certain housing markets are bucking the national downward trend.Many of these metros have long been considered "affordability refuges"—including St. Louis; Riverside, CA; Minneapolis; Virginia Beach, VA; and Las Vegas—and have traditionally offered economical alternatives to pricier nearby areas.But with rising out-of-market rental demand driven by ever-widening searches for affordable housing and high interest rates keeping many from buying, these markets have recently seen modest upward pressure on rents.Both St. Louis and Minneapolis, which rank among the 10 most affordable cities globally in Chapman University's Center for Demographics and Policy annual ranking, have recently felt the aftershocks of Chicago's increasingly pricey market. Here, ...