PiggyRentShould you renew your lease or move?
A rent increase at renewal is a choice between paying it and paying to move. Type your renewal offer and today's rent, pick your bedrooms and a place, and the calculator puts a year at the offer next to a year at what nearby apartments ask, after the one-time cost of moving.
It works in 12 areas: Seattle and Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston. The rents are medians of asking rents from listings in October 2026, not signed leases, and the moving costs are estimates you can change.
· asking rents from listings · how we count
Renew or move: your numbers.
What a 1 bedroom asks in Seattle.
Median $2,246 a month, from 3,952 listings in 680 buildings; half ask between $1,800 and $2,781.
Asking rents from listings, not signed leases · listings collected Sep 7–Oct 17, 2026, in 8 collections · Seattle rents
The median ask. Change it to a listing you have in mind.
What moving costs, once.
Estimates to start from. Change any of them to your own numbers.
A local full-service move, the middle of the range for your bedroom count. Renting a truck and doing it yourself costs far less.
Source: Opendoor, moving cost by home size (updated Apr 20, 2026)
$Three applications at $50, the typical fee. Some buildings charge none, and some states cap them.
$Two weeks of paying both places, since move-out and move-in rarely land on the same day. Set it to 0 if your dates line up.
Source: Our estimate: half a month of the new rent
$Two working days for viewings and the move, at the US median full-time wage ($1,251 a week, about $31 an hour).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, usual weekly earnings, Q2 2026
$The new deposit is due before the old one comes back (usually, less any deductions), so it is cash you need up front rather than a cost. It is left out of the yearly math.
Source: Our estimate: one month of the new rent (Zillow's survey found a typical deposit of $600 to $750)
$
Your first year, either way.
Type your renewal offer to see the answer.
The check compares your rent with listings for the same kind of unit near your address. The lease review reads your lease and drafts the renewal email.
What apartments ask in each area, October 2026.
Median asking rent from listings, with the number of listings behind each in brackets. Each area's lead city; its own page has every place. Asking rents, not signed leases.
| Area | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle and Washington (Seattle) | $2,246 (3,952) | $3,216 (1,582) |
| New York (New York, NY) | $4,500 (1,584) | $4,707 (1,501) |
| Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA) | $2,417 (4,671) | $3,355 (3,857) |
| Chicago (Chicago, IL) | $2,400 (4,362) | $2,895 (3,422) |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (Dallas, TX) | $1,299 (9,020) | $1,625 (5,633) |
| Houston (Houston, TX) | $1,208 (14,293) | $1,465 (10,926) |
| Miami (Miami, FL) | $2,502 (3,667) | $3,125 (4,015) |
| Washington, DC (Arlington, VA) | $2,525 (1,861) | $3,252 (1,371) |
| Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) | $1,855 (2,798) | $2,005 (1,856) |
| Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) | $1,638 (5,825) | $2,000 (5,070) |
| the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco, CA) | $4,923 (605) | $6,660 (503) |
| Boston (Boston, MA) | $3,082 (2,040) | $3,545 (2,399) |
Listings from the last 45 days
How the math works.
- Renewing costs the offer times 12.
- Moving costs the new rent times 12, plus movers, application fees, overlap rent and time off, once. The new rent starts at the median ask for your bedrooms and place, and you can change it.
- The deposit is left out of the yearly math: you pay a new one and get the old one back, so it is cash up front, not a cost. The calculator says how much.
- The difference is what moving saves, or costs, over the first year. After that, a lower rent keeps saving and the moving costs are paid.
Questions renters ask.
- How much does it cost to move apartments?
- Our starting estimate for a local 1 bedroom move is $900 for movers, $150 in application fees, two weeks of overlap rent and $500 of time off, plus a new deposit up front that usually comes back, less any deductions. Each default names its source, and you can change every one.
- Is it cheaper to renew or move?
- It depends on the gap. Moving pays off when the offer is enough above what a similar apartment asks that 12 months of the difference cover the one-time moving costs. The calculator works out how many months that takes for your offer, your bedrooms and your area.
- Are these the rents people actually pay?
- No. They are asking rents on listings (Apartments.com and Zillow), not signed leases, and move-in specials are not taken off. A new renter would see these prices today, which is also what your landlord competes with.
- What should I do before deciding?
- Check your own building: the free check compares your rent with listings for the same kind of unit nearby, including your building's own when it has some listed. If staying looks right, a lower renewal is often worth asking for, and the lease review drafts that email from your lease.
PiggyRent is on the renter's side and gives estimates and negotiation guidance, not legal or financial advice.