Detroit Rent Report: March 2025
Welcome to the Apartment List March 2025 Rent Report for Detroit, MI. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,054, after falling 1.2% last month. Prices are now down 0.1% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Detroit rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader Detroit metro area and the nation as a whole.
Detroit rents are down 1.2% month-over-month and flat year-over-year
The median rent in Detroit fell by 1.2% over the course of February, and has now decreased by a total of 0.1% over the past 12 months. Detroit’s rent growth over the past year has has fallen behind the state average (3.0%) and is similar to the national average (-0.4%).
Detroit rent growth in 2025 pacing below last year
Two months into the year, rents in Detroit have fallen 1.2%. This is a slower rate of growth compared to what the city was experiencing at this point last year: from January to February 2024 rents had decreased 0.1%.
February rent growth in Detroit ranked #100 among large U.S. cities
Detroit rents went down 1.2% in the past month, compared to the national rate of 0.3%. Among the nation's 100 largest cities, this ranks #100. Similar monthly rent growth took place in Hialeah, FL (-0.8%) and New Orleans, LA (-1.2%).
Detroit is the #93 most expensive large city in the U.S., with a median rent of $1,054
Citywide, the median rent currently stands at $762 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $1,021 for a 2-bedroom. Across all bedroom sizes (ie, the entire rental market), the median rent is $1,054. That ranks #93 in the nation, among the country's 100 largest cities.
For comparison, the median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,208 for a 1-bedroom, $1,361 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,375 overall. The median rent in Detroit is 23.4% lower than the national, and is similar to the prices you would find in Tucson, AZ ($1,067) and Cincinnati, OH ($1,052).
Detroit rents are 12.9% lower than the metro-wide median
If we expand our view to the wider Detroit metro area, the median rent is $1,209 meaning that the median price in Detroit proper ($1,054) is 12.9% lower than the price across the metro as a whole. Metro-wide annual rent growth stands at 3.4%, above the rate of rent growth within just the city.
The table below shows the latest rent stats for 5 cities in the Detroit metro area that are included in our database. Among them, Troy is currently the most expensive, with a median rent of $1,618. Detroit is the metro’s most affordable city, with a median rent of $1,054. The metro's fastest annual rent growth is occurring in Farmington Hills (4.1%) while the slowest is in Detroit (-0.1%).
You can also use the map below to explore the latest rent trends in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Methodology
Apartment List is committed to the accuracy and transparency of our rent estimates. We begin with reliable median rent statistics from the Census Bureau, then extrapolate them forward to the current month using a growth rate calculated from our listing data. In doing so, we use a same-unit analysis similar to Case-Shiller’s approach, capturing apartment transactions over time to provide an accurate picture of rent growth in cities across the country. Our approach corrects for the sample bias inherent in other private sources, producing results that are much closer to statistics published by the Census Bureau and HUD. For more details, please see the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology.
Data Access
Apartment List publishes monthly rent reports and underlying data for hundreds of cities across the nation, as well as data aggregated for counties, metros, and states. These data are intended to be a source of reliable information that help renters and policymakers make sound decisions. Insights from our data are covered regularly by journalists across the country. To access the data yourself, please visit our Data Downloads Page.
