Texas Cities Lead the Nation in Pet-Friendly Apartments

Americans love their pets, but they can be a major extra expense. Beyond the cost of food, treats, and vet bills, renting an apartment as a pet owner can mean extra fees and pet rent. And that's if they can find a pet-friendly apartment at all. 

To learn where pet parents can find more affordable rentals, we combed through our data on policies for thousands of open listings across the country. We quickly realized that Texas is a clear leader. The vast majority of rentals in five major Texas cities (Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi) allow pets. On top of that, pet rents there are relatively affordable, usually $24 or $26 a month on average. 

Our full list breaks down the top 15 cities where renters can find affordable, pet-friendly apartments — and shows how one Texas city stands above the rest.  

Key Takeaways

• At least 94 percent of rental units allow pets in San Antonio; Houston; Corpus Christi; Olympia, WA; Wilmington, DE; Austin; and Dallas-Fort Worth. With widespread availability and relatively low pet rent, they're some of the most affordable cities for pet parents in the country. 
• On the other hand, only 35 percent of rentals allow pets in Huntington, WV — the lowest rate among the cities we analyzed. Just 39 percent allow pets in Anchorage, AK, while 44 percent do in New York City. In Utica, NY, and Duluth, MN, only half of rentals allow pets, potentially making apartment hunting much tougher for renters with pets.

Best Cities for Affordable, Pet-Friendly Rentals

You may love your furbaby more than anything, but your landlord doesn't always feel the same way. It's much easier to rent an apartment with pets in some cities than in others. Apartments.com's survey of more than 14,000 renters shows that 36 percent say they will only consider apartments that allow their pets. If you're one of them, you'll need a rental that allows your entire family, no matter how many legs they have. 

In seven U.S. cities, 94 percent or more rentals allow pets. Five of those cities are in Texas, making the Lone Star State one of the best options for someone who wants plenty of choices when they look for an apartment with their pet. 

Note that these apartments only specify that they allow dogs or cats. Many apartments ban birds, reptiles, small mammals, and other uncommon pets, so check with your leasing office if you're thinking of signing a new lease and your pet has feathers or scales.

Texas doesn't have specific tenant pet laws, but the state's surge in new apartment construction has increased competition among landlords for renters. What's more, Texas is one of the top states in the country for pet spending. 

However, the Texas capital stands out even among other Texas cities. The vast majority (95 percent) of rentals in Austin allow pets, tied with the DFW metro and Wilmington, Delaware. But Austin's average pet rent is lower than either of those cities at only $24 a month, and 36 percent of rentals don't charge pet rent. 

Beyond the cost of pet rent, Austin offers more than 20,000 rentals with dog parks, as of this writing, and the city's infamous dog-lover culture makes it a great choice for pet parents. 

Olympia, Washington, stands out, too. The average pet rent in the Washington state capital is higher than other comparable cities ($30 per month on average), but only 29 percent of rentals charge pet rent at all. It's likely Olympia residents can find a unit there without pet rent and avoid paying $30 a month. 

Outside of Texas, if you're concerned about finding a rental that allows pets, Florida and North Carolina are solid options. Several major cities in Florida and North Carolina often allow pets:

• Florida: Deltona, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Southwest Florida
• North Carolina: Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem
• By the way: Pet rent is an important metric for affordability, but it's not the only one. Some apartments charge fees other than pet rent, like pet deposits. Check the fine print when you sign a lease to understand what you might owe. 

Top Cities for Pet Rental Availability

Rentals in Both Major Metros and Remote Towns Often Don't Allow Pets 

On the other hand, only 60 percent of rentals (or fewer) allow pets in seven major U.S. cities. These cities fall into two main categories: large cosmopolitan cities and smaller, remote cities. But either way, the availability of pet-friendly rentals may be tied to vacancy rates in the area. 

Only 44 percent of rentals allow pets in New York City, while 60 percent do in Los Angeles. These hyper-competitive markets give landlords more room to be picky about their tenants. We love our pets, but they can be an added liability (or at least cause some damage or mess in an apartment). 

Similarly, 59 percent of rentals allow pets in Erie County, New York; 51 percent allow them in Utica, New York; 50 percent in Duluth, Minnesota; and 39 percent in Anchorage, Alaska. Only 35 percent allow pets in Huntington, West Virginia. These cities may not be as famous as LA or NYC, but they also often have low vacancy because of lower housing supply. 

Take Huntington, for example, which only has 324 units on the market as of this writing. In contrast, Bozeman, Montana, has roughly the same population as Huntington, but it has 1,050 available units. 

Apartments in these cities rarely charge pet rent. (Only 12 percent of NYC apartments do, for example.) But when they do, it will cost you. The average pet rent ranges between $30 and $51 in these cities. The average human rent in Huntington for a one-bedroom apartment is only $876, but the average pet rent is 5 percent that price, or $42. In our top city, Austin, the average one-bedroom rent is $1,345, and the average pet rent is less than 2 percent of that price.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its extremely high cost of living, the most expensive city for pet parents is San Francisco. Only 45 percent of apartments there charge pet rent, but those that do charge $69 per month on average. However, that is roughly proportional to San Francisco's high average rents. The average monthly one-bedroom rent in San Francisco is $3,178. Just like in Austin, pet rents are equivalent to 2 percent of the monthly cost.

Worst Cities for Pet-Friendly Rentals

Apartments.com Takes the Guesswork Out of Finding the Perfect Pet Paradise

Affordability and pet policies aren't the only factors that make someone choose a home — after all, our survey found that 58 percent of people say pet policies do not significantly affect their decision on where to rent — but they're an important one. 

If you need the perfect apartment for both you and your pet, Apartments.com can help. We have the latest, up-to-date listings on rentals across the country that show what apartments allow pets and what fees you might pay as a renter. With the right tool at your disposal, you can spend less time on your apartment search and more time wrestling household objects out of your dog's mouth.

Methodology

Apartments.com surveyed renters about how pet policies affect their apartment search and leasing decisions. Survey responses were used to provide additional context around renter preferences and challenges related to pet-friendly housing.

Apartments.com also analyzed proprietary rental listing data to identify the U.S. cities with the highest and lowest availability of pet-friendly apartments, average monthly pet rent costs, and the percentage of rentals that charge pet rent.