This Arizona city is one of the best in US for renters. Here's why

Scottsdale was named one of the nation's best cities for renters in a recent study, standing out primarily for its quality of life.

RentCafe's best cities for renters to live in 2026 ranking evaluated 150 U.S. cities across 20 metrics grouped into three main categories: cost of living and housing, local economy and quality of life.

This year, Southern cities accounted for 37 of the top 50, reinforcing the region's reputation for affordability and economic opportunity.

Here's how Arizona cities fared on the list, including why Scottsdale made it into the top 10.

What is Arizona's best city for renters?

Scottsdale was named Arizona's best city for renters, and the nation's seventh-best, in RentCafe's 2026 ranking.

The city primarily stood out for its quality of life, ranking fifth in the

nation in that category. For that ranking, RentCafe evaluated factors including average school quality, commute times, public transit, walkability, air quality and social association rates.

Scottsdale also ranked ninth nationally for its local economy, a category that considered factors such as the unemployment rate, renter income growth and job growth.

However, the city's overall ranking was pulled down by its performance in the cost of living and housing category. The study found Scottsdale had a high cost of living, a low share of new apartments and a high occupancy rate.

What Arizona cities are best and worst for renters?

Here's how Arizona cities ranked based on how they combine cost of living, local economy and quality of life in RentCafe's study:

• No. 7: Scottsdale.
• No. 13: Gilbert.
• No. 71: Phoenix.
• No. 114: Tucson.

What are the top cities for renters in the U.S.?

Here are the 10 highest-ranked cities for renters in the country, according to RentCafe:

1. McKinney, Texas
2. Hunstville, Alabama
3. Austin, Texas
4. Wilmington, North Carolina
5. Atlanta
6. Raleigh, North Carolina
7. Scottsdale
8. Round Rock, Texas
9. Sarasota, Florida
10. Greenville, South Carolina

How RentCafe ranked top spots for renters

The ranking was compiled by RentCafe.com, a nationwide apartment search website, using data from Yardi Matrix, a RentCafe sister company that covers apartment buildings with 50 or more units.

The study only considered cities with an apartment stock of at least 10,000 units, resulting in 150 cities as the final candidates for the ranking.

To determine the ranking spots, RentCafe analysts compared the selected cities across three main categories: cost of living and housing, local economy and quality of life.

The three categories were based on 20 metrics. Each metric received a score based on its minimum and maximum values and was then multiplied by the metric's assigned weight. RentCafe then used the weighted scores to calculate an overall index for each category and determine each city's final ranking.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This Arizona city is one of the best in US for renters. Here's why