Apartments.com Rent Report for October 2025: Atlanta’s Rental Market Remains Strong Through Slow Season

Key Takeaways

• The national average rent was $1,631 per month, an increase of 0.7% over the last year.
• Construction is slowing down, sounding the alarm for higher rents in 2026.
• Brookline, MA, left the top five rent increases for the first time since April.

In October, the national average rent was $1,631 per month for a one-bedroom and $1,887 per month for a two-bedroom.

The overall vacancy rate is currently 8.3%. The national vacancy rate has remained stable throughout 2025, but the next few months are expected to mark the end of its peak as construction cools off. Come moving season, increased demand with stagnant supply will decrease vacancies and push rents upward.

Winter Demand Remains Hot in Atlanta

Atlanta’s rental market surpassed Austin, TX, in apartment demand, landing in third place behind New York and Dallas. After negative demand in 2022, Atlanta’s rental market has seen two and a half years of strong lease-ups. Luxury properties have seen the biggest drop in vacancies this year, signaling renters’ desire for bigger and better amenities.

Supply is also keeping pace with demand—almost 20,000 new units have entered the rental market over the last 12 months. According to CoStar data, about half of apartment communities in Atlanta offered rent concessions in August, reflecting high competition. CoStar data also shows that Atlanta’s average rent has held steady throughout strong demand, signaling a balanced market.

October 2025 Rent Increases by City

Brookline, MA, fell out of the top five increases for the first time since April. Brookline’s year-over-year increase fell to 1.4%—still higher than the national average, but a stark change from September’s year-over-year increase of 5.4%.

Here are the cities with the biggest rent increases in October:

• Brooklyn, NY: +4.5%
• Chicago, IL: +4.3%
• New York, NY: +3.2%
• Columbus, OH: +2.7%
• Somerville, MA: +2.4%

October 2025 Rent Decreases by City

Cape Coral’s year-over-year rent decrease dropped to almost 10%, fueled by rapid construction and demand that can’t catch up. Even though absorption in Cape Coral is higher this year than in 2024, it’s outpaced by the number of new units on the market.

Here are the cities with the biggest rent decreases in October:

• Cape Coral, FL: -9.9%
• Sarasota, FL: -5.6%
• Fort Myers, FL: -4.4%
• Naples, FL: -3.8%
• Denver, CO: -2.1%

Current Rent Prices Across the U.S.

How Current Rent Prices Impact Renters

Vacancy rates have remained high throughout 2025, but 2026 is expected to see a decline. Over 550,000 new units were added to the national market over the last 12 months, but construction is cooling off. While rent growth is expected to remain gradual in the first half of 2026, it will accelerate in the second half of the year as moving season begins and supply struggles to keep up with demand.

Need help comparing cities? Our Cost of Living Calculator makes it easy. You can also compare the rent prices from this report to those from August and July to determine the overall trend and visit the U.S. Rent Trends page to view the most current rent prices available across the U.S.

Methodology:

The rent data in this report is sourced from CoStar Group’s Market Trend reports. CoStar Group is the leading authority in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, trusted by real estate professionals for more than 37 years. By combining this data with Apartments.com internal data and public record, we’re able to deliver the most up-to-date rental information available.

To determine overall rent trends, we evaluate rent prices from more than 2,400 cities across the nation, including the top 80 national markets. This analysis includes year-over-year and month-over-month rent changes to provide a comprehensive view of market dynamics. This report covers a diverse range of property types to ensure a holistic view of the rental market.