About StayRentals

StayRentals is a rental market data and cost-of-living comparison platform. We help renters make informed decisions about where to live by presenting real government data in a way that is easy to understand and act on.

Our Mission

The rental market is full of noise: outdated listings, inflated estimates, and generic advice that does not account for local conditions. We built StayRentals to cut through that noise with official data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

What We Are Not

StayRentals is not a real estate agent, landlord, or property manager. We do not list apartments, collect rent, or manage properties. We are a data platform that helps you research rental markets before making a decision.

Our Data

Every number on StayRentals comes from a verified government source. Our primary data sources include:

• HUD Fair Market Rents: Official rent benchmarks used to set Section 8 voucher amounts, updated annually for every county and metro area.
• Census American Community Survey (ACS): Median rent, rent burden, vacancy rates, demographics, and income data at the city, county, and state level.
• BLS Consumer Price Index: Rent CPI and shelter cost trends, tracked monthly at the national and metro level.

How We Make Money

StayRentals earns revenue through affiliate partnerships with apartment listing platforms, moving services, and renter insurance providers. Our revenue model does not influence our data, rankings, or editorial content. For more details, see our How We Make Money page.

Contact

Have a question or suggestion? Visit our contact page to get in touch.