If you’re concerned about how traffic-filled roadways in San Antonio already are, there might be a silver lining.

Several Texas cities are more attractive to new renters looking for a fresh start, according to a new ranking of top trending cities by apartment search website RentCafe. The rankings place the West Texas city of El Paso in the No. 28 spot among the top 150 largest U.S. cities that are rising in renter interest at the start of 2026, besting San Antonio, which found itself at No. 56.

Not only did El Paso soar 115 spots year-over-year in the national rankings, but it also saw the steepest increase in renter interest of any U.S. city. RentCafe says the jump was fueled by a 279 percent increase in favorited apartments in El Paso and a 53 percent increase in saved searches.

Though San Antonio got beaten by its West Texas rival, it’s not all glum for the Alamo City. Well, perhaps it is for those who’d prefer people not move to San Antonio, due to already congested and accident-prone roadways. But that’s another thing. According to RentCafe’s new 2026 rankings for renter interest, the 210 did climb 80 spots from last year, putting them at No. 56 of 150 U.S. cities that are catching renters’ eyes.

Saved searches for apartments in San Antonio increased by 320 percent, while the city saw a 97 percent increase in favorited apartments, which the apartment search site suggests shows that renters are starting their searches in San Antonio earlier. Another notable finding by RentCafe is that Austin renters are increasingly eyeing San Antonio as an option for their next move.

There were three Texas cities listed that fell between El Paso and San Antonio, with Dallas landing in the No. 35 spot, Amarillo at No. 46, and Houston at No. 48. San Antonians who love to hate the Capital City will be happy to hear Austin was noticeably lower than the Alamo City, coming in at No. 114, with a 13 percent decrease in both favorited and viewed apartments.

The city that topped the list? Cincinnati, Ohio.

This article originally published at West Texas city beats San Antonio, inches toward No. 1 spot in US ranking.