{"id":166079,"date":"2026-02-15T22:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T22:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/166079\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T22:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T22:35:10","slug":"zillows-singles-tax-highlights-cost-of-living-alone-see-how-dallas-rent-compares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/166079\/","title":{"rendered":"Zillow\u2019s \u2018Singles Tax\u2019 Highlights Cost Of Living Alone \u2014 See How Dallas Rent Compares"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n 2 May 2024 Dallas, Texas – Walking Side of Dallas Apartment Building | Image by Shadowspeeder\/Shutterstock <\/p>\n

Renters who live alone pay an average of $10,470 more per year than those who share housing, according<\/a> to a February 11 analysis from Zillow. The company defines that additional cost as the national \u201csingles tax.\u201d<\/p>\n

The typical U.S. multifamily apartment rent now stands at $1,745 per month, Zillow reported. Solo renters cover that full cost themselves rather than splitting expenses with a roommate or partner. Renters who share one lease instead of maintaining two separate households save a combined $20,940 annually in rent.<\/p>\n

Smallest Increase In Five Years<\/p>\n

The singles tax increased by $146 over the past year, marking the smallest annual increase in five years, according to Zillow.<\/p>\n

Zillow also reported that apartment affordability nationwide \u2014 when accounting for income growth \u2014 is at its strongest level since April 2021.<\/p>\n

Unlike last year\u2019s report, which focused only on one-bedroom units, Zillow expanded this year\u2019s methodology to include typical rents across all multifamily apartments. The company analyzed more than 72,000 listings to reflect the range of units renters consider.<\/p>\n

Where Living Alone Costs The Most<\/p>\n

The singles tax varies widely by metro area.<\/p>\n

According<\/a> to Zillow and StreetEasy, the typical monthly rent and corresponding singles tax in major markets are:<\/p>\n

New York City, NY \u2014 $3,900 rent | $23,400 singles tax | $46,800 couples\u2019 discount
\nSan Jose, CA \u2014 $3,248 rent | $19,488 singles tax | $38,976 couples\u2019 discount
\nBoston, MA \u2014 $3,014 rent | $18,084 singles tax | $36,168 couples\u2019 discount
\nSan Francisco, CA \u2014 $2,857 rent | $17,142 singles tax | $34,284 couples\u2019 discount
\nLos Angeles, CA \u2014 $2,648 rent | $15,888 singles tax | $31,776 couples\u2019 discount
\nSan Diego, CA \u2014 $2,643 rent | $15,858 singles tax | $31,716 couples\u2019 discount
\nMiami, FL \u2014 $2,443 rent | $14,658 singles tax | $29,316 couples\u2019 discount
\nRiverside, CA \u2014 $2,243 rent | $13,458 singles tax | $26,916 couples\u2019 discount
\nWashington, DC \u2014 $2,230 rent | $13,380 singles tax | $26,760 couples\u2019 discount
\nSeattle, WA \u2014 $2,062 rent | $12,372 singles tax | $24,744 couples\u2019 discount
\nUnited States overall \u2014 $1,745 rent | $10,470 singles tax | $20,940 couples\u2019 discount<\/p>\n

The \u201ccouples\u2019 discount\u201d reflects the combined savings when two renters share a household instead of paying for two separate leases.<\/p>\n

What The Numbers Look Like In Dallas<\/p>\n

In Dallas, the average rent across all bedrooms and property types is $1,950 per month, according<\/a> to Zillow Rental Manager data updated February 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Dallas rental averages by unit size are:<\/p>\n

Studio: $1,286 per month
\nOne-bedroom: $1,300 per month
\nTwo-bedroom: $1,883 per month
\nThree-bedroom: $2,400 per month
\nFour-bedroom: $7,450 per month<\/p>\n

There are currently 3,252 rentals available in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, rent in Dallas declined by $50, including a $45 decrease month over month, according to Zillow data.<\/p>\n

Zillow did not publish a Dallas-specific singles tax figure. However, renters living alone in Dallas pay the full $1,950 monthly average rather than splitting that cost with a roommate or partner.<\/p>\n

The Trade-Off<\/p>\n

Living alone offers independence and privacy. Sharing housing reduces costs.<\/p>\n

Nationally, the $20,940 in annual savings from combining households equals more than half of a typical 10% down payment on a U.S. home, according to Zillow.<\/p>\n

For renters in higher-cost markets, the difference between living solo and sharing a lease can exceed $30,000 per year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2 May 2024 Dallas, Texas – Walking Side of Dallas Apartment Building | Image by Shadowspeeder\/Shutterstock Renters who…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[67502,18830,102,104,103,54026,67503,6358,67504,11644],"class_list":{"0":"post-166079","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-apartment-rent","9":"tag-cost-of-living","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-dallas-headlines","12":"tag-dallas-news","13":"tag-dallas-real-estate","14":"tag-dallas-rent","15":"tag-housing-market","16":"tag-rental-market","17":"tag-zillow"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}