Owning a four-legged friend in New York City can cost renters two limbs.
An impressive 94 million US households own at least one pet, bringing the country’s total pet-related spending to a whopping $152 billion in 2024. A study by RentCafe ranked the most pet-friendly cities for budget-minded renters, balancing the availability of pet-friendly apartments alongside the cost of adding furry friends to the lease.
New York City is filled with coddled cats and babied French bulldogs, but their companionship comes at a high cost.
The Big Apple ranked seventh in the Northeast region for pet friendliness within its rental stock. The combination of pet deposits and extra fees paid by NYC renters averaged out to $822.92, or nearly $300 over the national average.
New York City’s premium on pets is matched only by Jersey City, where rental pet fees totaled an incredible $900.
Pets are particularly spoiled in New York City, with dedicated parades, gourmet doggie biscuit bakeries and pristine parks. When it comes to pet rents, New Yorkers shell out an average of $64.42 per month — less than two dollars shy of what a typical commuter might spend each month for their 9-to-5 subway rides.
Other US tenants spend roughly $35 on pet rent on average, according to the study, ranging from $34.88 in small cities to $37.14 in large cities. Refundable pet deposits nationwide average just over $300. Nonrefundable pet fees average $315.
New York City does, however, boast plenty of housing options for pet-owning renters. Nearly 75% of the city’s rentals are identified as pet-friendly, according to RentCafe. That figure puts NYC roughly in line with the regional average of 80%.
Southern and Midwestern metros proved to be particularly amenable to pets, with both regions boasting pet-friendly rental stock shares of approximately 83%.
Oklahoma, with its wide-open plains perfect for endless games of fetch, offered the highest share of pet-friendly apartments, with more than 92% of the state’s apartment stock allowing pets.
Nevada, at 92.16%, and Arkansas, at 91.23%, completed the top three.
On the metro level, Oak Park, Illinois, turned out to be a pet lover’s paradise. Oak Park earned the study’s highest pet-friendly score, with remarkably low fees of just $250 on average and a 95.51% share of welcoming apartments. Fargo, North Dakota and Decatur, Georgia, trailed in second and third places.
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