UPDATE: New data: Mesa rents increased 0.2% in September | Apartment List Research

October 2026 Rent Report Your monthly rental market update from the Apartment List Research Team  Hi Tim, Our Mesa Rent Report has been updated with new data through August 2026. The National Outlook:   Nationwide rent growth was -0.1% in September, kicking off the winter slow season and closing the book on what was a bit of a resurgent summer for the rental market.  Rent growth was consistently stronger this year compared to 2025, driven by rapid rent growth in a small handful of red-hot markets plus a steady re-balancing across much of the rest of the country.  Year-over-year rent growth (nationwide) bottomed out at -1.6% back in April, but has risen to just -0.4% today.  Our vacancy index shows a similar trend, having dipped again to 7.0%, its lowest level since last May. The Local Outlook:   Below are some local highlights from this month’s report: Rents in Mesa increased 0.2% in September, compared to a 0.1% decrease nationwide. Year-over-year rent growth in Mesa now stands at -2.3%, up from -4.5% one year ago. Today the median rent in Mesa is  $1,129 for a one-bedroom unit and  $1,270 for a two-bedroom unit.  And the citywide apartment vacancy rate stands at 7.5%, down 0.4 percentage points from this time last year. For more national and local insights, check out the latest update to our Mesa Rent Report. Mesa Rent Report: October 2026 Welcome to the Apartment List October 2026 Rent Report for Mesa, AZ. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,296, roughly the same as last month. Prices remain down 2.3% year-over-year.  Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Mesa rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader Phoenix metro area and the nation as a whole. Mesa Rental Stats Median Rent 1 bed $1,129 2 bed $1,270 Rent Growth Past month +0.3% Past year -2.3% Mesa rents are flat month-over-month and down 2.3% year-over-year The median rent in Mesa rose by 0.3% over the course of September, and has now decreased by a total of 2.3% over the past 12 months. Mesa’s rent growth over the past year has is similar to the state average (-2.0%) but has fallen below the national average (-0.4%). Mesa rent growth in 2026 pacing above last year Nine months into the year, rents in Mesa have fallen 0.2%. This is a faster rate of growth compared to what the city was experiencing at this point last year: from January to September 2025 rents had decreased 1.3%. September rent growth in Mesa ranked #29 among large U.S. cities Mesa rents went up 0.3% in the past month, compared to the national rate of -0.1%.  1 Among the nation's 100 largest cities, this ranks #29.  2 Similar monthly rent growth took place in Gilbert, AZ (0.3%) and Hialeah, FL (0.2%). Month-over-Month Rent Growth Among 100 Largest Cities In the U.S. Mesa is the #68 most expensive large city in the U.S., with a median rent of $1,296 Citywide, the median rent currently stands at $1,129 for a 1-bedroom apartment and $1,270 for a 2-bedroom. Across all bedroom sizes (ie, the entire rental market), the median rent is $1,296. That ranks #68 in the nation, among the country's 100 largest cities. For comparison, the median rent across the nation as a whole is $1,220 for a 1-bedroom, $1,374 for a 2-bedroom, and $1,388 overall. The median rent in Mesa is 6.6% lower than the national, and is similar to the prices you would find in Columbus, OH ($1,298) and Garland, TX ($1,280). Median Overall Rent Among 100 Largest Cities In the U.S. Mesa rents are 3.8% lower than the metro-wide median If we expand our view to the wider Phoenix metro area, the median rent is $1,347 meaning that the median price in Mesa ($1,296) is 3.8% lower than the price across the metro as a whole. Metro-wide annual rent growth stands at -2.2%, above the rate of rent growth within just the city. The table below shows the latest rent stats for 12 cities in the Phoenix metro area that are included in our database. Among them, Gilbert is currently the most expensive, with a median rent of $1,698. Glendale is the metro’s most affordable city, with a median rent of $1,209. The metro's fastest annual rent growth is occurring in Chandler (0.1%) while the slowest is in Surprise (-3.7%). Avondale $1,051 $1,234 0.1% -1.4% Casa Grande $1,034 $1,139 -1.2% -1.6% Chandler $1,363 $1,537 -0.1% 0.1% Gilbert $1,407 $1,536 0.3% -0.9% Glendale $1,039 $1,161 -0.2% -2.9% Goodyear $1,262 $1,500 -0.1% -1.6% Mesa $1,129 $1,270 0.3% -2.3% Peoria $1,163 $1,286 0.8% -2.6% Phoenix $1,076 $1,282 -0.1% -2.9% Scottsdale $1,440 $1,693 -0.1% 0.0% Methodology Apartment List is committed to the accuracy and transparency of our rent estimates. We begin with reliable median rent statistics from the Census Bureau, then extrapolate them forward to the current month using a growth rate calculated from our listing data. In doing so, we use a same-unit analysis similar to Case-Shiller’s approach, capturing apartment transactions over time to provide an accurate picture of rent growth in cities across the country. Our approach corrects for the sample bias inherent in other private sources, producing results that are much closer to statistics published by the Census Bureau and HUD. For more details, please see the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology. Data Access Apartment List publishes monthly rent reports and underlying data for hundreds of cities across the nation, as well as data aggregated for counties, metros, and states. These data are intended to be a source of reliable information that help renters and policymakers make sound decisions. Insights from our data are covered regularly by journalists across the country. To access the data yours For more data, tools, and insights about the rental market, please visit the Apartment List Research Blog.