Raleigh’s $3,500 bargain: As rents cool, see which neighborhoods offer best deals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rents fell 3.1% year‑over‑year in January as 2025 construction eased market pressure.
- Shifting from North Hills to Triangle Town Center saves $288 monthly, about $3,456 yearly.
- Builders added 5,884 Raleigh apartments in 2025, prompting concessions and softer rents.
Raleigh rents continue to slide as thousands of new apartments come online, giving renters fresh leverage, especially in neighborhoods just beyond the city’s most in-demand districts.
Among key takeaways based on new data collected by CoStar Group researchers at Apartments.com:
- Best deal: While North Hills rents average $1,527 per month, Triangle Town Center offers a nearly identical “retail-adjacent lifestyle” for $1,239 per month. That’s a $288 monthly savings (nearly $3,500 per year), just by shifting north of the Beltline.
- Best value for space: Brier Creek offers the largest average one-bedroom (837 square feet) while remaining below the city average rent at $1,331 per month
- Downtown proximity under $1,500: South Raleigh rents provide buy easy access to downtown without Cameron Village’s $1,500-plus price tag.
Raleigh’s average rent stood at $1,364 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,604 for a two-bedroom apartment in January, according to Apartments.com.
Across all bedroom sizes, overall rent stood at $1,364, down 3.2% year over year.
That’s 16% lower than the national average ($1,625 per month).
A post-pandemic construction boom has helped reduce rents, said Nick Leverett, an analyst with Apartments.com. However, demand remains high for higher-end properties.
In 2025, Raleigh saw its net absorption (the number of move-ins minus move-outs) hit almost 7,600 units, the second-highest on record after 8,500 in 2024.
Durham’s market also had its second-highest year, with net absorption of 2,700 units.
Why is the rental market softening?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area ranks among the nation’s biggest builders — with 5,884 new rental apartments added in 2025, according to RentCafe data.
Durham added 2,960 new apartments.
In addition to new units softening prices on older stock, landlords are offering sweeteners — like no deposits, waived fees and up to two months free rent — to close deals.
Here’s the breakdown for some of Raleigh’s most and least expensive neighborhoods using Apartment.com data:
The Village District
The Village District, formerly Cameron Village, sits just west of downtown Raleigh, near the intersection of Oberlin Road and Clark Avenue in the 27605 ZIP code.
It’s one of Raleigh’s oldest planned mixed‑use areas, surrounded by historic neighborhoods and major institutions.
- Average one-bedroom rent: $1,584 per month.
- Average one-bedroom size: 762 square feet.
North Hills
North Hills is Raleigh’s flagship mixed‑use district in Midtown on Six Forks Road and I‑440.
- Average one-bedroom rent: $1,527 per month.
- Average one-bedroom size: 777 square feet.
Brier Creek
Brier Creek is a master‑planned community in far northwest Raleigh, right at the Durham–Wake County line, built around the convergence of I‑540, US‑70 (Glenwood Ave), and Brier Creek Parkway.
- Average one-bedroom rent: $1,331 per month.
- Average one-bedroom size: 837 square feet.
Triangle Town Center
- Average one-bedroom rent: $1,239 per month.
- Average one-bedroom size: 740 square feet.
South Raleigh (Parkland/Hidden Creek)
South Raleigh is south of the city’s downtown core, stretching toward Garner and along major corridors like South Saunders Street, Wilmington Street and Rock Quarry Road.
- Average one-bedroom rent: $1,273 per month.
- Average one-bedroom size: 774 square feet.
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 6:30 AM.
