If someone created a list of the most renter-friendly cities in America, would Pittsburgh be on it?
Well, someone did. Actually, two separate surveys, Apartment Advisor and RentCafe both made that conclusion, arriving at it via different methodologies. The first has Pittsburgh #8 in “The Most Renter-Friendly Cities in 2024” and “Best Places for Renters to Live in 2024” has us #2 in the Northeast (though #73 nationwide).
The first devised a formula based on “vacancy rates, demand, new residential construction, and tenant protection laws” as well as “desirability, based on public transit and entertainment, and economic opportunity for renters in each city, analyzing the median income–to–median rent ratio, unemployment rates, and rental property price trends.” The second took on 20 separate criteria; this combined metric seems to really like Southern cities more than Northeastern ones.
Of course, it certainly doesn’t feel like a paradise for renters around here, but we probably rely on vibes enough as it is. Maybe the numbers say something different, if they can be relied upon (always an open question).
What to make of this? Probably nothing. It does seem at least somewhat believable — but only because renting is such a hellish ordeal in most other places. It’s kind of like how the Pirates still have a plausible playoffs window, because the rest of the National League sucks so bad.
NORTH SIDE
For sale: 965 Stanford Rd., Woods Run, $219,000
Look, I’m not getting paid under the table in schnitzel from Max’s Allegheny Tavern to promote the North Side. I actually think it’s an interesting place that gets a bad rap for some good reasons and a lot of bad ones. It’s also one of only a handful of places where ample sub-$250K homes exist without glaring issues. This 1926 house has a really comfortable front porch with a fabric awning instead of a creaky metal one, a functioning fireplace (pretty rare in the city), and a recent, contemporary paint job for just about every room. Something similar is going to cost you way more in the East End, which is going to put you farther away from the schnitzel.
A historic home for rent in the Mexican War Streets with 100-year-old woodwork and stained glass — and even a porch swing? Maybe in the heyday of Olde Allegheny City these kinds of places were a dime a dozen, but not today. Maybe this is all the evidence needed for Pittsburgh to be considered a great place for renting.
WEST END
For sale: 2350 Allender Ave., Banksville, $275,000
They’re calling this “a farmhouse in the city” which seems like a case of country-fried cosplay that even Kenny Chesney fans would find dubious. But it comes with a half-acre of land, a giant porch, a back patio, and even a gazebo. No big red barn, no chickens, no Old MacDonald, unless he’s sitting at end of the bar with a theory why we can’t just draft decent inside linebackers anymore. But there’s historic (1916) charm to be had, including truly nice hardwood floors, some landscaping, and a new cedar butcher block island in the kitchen. If you still require chickens, well, there’s always the deli at Giant Eagle.
For rent: 221 Sterrett St., Westwood, $700/month
The only things I know about Westwood are Antney’s Ice Cream (Pittsburgh’s best) and that their Little League teams are not to be taken lightly. However, $700 rents (for one bedroom) are still enough of a rarity nowadays that you have to wonder why. Honestly, perhaps that savings is going straight to Antney’s, so maybe it’s not really that cheap after all.
SOUTH
For sale: 2438 Edgebrook Ave., Brookline, $175,000
I prefer ranch dressing to ranch houses (who doesn’t), but sometimes you want (or need) most things on one floor, and the supply of those homes is limited in the city. Brookline always seems so undervalued compared to other comparable city neighborhoods, which seems suspicious; is there some kind of highly localized crime wave here that nobody is talking about? (Grandmas selling bootleg root beer barrels out of an Iron City ashtray? Grand theft pierogie?)
For rent: Fieldbrook Apartments, 1425 McFarland Rd., Mt. Lebanon, $960/month
For a long time, it seemed like the sheer difficulty of getting to Pittsburgh’s nearby South Hills neighborhoods from anywhere else was a problem. But what if it’s an advantage? Dormont, which this complex is just on the edge of, has two main business districts that have thrived in spite of bridges and tunnels; maybe that’s what’s keeping these neighborhoods unique and differentiated from directions north and east. At any rate, any rentals under $1,000 that feature four upright walls seem like a victory nowadays, and in a walkable neighborhood with great places to eat like the Dor-Stop and Moonlit Burgers nearby, no less.
