Rent prices in Tacoma rising faster than almost everywhere in US

Tacoma had the second-fastest growing rents in the nation in April compared with a year ago, according to rental listing website Apartment List.

Rents for apartments of all sizes in April increased by 10.2 percent in the City of Destiny, compared with the same month last year, the website said. A median-priced two-bedroom unit, where half rent for more and half rent for less, rented for $1,220, the website said.

The data examines rents posted on the Apartment List website in 100 of the most-populated cities around the country. Nationwide, rents in April compared with the same month last year rose 2.4 percent.

Only Stockton, in California’s Central Valley, posted higher year-over-year rents than Tacoma, at 12.5 percent.

Comparatively, Seattle apartment rents increased by 4.9 percent in April compared with the previous year. Rent for a two-bedroom Seattle unit stood at $2,250 last month — $1,030 more than Tacoma.

Apartment List said rents in cities surrounding popular major metro areas are soaring because people are being priced out of those more expensive cities.

For instance, median rent in Stockton, Calif. was $1,000 per month for a two-bedroom apartment. The city is around 80 miles from San Francisco, where median rents for a two-bedroom unit are $4,560 per month.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Rent prices in Tacoma rising faster than almost everywhere in US."