How rent pressure is reshaping relationships, financial choices, and long-term life goals
Rent prices aren’t just squeezing budgets, they’re evolving how Americans live, love, and plan for the future. We surveyed 1,000 renters nationwide to uncover the emotional and financial trade-offs people are making to stay housed. From delayed milestones to strained relationships, rent stress is reshaping daily life.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly 3 in 4 renters (73%) report being cost-burdened, with 44% saying they feel severely burdened, spending over half their income on rent.
- One in two renters has delayed ending a relationship because they couldn’t afford to move out.
- Over 60% have either borrowed money or taken on debt to cover housing costs.
- One in three regret signing their current lease — some within the first month.
- 80% are delaying major life goals like homeownership, retirement, and starting a family because of rent pressure.
- Nearly two in three renters feel stuck renting — millennials (75%) and Gen Z (70%) are likelier to feel this way.
Renters Are Stuck—and They Know It
When it comes to the rental market in the United States, renters have no escape. Nearly two-thirds of renters (64%) say they feel trapped renting because buying a home is out of reach.
The most significant factor behind this feeling is cost, which affects not only renters’ emotional well-being and current ability to move but also their long-term independence. Even if they aim to buy a house or move elsewhere eventually, many physically can’t unless they want to risk their financial stability.
In addition, many renters lament signing their current lease — known as lease regret. This is especially common among millennials. Nearly half of them say they’re unhappy with their current situation, and almost 1 in 10 renters says that regret began in the first month. These respondents cited multiple reasons for this regret, the most common being maintenance issues and high rent. Notably, respondents in our survey also admitted that they regretted their lease because they were desperate to find a lease to live, which motivated them to sign terms they weren’t satisfied with.
Financial Pressure Is Delaying Major Life Moves
The saying, “money doesn’t buy happiness,” may be thrown around often, even during economic uncertainty. Still, it doesn’t necessarily describe the fact that money does, in fact, buy basic life necessities. With housing costs rising, most renters (80%) report making lifestyle or financial sacrifices to afford rent. These sacrifices extend far beyond small luxuries. Many renters are now cutting back on essentials, from groceries and social lives to career growth and long-term savings.
Sacrifices for respondents also extended beyond temporary, small decisions. Nearly two-thirds say they’ve delayed at least one significant life milestone because of housing costs. For millennials and Gen Z, those delays often include buying a home, pursuing higher education, or moving forward in their careers.
Rent isn’t just limiting freedom — it’s shaping futures.
For Many Renters, Housing Now Exceeds 50% of Monthly Income
Financial experts like Dave Ramsey have always recommended not spending more than 25% of your income on housing. This guideline has now become outdated in the current market and behaviors among renters. More than 70% of renters are cost-burdened, meaning they spend over 30% of their monthly income on housing costs. Notably, 44% are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their paycheck just to stay housed.
This financial strain is most acute for millennials (77%) and Gen Z (74%), who also report the highest rates of lease regret and delayed life milestones like buying a house due to lack of a down payment. Rent isn’t just cutting their budgets — it’s cutting their potential for a better life.
These findings highlight the widening disconnect between renter income and available inventory, a dynamic housing advocates and policymakers have long warned about. We found that 70% of renters say housing costs have taken an emotional toll, and among Gen Z and millennials, those rates are three times higher than for boomers. Just 9% of younger renters say rent hasn’t affected them emotionally.
While budgeting guidelines often suggest keeping rent under 30% of income, more than 70% of renters in our study exceeded that threshold, a sign that personal discipline alone can’t solve a systemic affordability crisis.
When Housing Affects Relationships
When analyzing how housing costs have affected respondents' lives, we wanted to know about all aspects — even personal relationships. More than half (52%) of renters admit they’ve stayed in a romantic relationship longer than they wanted to because they couldn’t afford to move out, underscoring how rent can entangle deeply personal decisions. For millennials, that number jumps to 63%.
The same sentiment extends not only to romantic relationships but also to friendships and roommate relationships. Over half have shared housing with someone they didn’t get along with due to cost pressures. Financial constraints directly influence personal boundaries, household dynamics, and long-term decisions.
The Landlord Gap: Control Without Accountability
With housing costs and property taxes rising, many landlords have also been raising rent to keep up. However, instead of providing proper notice to renters, many landlords have given short notice to tenants, increasing their risk of experiencing homelessness. In the past year alone, 35% of renters experienced a rent hike with little to no notice.
Even without experiencing this issue, other tenants aren’t satisfied with their landlord. A quarter reported that their landlords have ignored maintenance requests for over a week. Nearly 1 in 5 chose not to report an issue, fearing retaliation from their landlord.
The power imbalance between renters and landlords fuels silence, stress, and prolonged disrepair, especially among cost-burdened households with minimal leverage. Some renters say they’ve experienced threats of eviction or felt discriminated against based on race, gender, or income. Nearly 1 in 5 renters reported staying silent out of fear, highlighting a troubling power dynamic in tenant-landlord relationships.
If Rent Were Cheaper, Life Would Look Different
When asked what they’d do with lower rent, most renters didn’t say “splurge.” They said they’d stabilize: pay off debt, save for a home, and prioritize health.
Rent relief wouldn’t just improve cash flow, it would restore agency. A third of renters would use the savings to pay off loans, another third would save for a home, and many would finally invest in retirement or mental health. This indicates that public housing wouldn’t necessarily cause renters to spend their savings away needlessly. Instead, they would use their finances towards things that they need.
What Renters Want
While policymakers are constantly advocating for extending public housing, the current state of renter protections has stagnated in many states, causing renters to feel unsafe. Just 18% of renters say they feel protected under current housing laws, despite 82% expressing a desire for stronger safeguards. These desired safeguards include:
- Tighter restrictions on rent increases;
- More flexibility to break leases without penalty;
- Stronger rules on repairs and maintenance.
Based on our analysis, we can conclude that rising housing costs often affect the stability, satisfaction, and long-term planning of renters. Still, the gap between the policy of affordable housing and lived experience remains. With the insights provided here, we can better understand what today’s renters face and what they want more of in the housing market.
Methodology
We surveyed 1,000 U.S. renters via Pollfish in May 2025. We stratified responses by age, gender, region, and other demographic variables to align with U.S. renter population trends. Due to rounding or multi-select questions, percentages may not total 100%.
About HUD Housing Network
HUD Housing Network is a free, transparent rental search and resource platform helping people find affordable housing, understand their rights, and connect with tools to secure stable living conditions.
Fair Use Statement
You are welcome to cite or republish this study’s findings for noncommercial use with proper attribution. Please credit HUDHousingNetwork.com and include a link to the complete study when referencing any data or visuals.
