July 31, 2018
5 Minute Read
A hot summer night in New York might feel good if your residents are outside. But inside, New York renters pay 11.6 percent ($275) more a month to stay cool with central air conditioning. It’s followed by metros known for heat: Las Vegas (10.4 percent or $135), Phoenix (10.3 percent or $141), San Antonio (8.1 percent or $108) and Houston (7.6 percent or $117).
Zillow Research compared homes with and without central air conditioning that were listed for rent — or listed for sale and sold — from June 1, 2017, to May 31, 2018.
The national premium for central air conditioning in a rental is 2.8 percent or $40 for the median-valued rental. That’s higher than the national central air premium home buyers pay (2.5 percent). This is possibly because more sales listings advertise central air than rental listings do (54.7 percent) — so if you’ve got it, flaunt it. It may also be because renters are not able to add central air to their homes themselves.
Below is a glimpse at what renters pay to stay cool. See more data and an interactive graph of central air premiums in 35 cities.
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