How much has rent gone up in your Kansas City neighborhood? Check the data on this map

Between 2020 and 2021, rent prices across the Kansas City metro have gone up.

The median cost of rent in Kansas City has gone up by nearly 26% over the last year, according to data from RentHub, a company that specializes in rental housing data.

To get a better view of how the housing market has evolved in the last year, below is an interactive map that breaks down the change in median rent based on ZIP code.

The median rent in the city went from $1,040 in December 2020 to $1,308 in December 2021. The median cost of a one bedroom, for example, rose from just over $859 to $1048 per month between 2020 and 2021, according to the data.

The greater Kansas City metro area saw a 21% increase in median rent prices in the past year, with the median rent price tag being $1,400, according to Rent Hub’s data.

Where is rent going up most around Kansas City?

Rent prices are increasing more in some ZIP codes than others.

Neighborhoods in Mission’s 66202 ZIP code saw more than a 151% increase in median rent prices between December 2020 and December 2021.

Meanwhile, the Northwest Kansas City 64130 neighborhoods saw a 23% decrease in median rent prices during the same time period.

The data used in the map is sourced from 8,617 Kansas City rental listings from public rental listings and property websites, according to RentHub.

What does this mean for affordable housing in Kansas City?

As the market changes and neighborhoods evolve, landlords have the right to raise rents in between leases as they see fit. Decisions to raise the rent can potentially force certain families to find new housing.

Gina Chiala, executive director of the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, which offers guidance and legal services to renters in Kansas City, said she’s seen some clients feel the strain of rising rents.

“There are times when a landlord simply has a right to evict a tenant, their lease is up, they’ve given notice, and the law allows them to then evict them,” Chiala said. “For those tenants, all we can do as lawyers is try to slow down their cases and negotiate with the landlord’s attorney to the best of our ability.”

Last month, the city dedicated money to an affordable housing fund to address its need for affordable apartments, which advocates said was necessary because the cost of rent was going up.

Editor’s note: When this story was first published, we incorrectly identified ZIP code 64130 as 64310. The correct ZIP code is 64130. We apologize for the mistake.

If you have other questions about rent, housing or something else you’ve been wondering about in Kansas City, you can ask us at kcq@kcstar.com, or using the form below.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.