Nationally Rank: Top 20 Markets Rent vs Home Owners:
Source:  Business week

Rank: 5
Tampa Metro (Fla.)
Own/rent ratio: 115%
Annual cost to own: $10,823
Annual cost to rent: $9,444

South Florida is has been hit hard by the recession, and home prices in Tampa have taken a dive. The metro was the country's 19th-largest in 2007, with a population of more than 2.7 million. OSI Restaurant Partners and WellCare Health Plans are headquartered there. The Tampa Bay area also relies on the tourism industry.


Rank: 9
Orlando Metro (Fla.)
Own/rent ratio: 124%
Annual cost to own: $12,107
Annual cost to rent: $9,756

The Orlando metro area, in central Florida, has a population of more than 2 million. Orlando's economy relies heavily on tourism from Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld amusement parks. The metro area ranked 10th in foreclosure notices in the first half of 2009, according to RealtyTrac. It had an unemployment rate of 10.8% in June, not seasonally adjusted.

 


Rank: 14
Miami-Fort Lauderdale Metro (Fla.)
Own/rent ratio: 133%
Annual cost to own: $16,272
Annual cost to rent: $12,240

Overdevelopment when housing prices were soaring led Miami prices to crash during the recession. Now buyers can get a steal in the Miami area. The unemployment rate was 10.7% in June. South Florida is a tourism hot spot, known for its beaches and its nightlife. The Miami metropolitan area was the seventh-largest in the country with a population of more than 5.4 million as of 2007.

 


Rank: 15
Little Rock Metro (Ark.)
Own/rent ratio: 135%
Annual cost to own: $9,975
Annual cost to rent: $7,392

Little Rock, one of the commercial centers of Arkansas, is home to Dillard's department stores. The area's unemployment rate was a mere 6.6% in June. Little Rock, the state's capital, never had a housing bubble to begin with, so the housing market has remained steady. BusinessWeek ranked it as one of the strongest housing markets in the country.

 


Rank: 16
Atlanta Metro (Ga.)
Own/rent ratio: 137%
Annual cost to own: $12,313
Annual cost to rent: $8,988

Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the South, and a significant business destination. Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, and Turner Broadcasting System have headquarters in the city. The original poster child for sprawl got caught up in the overdevelopment frenzy, and saturated the market with condos when the housing bubble burst. Atlanta attractions include the Georgia Aquarium, the Atlanta Zoo, and the World of Coca-Cola museum.

 


Rank: 19
St. Louis Metro (Mo.-Ill.)
Own/rent ratio: 144%
Annual cost to own: $11,737
Annual cost to rent: $8,136

St. Louis, located on the border between Missouri and Illinois, did not experience as much of the housing frenzy that markets on the coasts did. The area had an unemployment rate of 9.9% in June. The city is known for its famous Gateway Arch, as well as Washington University in St. Louis and the Cardinals baseball team.