Rent too damn high? NYC doesn't even rank in Forbes 'Where its hardest to pay rent' list

Jimmy McMillian's might want to rethink his "rent is too damn high" political platform.

Though New York City may be known for rents that soar like its skyline, the Big Apple didn’t crack a list Forbes.com compiled of the top 10 most difficult American cities to pay rent.

Forbes based the ranking on how large a share of their income households spent on rent. Miami tops the list at 24.52%, followed by San Diego and Los Angeles. Orlando, Tampa and Fort Myers – all in Florida – round out the bottom.

If it seems unusual that New York, a city notorious for expensive apartments, didn’t make the cut, look to the methodology. In terms of average rent, New York is the most expensive at an average of $2,800 a month, according to the Office of Management and Budget. But the story changes when salaries are factored in – New Yorkers may be paying more but they are, relative to other parts of the country, making more, too.

“Rents vary a lot more across the United States than income does,” said Jon Pastor, CEO of the rent-tracking website RentJungle.com. “If you look at rents, New York is about 34% higher than Miami in terms of average monthly rent, and New York median income is about 30% higher than Miami, so that tells me that New York is less affordable than Miami.”