Dallas · Apartment types
Dallas Cheap Apartments
In short
On this page, cheap means a monthly rent within one dated ceiling, set in writing by our broker and shown below. A low rent is only a good deal if the rest of the bill stays low too. This guide, updated October 2026, covers the full monthly cost and Texas rules on application fees, late fees and deposits.
Looking for affordable apartments in Dallas? The examples below are studios and one-bedrooms listed under the ceiling, each with the date we checked it.
Updated October 2026 · Source: Texas Property Code and the Federal Trade Commission, checked October 2, 2026
What we mean by cheap
On this page, cheap means a studio or one-bedroom with a monthly rent under $1,200, a ceiling our broker set on [date]. It matches the line in our move or cash terms. A community is named on this page only if it has a unit within that ceiling on the day we check.
We date the ceiling because rents move. When it changes, the new date appears with it, and any example that no longer fits comes off the page.
Cheap here describes a price and nothing else. It is not the same as income-restricted or subsidized housing, which has its own eligibility rules and its own applications. If that is what you need, tell us, and we will say plainly whether we can help.
The rent is only part of the bill
The lowest rent on a list is not always the lowest-cost home. Before you compare two places, add up what you would pay each month to live in each one.
- Utilities. Electricity, water, trash and internet, if they are in your name. Ask what similar units have averaged.
- Monthly fees. Parking, trash pickup, amenity or technology fees, and pet rent if you have a pet.
- Insurance. Many leases require renters insurance. Ask the minimum coverage.
- Getting to work. Gas, tolls and parking at the other end, or a transit pass. A lower rent farther out can cost more once the commute is counted.
Not sure what you can spend? Our rent calculator turns a monthly income into a rent figure using the three-times-rent rule many communities apply, and passes that budget to our request form.
Applying without wasting fees
Application fees add up quickly when you apply to several places, and you may not get them back. Applying only where you are likely to qualify is the cheapest step you can take.
Texas law helps here. When a landlord gives you an application, it must also make available a printed notice of its tenant selection criteria and the grounds for denial, such as criminal history, rental history, current income, credit history, or incomplete or inaccurate information. If it rejects you without having made that notice available, it must return your application fee and any application deposit (Texas Property Code, section 92.3515).
Read the criteria before you pay. If a requirement rules you out, you have kept the fee. If you are not sure how a rule applies to you, ask us, and we can put the question to the community before you apply.
When a price looks too low
A search for low rent is exactly where rental scams go looking for people. The Federal Trade Commission warns that a rent much lower than most rents in the area can itself be a sign of a scam, and so can a person who will not show you the home or rushes you to decide (FTC, “Rental Listing Scams”).
- Never pay a deposit or rent by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency. The FTC compares it to sending cash: once it is gone, you probably cannot get it back.
- Search the address online. The same home advertised under a different owner or company name, or listed for sale instead of for rent, is a red flag.
- Keep your Social Security number and other sensitive details to yourself until you have seen the home and know who the landlord is.
Scams can be reported at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If a listing looks wrong to you, send it to us before you pay anything, and we will check with the community directly.
Late fees and getting your deposit back
On a tight budget, a late fee hurts most. A Texas landlord may charge one only if the fee is in a written lease, it is reasonable, and part of the rent is still unpaid two full days after the due date. For a building with more than four units, a fee of no more than 10% of the monthly rent counts as reasonable (Texas Property Code, section 92.019).
Ask which day rent is due, how the late fee is calculated, and whether the due date can be moved to match your payday.
Plan now for the deposit you will want back. The landlord must refund it on or before the 30th day after you surrender the unit, but is not obligated to until you give a written forwarding address (Texas Property Code, sections 92.103 and 92.107). A lease rule that makes the refund depend on advance notice of move-out is effective only if it is underlined or printed in conspicuous bold (section 92.103). Find that clause before you sign, put the notice date in your calendar, and leave your new address in writing when you hand back the keys.
Ways to pay less for the same home
- Lease length. Ask the monthly price for several terms. The longest lease is not always the lowest monthly rent.
- Move-in date. Prices can change with the date you move in. If your date is flexible, ask about two or three.
- The unit you pick. The same plan can rent for less on a different floor or with a different view.
- Upfront costs. Ask whether the application fee, the administrative fee or the deposit can be reduced or waived.
- Specials. Weeks free or a reduced first month lower the first lease, not the rent written in it. Our specials page shows current offers with the date we checked each one.
Communities under the ceiling
A community appears here only if we work with it and it has a unit within the ceiling above on the day we check. Each entry shows that day. When no community qualifies, nothing is listed, because an old price would only waste your time.
Tell us your budget and move-in date, and we will call communities to confirm current rent before anything goes on your list. We look across Dallas and the other 17 cities we cover, so the right place may be one city over.
Under the ceiling, on our list
The Ainsley
built 2025 1 and 2 bedrooms
from $999 a month (listed October 9, 2026)
6 weeks free on a 12-month lease
Ask us first
1 studio or 1-bedroom plan(s) listed under $1,200, from $999
Oakhouse
built 2024 studio to 3 bedrooms
from $1,185 a month (listed October 9, 2026)
Ask us first
1 studio or 1-bedroom plan(s) listed under $1,200, from $1,185
The Boheme
built 2022 studio to 3 bedrooms
from $1,087 a month (listed October 9, 2026)
2 months free on a 12-month lease
Ask us first
3 studio or 1-bedroom plan(s) listed under $1,200, from $1,087
The Caroline
built 2026 1 to 3 bedrooms
from $1,009 a month (listed October 9, 2026)
2 months free on a 12-month lease
Ask us first
1 studio or 1-bedroom plan(s) listed under $1,200, from $1,009
Rents and specials change often. These figures come down 30 days after the date shown. If that date is more than 30 days old, contact us for today’s price and special.
Your move or cash
Lease through us at a participating community, on a lease of 12 months or more, and choose 3 hours of moving with 2 movers and a truck, or cash: $400 if you found the place and registered it with us first, $200 if we search for you. Under $1,200 rent: $200 cash.
- Participating communities only.
- Rewards apply only at participating communities.
- Check with us first.
- Before you visit, call or apply, ask us. We confirm in writing whether your community participates and what your reward is.
- We pay when the community pays us.
- Cash is sent after the community pays our fee, usually 30 to 90 days after you move in.
Sources
Laws and guidance on this page were checked on October 2, 2026.
- Texas Property Code, section 92.3515 (notice of eligibility requirements)
- Texas Property Code, section 92.019 (late fees)
- Texas Property Code, section 92.103 (obligation to refund the security deposit)
- Texas Property Code, section 92.107 (tenant’s forwarding address)
- Federal Trade Commission: Rental Listing Scams
Tell us where
One clear request is enough to start. A licensed agent reads it and gets back to you the way you asked.
We also look in
A licensed agent will get back to you the way you asked, and will build your list from there.