How Much Rent Can Professional Athletes Afford
Professional athletes are notorious for extravagant lifestyles and luxury apartments. In fact, some of their homes could almost be classified as small cities based on square footage and amenities like a barbershop or movie theater.
Cost of Living in America’s Top Sport Cities Created By: ForRent.com
How Much Rent Can Athletes Afford?
We were curious about how much professional athletes could spend on their apartments, so we started looking into the numbers and running the calculations. The answer: a lot.
Highest-Earning Sports and Highest-Earning Teams
The average annual salaries for NBA players are a stunning $5.15 million. Next in line is baseball with average MLB salaries at $3.2 million. Hockey is next with $2.4 million as the average salary for NHL players. NFL players only average $1.9 million annually, and professional MLS soccer players take home $0.16 million on average.
But even within each sport, not all teams are equal. The five highest-earning U.S. teams across all sports are the following:
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA): $8,652,920
New York Yankees (MLB): $7,689,579
LA Clippers (NBA): $7,653,636
Portland Trail Blazers (NBA): $7,389,296
Memphis Grizzlies (NBA): $7,288,005
Highest-Earning U.S. Athletes
Akron, Ohio-based basketball player LeBron James is the top-earning U.S. athlete with a salary of $23.2 million and endorsements of $54 million for a total annual pay of $77.2 million.
Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City basketball player, is the second-highest earner with a salary of $20.2 million and endorsements of $36 million for a total annual pay of $56.2 million.
Next is Cam Newton, the Charlotte-based football player whose $41.1 million salary and $12 million endorsements total $53.1 million in annual pay.
Golfer Phil Mickelson, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California, is the fourth-highest-paid athlete with a salary of $2.9 million and endorsements of $50 million, totalling $52.9 million annually.
Dallas golfer Jordan Spieth is next with a $20.8 million salary and $32 million in endorsements, totaling $52.8 million per year.
In Newport Beach, California, is basketball player Kobe Bryant, who brings home $50 million per year from his $25 million salary and $25 million in endorsements.
Tiger Woods, the famous golfer based in Jupiter Island, Florida, takes home $45.3 million each year from his $274,000 salary and $45 million in endorsements.
Football player Eli Manning, who lives in Summit, New Jersey, has a salary of $37 million plus $8 million in endorsements for a total of $45 million per year.
Next up is Audubon, New Jersey football player Joe Flacco, whose salary of $44 million and $500,000 in endorsements make his annual pay $44.5 million.
From Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, football player Tom Brady is next with a $36.1 million salary and $8 million in endorsements, totaling $44.1 million annually.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather, who is based in Las Vegas, takes home a $32 million salary and $12 million in endorsements for a total of $44 million per year.
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida-based golfer Rory McIlroy makes $42.6 million each year, with $7.6 million coming from his salary and $35 million coming from endorsements.
Russell Wilson, the football player from Bellevue, Washington, takes home $41.8 million annually with a salary of $31.8 million and endorsements totaling $10 million.
