Housing is typically thought of as a fixed, non-negotiable bill, the one expense that gets paid before anything else. New survey data suggests that for a meaningful share of Americans, it isn’t being paid outright at all. It’s being financed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a 2026 survey of 2,000 U.S. adults with at least $10,000 in unsecured debt, conducted by Atomik Research for Accredited Debt Relief<\/a>, 33% said they had used a credit card or borrowed money to cover rent or housing costs in the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Housing is one of several essential expenses now being covered with credit. Groceries led at 66%, followed by gas or transportation at 47% and utilities at 45%. At roughly 1 in 3, rent or housing costs sit alongside them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The discretionary spending isn’t what’s going on the card. Asked separately what they’d put on hold because of their debt, respondents named taking a vacation more often than anything else, at 41%, followed by building savings at 40%. The trips are being cancelled. It’s the groceries and the housing payments that are being financed.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHousing Joins the List of Bills Going on Credit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n