Is my rent above or below Fair Market Rent?
Choose your metro area and bedroom size and enter your monthly rent. This calculator compares it to the FY2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for that area and shows whether you are above or below the federal voucher rent standard, in dollars and percent. Add your monthly income to see an illustrative Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) gap. It covers the 75 largest US metros and runs entirely in your browser.
Source: HUD USER, FY2026 Fair Market Rents (40th percentile, revised final). Data as of June 2026.
Estimate only — not advice. Fair Market Rent is a benchmark, not a rent cap. The voucher figures are a simplified rule of thumb; your local public housing agency sets the actual payment standard (commonly 90–110% of FMR) and calculates the subsidy from adjusted income. Verify with huduser.gov and your PHA.
How it works
The comparison is simply your rent minus the area's published FMR for the bedroom size you choose. The optional voucher illustration assumes a tenant contribution of about 30% of monthly income and a payment standard equal to the FMR — both rounded rules of thumb. The exact formula and its limits are on the methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my rent is above Fair Market Rent?
Pick your metro area and bedroom size and enter your monthly rent. The calculator compares it to the FY2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for that area and tells you the dollar and percentage difference. It runs entirely in your browser using HUD's published FMRs.
How is the voucher gap estimated?
If you enter a monthly income, the tool illustrates a Housing Choice Voucher scenario: tenant contribution at about 30% of income, subsidy up to the FMR, and any rent above the FMR paid by the tenant. This is a simplified illustration — your local public housing agency (PHA) sets the real payment standard (usually 90–110% of FMR) and bases the subsidy on adjusted income, not gross income.
Is the Fair Market Rent the most I can be charged?
No. FMR is HUD's benchmark for setting voucher payment standards, not a rent cap or a market average. Landlords can charge more or less; voucher tenants may rent above the payment standard but pay the excess themselves (subject to PHA affordability rules at lease-up).
How accurate is this calculator?
It uses HUD's official FY2026 Fair Market Rents, so the FMR figures are exact. The voucher illustration is a rule-of-thumb only and excludes deductions, utility allowances and PHA-specific payment standards. Verify with huduser.gov and your PHA before relying on it.
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Last updated: 2026-06-20