Cheapest large US metros by Fair Market Rent
Among the 75 largest US metros, the lowest FY2026 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX at $1,060/month — roughly -9% below the national median FMR of $975. El Paso, TX ($1,191) and Tulsa, OK ($1,217) follow. The full cheapest-first ranking is below.
Source: HUD USER, FY2026 Fair Market Rents (40th percentile, revised final). Data as of June 2026.
Largest metros ranked by 2-bedroom FMR (cheapest first)
| # | Metro area | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $842 | $847 | $1,060 | $1,522 |
| 2 | El Paso, TX | $821 | $1,013 | $1,191 | $1,998 |
| 3 | Tulsa, OK | $933 | $987 | $1,217 | $1,858 |
| 4 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $955 | $995 | $1,218 | $1,812 |
| 5 | Oklahoma City, OK | $939 | $1,017 | $1,244 | $1,857 |
| 6 | Birmingham-Hoover, AL | $1,024 | $1,155 | $1,266 | $1,801 |
| 7 | Louisville, KY-IN | $966 | $1,047 | $1,272 | $1,891 |
| 8 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $1,060 | $1,154 | $1,274 | $1,959 |
| 9 | Cleveland, OH | $933 | $1,058 | $1,279 | $1,760 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,001 | $1,077 | $1,299 | $1,789 |
| 11 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $964 | $1,113 | $1,331 | $1,996 |
| 12 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $1,027 | $1,119 | $1,338 | $1,784 |
| 13 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $1,105 | $1,139 | $1,343 | $1,869 |
| 14 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $958 | $1,051 | $1,353 | $1,976 |
| 15 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $1,095 | $1,197 | $1,358 | $2,103 |
| 16 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | $1,090 | $1,148 | $1,368 | $2,046 |
| 17 | Tucson, AZ | $967 | $1,081 | $1,402 | $2,245 |
| 18 | Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | $1,009 | $1,122 | $1,411 | $1,868 |
| 19 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $1,077 | $1,177 | $1,426 | $2,132 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | $1,111 | $1,194 | $1,430 | $1,927 |
| 21 | Albuquerque, NM | $1,009 | $1,185 | $1,464 | $2,399 |
| 22 | Indianapolis-Carmel, IN | $1,118 | $1,267 | $1,473 | $2,338 |
| 23 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $1,132 | $1,140 | $1,483 | $2,488 |
| 24 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $1,280 | $1,323 | $1,573 | $2,639 |
| 25 | Rochester, NY | $1,116 | $1,256 | $1,573 | $2,083 |
| 26 | Richmond, VA | $1,442 | $1,507 | $1,655 | $2,553 |
| 27 | Jacksonville, FL | $1,355 | $1,382 | $1,658 | $2,561 |
| 28 | Fresno, CA | $1,347 | $1,355 | $1,664 | $2,660 |
| 29 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $1,469 | $1,538 | $1,686 | $2,637 |
| 30 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $1,217 | $1,417 | $1,702 | $2,253 |
| 31 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $1,242 | $1,405 | $1,709 | $2,531 |
| 32 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | $1,492 | $1,512 | $1,713 | $2,797 |
| 33 | Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $1,427 | $1,473 | $1,723 | $2,815 |
| 34 | Providence-Fall River, RI-MA | $1,318 | $1,402 | $1,729 | $2,480 |
| 35 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $1,507 | $1,578 | $1,730 | $2,696 |
| 36 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $1,333 | $1,478 | $1,735 | $2,764 |
| 37 | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,259 | $1,456 | $1,747 | $2,666 |
| 38 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $1,524 | $1,596 | $1,750 | $2,936 |
| 39 | Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL | $1,480 | $1,581 | $1,781 | $2,653 |
| 40 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $1,397 | $1,520 | $1,810 | $2,423 |
| 41 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $1,585 | $1,660 | $1,820 | $2,605 |
| 42 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $1,457 | $1,583 | $1,839 | $2,720 |
| 43 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $1,474 | $1,562 | $1,852 | $2,760 |
| 44 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $1,362 | $1,511 | $1,857 | $2,611 |
| 45 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $1,286 | $1,477 | $1,865 | $2,537 |
| 46 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $1,570 | $1,677 | $1,922 | $3,109 |
| 47 | Dallas, TX | $1,582 | $1,648 | $1,931 | $3,091 |
| 48 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $1,418 | $1,686 | $1,958 | $3,027 |
| 49 | Tacoma, WA | $1,428 | $1,605 | $1,971 | $3,102 |
| 50 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $1,650 | $1,731 | $1,972 | $2,924 |
| 51 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $1,593 | $1,696 | $1,977 | $3,077 |
| 52 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $1,643 | $1,754 | $2,089 | $3,049 |
| 53 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $1,692 | $1,777 | $2,201 | $3,514 |
| 54 | Newark, NJ | $1,612 | $1,822 | $2,205 | $3,137 |
| 55 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD | $1,953 | $2,015 | $2,246 | $3,332 |
| 56 | West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL | $1,788 | $1,901 | $2,254 | $3,388 |
| 57 | Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA | $1,748 | $1,832 | $2,255 | $3,460 |
| 58 | Bergen-Passaic, NJ | $1,778 | $2,024 | $2,324 | $3,618 |
| 59 | Monmouth-Ocean, NJ | $1,676 | $1,889 | $2,328 | $3,371 |
| 60 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $1,737 | $1,900 | $2,333 | $3,810 |
| 61 | Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL | $1,828 | $1,995 | $2,436 | $3,613 |
| 62 | Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ | $1,804 | $1,978 | $2,486 | $3,296 |
| 63 | Seattle-Bellevue, WA | $2,074 | $2,146 | $2,501 | $3,847 |
| 64 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $1,731 | $2,100 | $2,511 | $3,598 |
| 65 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $1,877 | $2,016 | $2,642 | $4,432 |
| 66 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $1,998 | $2,250 | $2,693 | $4,240 |
| 67 | Nassau-Suffolk, NY | $1,992 | $2,379 | $2,747 | $3,768 |
| 68 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA | $2,079 | $2,328 | $2,903 | $4,098 |
| 69 | New York, NY | $2,529 | $2,655 | $2,910 | $3,959 |
| 70 | Oakland-Fremont, CA | $2,142 | $2,385 | $2,912 | $4,413 |
| 71 | Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,894 |
| 72 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $2,288 | $2,459 | $3,001 | $4,845 |
| 73 | Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA | $2,682 | $2,746 | $3,236 | $5,246 |
| 74 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $2,621 | $2,982 | $3,483 | $5,010 |
| 75 | San Francisco, CA | $2,485 | $2,977 | $3,604 | $4,772 |
Source: HUD USER, FY2026 Fair Market Rents (40th percentile, revised final). Data as of June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which large US metro has the lowest Fair Market Rent?
Of the 75 largest US metros, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX has the lowest FY2026 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent at $1,060 per month, followed by El Paso, TX ($1,191) and Tulsa, OK ($1,217). Many smaller metros and rural counties have even lower FMRs.
Are low-FMR metros cheap to live in generally?
A low FMR signals lower local rents, which usually tracks a lower overall cost of living. But FMR only measures rent, not groceries, taxes or wages — and the lowest FMRs of all are in rural non-metro counties, not the large metros listed here.
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Last updated: 2026-06-20