Most expensive US metros by Fair Market Rent
The most expensive large US metro for renters is San Francisco, CA, with a FY2026 two-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $3,604/month — about 270% above the national median FMR of $975. Next come San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($3,483) and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA ($3,236). The full ranking of the 75 largest metros 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
| # | Metro area | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $2,485 | $2,977 | $3,604 | $4,772 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $2,621 | $2,982 | $3,483 | $5,010 |
| 3 | Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA | $2,682 | $2,746 | $3,236 | $5,246 |
| 4 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $2,288 | $2,459 | $3,001 | $4,845 |
| 5 | Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,894 |
| 6 | Oakland-Fremont, CA | $2,142 | $2,385 | $2,912 | $4,413 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $2,529 | $2,655 | $2,910 | $3,959 |
| 8 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA | $2,079 | $2,328 | $2,903 | $4,098 |
| 9 | Nassau-Suffolk, NY | $1,992 | $2,379 | $2,747 | $3,768 |
| 10 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $1,998 | $2,250 | $2,693 | $4,240 |
| 11 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $1,877 | $2,016 | $2,642 | $4,432 |
| 12 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $1,731 | $2,100 | $2,511 | $3,598 |
| 13 | Seattle-Bellevue, WA | $2,074 | $2,146 | $2,501 | $3,847 |
| 14 | Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ | $1,804 | $1,978 | $2,486 | $3,296 |
| 15 | Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL | $1,828 | $1,995 | $2,436 | $3,613 |
| 16 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $1,737 | $1,900 | $2,333 | $3,810 |
| 17 | Monmouth-Ocean, NJ | $1,676 | $1,889 | $2,328 | $3,371 |
| 18 | Bergen-Passaic, NJ | $1,778 | $2,024 | $2,324 | $3,618 |
| 19 | Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA | $1,748 | $1,832 | $2,255 | $3,460 |
| 20 | West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL | $1,788 | $1,901 | $2,254 | $3,388 |
| 21 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD | $1,953 | $2,015 | $2,246 | $3,332 |
| 22 | Newark, NJ | $1,612 | $1,822 | $2,205 | $3,137 |
| 23 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $1,692 | $1,777 | $2,201 | $3,514 |
| 24 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $1,643 | $1,754 | $2,089 | $3,049 |
| 25 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $1,593 | $1,696 | $1,977 | $3,077 |
| 26 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $1,650 | $1,731 | $1,972 | $2,924 |
| 27 | Tacoma, WA | $1,428 | $1,605 | $1,971 | $3,102 |
| 28 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $1,418 | $1,686 | $1,958 | $3,027 |
| 29 | Dallas, TX | $1,582 | $1,648 | $1,931 | $3,091 |
| 30 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $1,570 | $1,677 | $1,922 | $3,109 |
| 31 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $1,286 | $1,477 | $1,865 | $2,537 |
| 32 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $1,362 | $1,511 | $1,857 | $2,611 |
| 33 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $1,474 | $1,562 | $1,852 | $2,760 |
| 34 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $1,457 | $1,583 | $1,839 | $2,720 |
| 35 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $1,585 | $1,660 | $1,820 | $2,605 |
| 36 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $1,397 | $1,520 | $1,810 | $2,423 |
| 37 | Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL | $1,480 | $1,581 | $1,781 | $2,653 |
| 38 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $1,524 | $1,596 | $1,750 | $2,936 |
| 39 | Salt Lake City, UT | $1,259 | $1,456 | $1,747 | $2,666 |
| 40 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $1,333 | $1,478 | $1,735 | $2,764 |
| 41 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $1,507 | $1,578 | $1,730 | $2,696 |
| 42 | Providence-Fall River, RI-MA | $1,318 | $1,402 | $1,729 | $2,480 |
| 43 | Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $1,427 | $1,473 | $1,723 | $2,815 |
| 44 | Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | $1,492 | $1,512 | $1,713 | $2,797 |
| 45 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $1,242 | $1,405 | $1,709 | $2,531 |
| 46 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $1,217 | $1,417 | $1,702 | $2,253 |
| 47 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $1,469 | $1,538 | $1,686 | $2,637 |
| 48 | Fresno, CA | $1,347 | $1,355 | $1,664 | $2,660 |
| 49 | Jacksonville, FL | $1,355 | $1,382 | $1,658 | $2,561 |
| 50 | Richmond, VA | $1,442 | $1,507 | $1,655 | $2,553 |
| 51 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $1,280 | $1,323 | $1,573 | $2,639 |
| 52 | Rochester, NY | $1,116 | $1,256 | $1,573 | $2,083 |
| 53 | Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $1,132 | $1,140 | $1,483 | $2,488 |
| 54 | Indianapolis-Carmel, IN | $1,118 | $1,267 | $1,473 | $2,338 |
| 55 | Albuquerque, NM | $1,009 | $1,185 | $1,464 | $2,399 |
| 56 | Columbus, OH | $1,111 | $1,194 | $1,430 | $1,927 |
| 57 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $1,077 | $1,177 | $1,426 | $2,132 |
| 58 | Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | $1,009 | $1,122 | $1,411 | $1,868 |
| 59 | Tucson, AZ | $967 | $1,081 | $1,402 | $2,245 |
| 60 | Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | $1,090 | $1,148 | $1,368 | $2,046 |
| 61 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $1,095 | $1,197 | $1,358 | $2,103 |
| 62 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $958 | $1,051 | $1,353 | $1,976 |
| 63 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $1,105 | $1,139 | $1,343 | $1,869 |
| 64 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $1,027 | $1,119 | $1,338 | $1,784 |
| 65 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $964 | $1,113 | $1,331 | $1,996 |
| 66 | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,001 | $1,077 | $1,299 | $1,789 |
| 67 | Cleveland, OH | $933 | $1,058 | $1,279 | $1,760 |
| 68 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $1,060 | $1,154 | $1,274 | $1,959 |
| 69 | Louisville, KY-IN | $966 | $1,047 | $1,272 | $1,891 |
| 70 | Birmingham-Hoover, AL | $1,024 | $1,155 | $1,266 | $1,801 |
| 71 | Oklahoma City, OK | $939 | $1,017 | $1,244 | $1,857 |
| 72 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $955 | $995 | $1,218 | $1,812 |
| 73 | Tulsa, OK | $933 | $987 | $1,217 | $1,858 |
| 74 | El Paso, TX | $821 | $1,013 | $1,191 | $1,998 |
| 75 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $842 | $847 | $1,060 | $1,522 |
Source: HUD USER, FY2026 Fair Market Rents (40th percentile, revised final). Data as of June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most expensive US metro by Fair Market Rent?
Among the largest US metros, San Francisco, CA has the highest FY2026 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent at $3,604 per month, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($3,483) and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA ($3,236). FMR is HUD's 40th-percentile gross rent, not the market median.
Why are these metros' FMRs so high?
Coastal, supply-constrained metros — the New York, California and New England areas — have the highest rents, and FMR follows actual local rents (it is the 40th-percentile gross rent from Census data, trended forward). High FMRs let Housing Choice Vouchers cover more rent in these expensive markets.
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Last updated: 2026-06-20