HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Orange County, California (FY 2026)
$3,236 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Orange County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Orange is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$3,236
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$2,912 to $3,560
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$129,440
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in California
6th of 58
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Orange moves to $3,057. That's down 6%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Orange actually rent for?
Search any address in Orange for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,682 | $2,414 to $2,950 | $107,280 | $51.58/hr | +14.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,746 | $2,471 to $3,021 | $109,840 | $52.81/hr | +11.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $3,236 | $2,912 to $3,560 | $129,440 | $62.23/hr | +11.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $4,393 | $3,954 to $4,832 | $175,720 | $84.48/hr | +11.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $5,246 | $4,721 to $5,771 | $209,840 | $100.88/hr | +11.8% |
5 to 8 bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $6,033 | $5,430 to $6,636 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $6,820 | $6,138 to $7,502 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $7,607 | $6,846 to $8,368 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $8,394 | $7,555 to $9,233 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2026 that's October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. In Orange, that runs from $2,682 for a studio up to $5,246 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Orange is its own HUD metro area (Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among California's 58 counties, Orange ranks 6th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 92% above the state median of $1,687 and about 218% above the national median county at $1,018. About 3,175,227 people live here, 3rd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,620 in 92617 (Irvine) and $4,760 in 92660 (Newport Beach), with the 143 ZIP codes in between. Housing authorities in HUD-designated metros use those ZIP rates instead of the county rate. Everywhere else the ZIP numbers show where rents actually sit, and the county rate stays the official standard.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90620 | Buena Park | $3,180 | -1.7% |
| 90621 | Buena Park | $2,770 | -14.4% |
| 90622 | Buena Park | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 90623 | La Palma | $2,960 | -8.5% |
| 90624 | Buena Park | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 90630 | Cypress | $3,170 | -2.0% |
| 90631 | La Habra | $2,740 | -15.3% |
| 90632 | La Habra | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 90633 | La Habra | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 90680 | Stanton | $2,760 | -14.7% |
| 90720 | Los Alamitos | $3,160 | -2.3% |
| 90721 | Los Alamitos | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 90740 | Seal Beach | $3,290 | +1.7% |
| 90742 | Sunset Beach | $2,990 | -7.6% |
| 90743 | Surfside | $3,220 | -0.5% |
| 92602 | Irvine | $3,940 | +21.8% |
| 92603 | Irvine | $4,670 | +44.3% |
| 92604 | Irvine | $3,870 | +19.6% |
| 92605 | Huntington Beach | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92606 | Irvine | $3,890 | +20.2% |
| 92607 | Laguna Niguel | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92609 | El Toro | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92610 | Foothill Ranch | $4,010 | +23.9% |
| 92612 | Irvine | $4,110 | +27.0% |
| 92614 | Irvine | $3,970 | +22.7% |
| 92615 | Huntington Beach | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92616 | Irvine | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92617 | Irvine | $2,620 | -19.0% |
| 92618 | Irvine | $4,480 | +38.4% |
| 92619 | Irvine | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92620 | Irvine | $4,310 | +33.2% |
| 92623 | Irvine | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92624 | Capistrano Beach | $3,600 | +11.2% |
| 92625 | Corona Del Mar | $4,540 | +40.3% |
| 92626 | Costa Mesa | $3,610 | +11.6% |
| 92627 | Costa Mesa | $3,190 | -1.4% |
| 92628 | Costa Mesa | $3,240 | +0.1% |
| 92629 | Dana Point | $3,800 | +17.4% |
| 92630 | Lake Forest | $3,570 | +10.3% |
| 92637 | Laguna Woods | $3,050 | -5.7% |
What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Orange somewhere between $2,912 and $3,560. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$3,236 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $129,440 a year. Put another way, $62 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom, assuming the rent equals the payment standard. Tenant pays 30% of monthly income, HUD's housing assistance payment covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | HAP at 90% ($2,912) | HAP at 100% ($3,236) | HAP at 110% ($3,560) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $2,162 | $2,486 | $2,810 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,712 | $2,036 | $2,360 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 11% from FY 2025 ($2,903) to FY 2026 ($3,236). Since FY 2020 it's up 46% in total, about 6.5% a year. The California median moved up 9% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,563 | $1,785 | $2,216 | $3,098 | $3,578 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,678 | $1,888 | $2,331 | $3,227 | $3,716 | +5.2% |
| FY 2022 | $1,716 | $1,905 | $2,324 | $3,178 | $3,674 | -0.3% |
| FY 2023 | $1,939 | $2,113 | $2,539 | $3,448 | $4,032 | +9.3% |
| FY 2024 | $2,200 | $2,344 | $2,783 | $3,769 | $4,467 | +9.6% |
| FY 2025 | $2,352 | $2,454 | $2,903 | $3,927 | $4,693 | +4.3% |
| FY 2026 | $2,682 | $2,746 | $3,236 | $4,393 | $5,246 | +11.5% |
| FY 2027 | $2,580 | $2,610 | $3,057 | $4,153 | $4,964 | -5.5% |
Nearby counties
Los Angeles County
$2,60133 mi · pop 9,936,690
Riverside County
$2,20152 mi · pop 2,429,487
San Bernardino County
$2,20162 mi · pop 2,180,563
San Diego County
$3,00175 mi · pop 3,289,701
Ventura County
$2,69376 mi · pop 842,009
Kern County
$1,483121 mi · pop 906,883
Santa Barbara County
$3,124134 mi · pop 445,213
Imperial County
$1,362142 mi · pop 179,578
Questions people ask
$3,236 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $2,682 for a studio, $2,746 for one bedroom, $4,393 for three and $5,246 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Look up any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count.
Section 8 rent calculator
Work out the payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent.
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords.
Rent affordability calculator
See what income a household needs for a given rent.
What does a rental in Orange actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Orange for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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