HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Riverside County, California (FY 2026)
$2,201 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Riverside County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Riverside is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$2,201
-4.6% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,981–$2,421
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$88,040
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in California
21st of 58
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Riverside moves to $2,103. That's down 4%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,692 | $1,523–$1,861 | $67,680 | $32.54/hr | -4.7% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,777 | $1,599–$1,955 | $71,080 | $34.17/hr | -4.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,201 | $1,981–$2,421 | $88,040 | $42.33/hr | -4.6% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,912 | $2,621–$3,203 | $116,480 | $56.00/hr | -5.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,514 | $3,163–$3,865 | $140,560 | $67.58/hr | -6.2% |
Five to eight 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 | $4,041 | $3,637–$4,445 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $4,568 | $4,111–$5,025 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $5,095 | $4,586–$5,605 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $5,622 | $5,060–$6,184 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Riverside are asking $2,312. HUD says $2,201.
That's 5% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 15 Riverside ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
No card needed
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 Riverside somewhere between $1,981 and $2,421. 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.
$2,201 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $88,040 a year. Put another way, $42 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | Voucher pays at 90%$1,981 | Voucher pays at 100%$2,201 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,421 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,231 | $1,451 | $1,671 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $781 | $1,001 | $1,221 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 5% from FY 2025 ($2,306) to FY 2026 ($2,201). Since FY 2020 it's up 71% in total, about 9.3% a year. The California median moved up 9% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $875 | $1,030 | $1,289 | $1,789 | $2,216 | — |
| FY 2021 | $955 | $1,106 | $1,390 | $1,917 | $2,369 | +7.8% |
| FY 2022 | $1,062 | $1,202 | $1,509 | $2,065 | $2,542 | +8.6% |
| FY 2023 | $1,281 | $1,398 | $1,751 | $2,376 | $2,922 | +16.0% |
| FY 2024 | $1,517 | $1,611 | $2,010 | $2,707 | $3,304 | +14.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,776 | $1,852 | $2,306 | $3,079 | $3,745 | +14.7% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,692 | $1,777 | $2,201 | $2,912 | $3,514 | -4.6% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,605 | $1,705 | $2,103 | $2,771 | $3,336 | -4.5% |
About this rate
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 Riverside, that runs from $1,692 for a studio up to $3,514 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Riverside in with one other county in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro, San Bernardino County among them, and every one of them gets $2,201 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among California's 58 counties, Riverside ranks 21st for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 30% above the state median of $1,687 and about 116% above the national median county at $1,018. About 2,429,487 people live here, 4th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,830 in 92590 (Temecula) and $3,300 in 92880 (Corona), with the 96 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91752 | Mira Loma | $2,600 | +18.1% |
| 92201 | Indio | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92202 | Indio | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92203 | Indio | $2,370 | +7.7% |
| 92210 | Indian Wells | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92211 | Palm Desert | $2,330 | +5.9% |
| 92220 | Banning | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92223 | Beaumont | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92225 | Blythe | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92226 | Blythe | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92230 | Cabazon | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92234 | Cathedral City | $2,140 | -2.8% |
| 92235 | Cathedral City | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92236 | Coachella | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92239 | Desert Center | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92240 | Desert Hot Springs | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92241 | Desert Hot Springs | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92247 | La Quinta | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92253 | La Quinta | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92254 | Mecca | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92255 | Palm Desert | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92258 | North Palm Springs | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92260 | Palm Desert | $2,320 | +5.4% |
| 92261 | Palm Desert | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92262 | Palm Springs | $2,140 | -2.8% |
| 92263 | Palm Springs | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92264 | Palm Springs | $2,340 | +6.3% |
| 92270 | Rancho Mirage | $2,230 | +1.3% |
| 92274 | Thermal | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92276 | Thousand Palms | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92282 | Whitewater | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92320 | Calimesa | $2,330 | +5.9% |
| 92501 | Riverside | $2,080 | -5.5% |
| 92502 | Riverside | $2,280 | +3.6% |
| 92503 | Riverside | $2,400 | +9.0% |
| 92504 | Riverside | $2,230 | +1.3% |
| 92505 | Riverside | $2,630 | +19.5% |
| 92506 | Riverside | $2,300 | +4.5% |
| 92507 | Riverside | $2,520 | +14.5% |
| 92508 | Riverside | $3,280 | +49.0% |
Counties sharing the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $2,201 two-bedroom figure as Riverside.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Riverside.
San Bernardino County
38 mi · 2,180,563 people
$2,201
same rate
Orange County
52 mi · 3,175,227 people
$3,236
+47%
San Diego County
64 mi · 3,289,701 people
$3,001
+36%
Los Angeles County
78 mi · 9,936,690 people
$2,601
+18%
Imperial County
97 mi · 179,578 people
$1,362
-38%
Ventura County
123 mi · 842,009 people
$2,693
+22%
Kern County
147 mi · 906,883 people
$1,483
-33%
Santa Barbara County
181 mi · 445,213 people
$3,124
+42%
Questions people ask
$2,201 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,692 for a studio, $1,777 for one bedroom, $2,912 for three and $3,514 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count
Section 8 rent calculator
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
The income a household needs for a given rent
What does a rental in Riverside actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Riverside for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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