HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Santa Clara County, California (FY 2026)
A two-bedroom in Santa Clara County carries a FY 2026 Fair Market Rent of $3,483 a month, effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Everything Section 8 pays in Santa Clara keys off that figure.
Two-bedroom FMR
$3,483
+1.1% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$3,135–$3,831
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$139,320
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in California
5th of 58
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Santa Clara moves to $3,272. That's down 6%. 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 | $2,621 | $2,359–$2,883 | $104,840 | $50.40/hr | +0.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,982 | $2,684–$3,280 | $119,280 | $57.35/hr | +0.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $3,483 | $3,135–$3,831 | $139,320 | $66.98/hr | +1.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $4,602 | $4,142–$5,062 | $184,080 | $88.50/hr | +2.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $5,010 | $4,509–$5,511 | $200,400 | $96.35/hr | +2.7% |
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 | $5,762 | $5,186–$6,338 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $6,513 | $5,862–$7,164 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $7,265 | $6,539–$7,992 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $8,016 | $7,214–$8,818 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in San Jose are asking $3,088. HUD says $3,483.
That's 11% below the county FMR. Median asking rent across 19 San Jose ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
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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 Santa Clara somewhere between $3,135 and $3,831. 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.
$3,483 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $139,320 a year. Put another way, $67 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%$3,135 | Voucher pays at 100%$3,483 | Voucher pays at 110%$3,831 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $2,385 | $2,733 | $3,081 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,935 | $2,283 | $2,631 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2025 ($3,446) to FY 2026 ($3,483). Since FY 2020 it's up 17% in total, about 2.7% 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 | $2,103 | $2,458 | $2,970 | $3,943 | $4,525 | — |
| FY 2021 | $2,228 | $2,558 | $3,051 | $3,984 | $4,593 | +2.7% |
| FY 2022 | $2,145 | $2,418 | $2,868 | $3,687 | $4,213 | -6.0% |
| FY 2023 | $2,223 | $2,513 | $2,941 | $3,750 | $4,202 | +2.5% |
| FY 2024 | $2,383 | $2,694 | $3,132 | $4,011 | $4,425 | +6.5% |
| FY 2025 | $2,608 | $2,975 | $3,446 | $4,477 | $4,878 | +10.0% |
| FY 2026In effect | $2,621 | $2,982 | $3,483 | $4,602 | $5,010 | +1.1% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $2,458 | $2,778 | $3,272 | $4,396 | $4,688 | -6.1% |
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 Santa Clara, that runs from $2,621 for a studio up to $5,010 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Santa Clara is its own HUD metro area (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among California's 58 counties, Santa Clara ranks 5th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 106% above the state median of $1,687 and about 242% above the national median county at $1,018. About 1,916,831 people live here, 6th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,540 in 94305 (Stanford) and $4,740 in 95134 (San Jose), with the 100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94022 | Los Altos | $4,190 | +20.3% |
| 94023 | Los Altos | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 94024 | Los Altos | $4,340 | +24.6% |
| 94035 | Mountain View | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 94039 | Mountain View | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 94040 | Mountain View | $4,250 | +22.0% |
| 94041 | Mountain View | $3,880 | +11.4% |
| 94042 | Mountain View | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 94043 | Mountain View | $3,860 | +10.8% |
| 94085 | Sunnyvale | $4,220 | +21.2% |
| 94086 | Sunnyvale | $3,870 | +11.1% |
| 94087 | Sunnyvale | $4,110 | +18.0% |
| 94088 | Sunnyvale | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 94089 | Sunnyvale | $4,180 | +20.0% |
| 94301 | Palo Alto | $3,950 | +13.4% |
| 94302 | Palo Alto | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 94304 | Palo Alto | $4,260 | +22.3% |
| 94305 | Stanford | $2,540 | -27.1% |
| 94306 | Palo Alto | $3,790 | +8.8% |
| 94309 | Palo Alto | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95002 | Alviso | $2,990 | -14.2% |
| 95008 | Campbell | $3,530 | +1.3% |
| 95009 | Campbell | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95011 | Campbell | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95013 | Coyote | $3,450 | -0.9% |
| 95014 | Cupertino | $4,440 | +27.5% |
| 95015 | Cupertino | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95020 | Gilroy | $2,750 | -21.0% |
| 95021 | Gilroy | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95025 | San Jose | $3,483County rate | — |
| 95026 | Holy City | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95030 | Los Gatos | $3,470 | -0.4% |
| 95031 | Los Gatos | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95032 | Los Gatos | $3,770 | +8.2% |
| 95033 | Los Gatos | $4,350 | +24.9% |
| 95035 | Milpitas | $3,790 | +8.8% |
| 95036 | Milpitas | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95037 | Morgan Hill | $2,820 | -19.0% |
| 95038 | Morgan Hill | $3,480 | -0.1% |
| 95042 | New Almaden | $3,483County rate | — |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Santa Clara.
Santa Cruz County
21 mi · 268,571 people
$4,214
+21%
San Mateo County
27 mi · 754,250 people
$3,604
+3%
Alameda County
33 mi · 1,663,823 people
$2,912
-16%
San Francisco County
42 mi · 851,036 people
$3,604
+3%
Contra Costa County
43 mi · 1,162,648 people
$2,912
-16%
San Benito County
51 mi · 64,753 people
$2,902
-17%
San Joaquin County
56 mi · 779,445 people
$1,742
-50%
Stanislaus County
58 mi · 552,063 people
$1,758
-50%
Questions people ask
$3,483 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $2,621 for a studio, $2,982 for one bedroom, $4,602 for three and $5,010 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 Santa Clara actually go for?
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