HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Lee County, Florida (FY 2026)
$1,961 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Lee County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Lee is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,961
+6.4% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,765–$2,157
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$78,440
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Florida
14th of 67
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Lee moves to $1,835. 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 | $1,629 | $1,466–$1,792 | $65,160 | $31.33/hr | +10.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,638 | $1,474–$1,802 | $65,520 | $31.50/hr | +10.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,961 | $1,765–$2,157 | $78,440 | $37.71/hr | +6.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,560 | $2,304–$2,816 | $102,400 | $49.23/hr | +5.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,836 | $2,552–$3,120 | $113,440 | $54.54/hr | +5.4% |
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 | $3,261 | $2,935–$3,587 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,687 | $3,318–$4,056 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,112 | $3,701–$4,523 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,538 | $4,084–$4,992 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Lee actually rent for?
Search any address in Lee for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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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 Lee somewhere between $1,765 and $2,157. 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.
$1,961 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $78,440 a year. Put another way, $38 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%$1,765 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,961 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,157 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,015 | $1,211 | $1,407 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $565 | $761 | $957 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 6% from FY 2025 ($1,843) to FY 2026 ($1,961). Since FY 2020 it's up 66% in total, about 8.8% a year. The Florida median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $875 | $946 | $1,182 | $1,540 | $1,752 | — |
| FY 2021 | $931 | $951 | $1,197 | $1,559 | $1,762 | +1.3% |
| FY 2022 | $976 | $979 | $1,231 | $1,603 | $1,820 | +2.8% |
| FY 2023 | $1,134 | $1,141 | $1,451 | $1,896 | $2,157 | +17.9% |
| FY 2024 | $1,329 | $1,331 | $1,677 | $2,198 | $2,499 | +15.6% |
| FY 2025 | $1,478 | $1,488 | $1,843 | $2,422 | $2,691 | +9.9% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,629 | $1,638 | $1,961 | $2,560 | $2,836 | +6.4% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,555 | $1,564 | $1,835 | $2,373 | $2,615 | -6.4% |
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 Lee, that runs from $1,629 for a studio up to $2,836 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Lee is its own HUD metro area (Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Florida's 67 counties, Lee ranks 14th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 33% above the state median of $1,471 and about 93% above the national median county at $1,018. About 772,902 people live here, 8th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,660 in 33903 (North Fort Myers) and $2,940 in 33956 (Saint James City), with the 45 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33901 | Fort Myers | $1,740 | -11.3% |
| 33902 | Fort Myers | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33903 | North Fort Myers | $1,660 | -15.3% |
| 33904 | Cape Coral | $2,020 | +3.0% |
| 33905 | Fort Myers | $1,910 | -2.6% |
| 33906 | Fort Myers | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33907 | Fort Myers | $2,010 | +2.5% |
| 33908 | Fort Myers | $2,260 | +15.2% |
| 33909 | Cape Coral | $2,170 | +10.7% |
| 33910 | Cape Coral | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33911 | Fort Myers | $1,961County rate | — |
| 33912 | Fort Myers | $2,180 | +11.2% |
| 33913 | Fort Myers | $2,360 | +20.3% |
| 33914 | Cape Coral | $2,100 | +7.1% |
| 33915 | Cape Coral | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33916 | Fort Myers | $1,760 | -10.2% |
| 33917 | North Fort Myers | $1,660 | -15.3% |
| 33918 | North Fort Myers | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33919 | Fort Myers | $2,010 | +2.5% |
| 33920 | Alva | $1,660 | -15.3% |
| 33921 | Boca Grande | $1,660 | -15.3% |
| 33922 | Bokeelia | $1,660 | -15.3% |
| 33924 | Captiva | $2,300 | +17.3% |
| 33928 | Estero | $2,550 | +30.0% |
| 33929 | Estero | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33931 | Fort Myers Beach | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33932 | Fort Myers Beach | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33936 | Lehigh Acres | $1,660 | -15.3% |
| 33945 | Pineland | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33956 | Saint James City | $2,940 | +49.9% |
| 33957 | Sanibel | $2,900 | +47.9% |
| 33965 | Fort Myers | $2,050 | +4.5% |
| 33966 | Fort Myers | $2,080 | +6.1% |
| 33970 | Lehigh Acres | $1,960 | -0.1% |
| 33971 | Lehigh Acres | $2,090 | +6.6% |
| 33972 | Lehigh Acres | $1,910 | -2.6% |
| 33974 | Lehigh Acres | $2,100 | +7.1% |
| 33976 | Lehigh Acres | $2,130 | +8.6% |
| 33990 | Cape Coral | $2,040 | +4.0% |
| 33991 | Cape Coral | $2,430 | +23.9% |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Lee.
Charlotte County
29 mi · 189,900 people
$1,470
-25%
Collier County
35 mi · 380,221 people
$1,986
+1%
Hendry County
36 mi · 39,902 people
$1,271
-35%
DeSoto County
40 mi · 34,258 people
$1,209
-38%
Glades County
44 mi · 12,179 people
$1,252
-36%
Sarasota County
54 mi · 439,392 people
$1,958
same rate
Hardee County
65 mi · 25,528 people
$1,248
-36%
Highlands County
66 mi · 102,339 people
$1,271
-35%
Questions people ask
$1,961 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,629 for a studio, $1,638 for one bedroom, $2,560 for three and $2,836 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 Lee actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Lee for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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