HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Cook County, Illinois (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Cook County is $1,781 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,781
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,603 to $1,959
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$71,240
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Illinois
2nd of 102
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Cook moves to $2,011. That's up 13%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Chicago are asking $2,916. HUD says $1,781.
That's 64% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 22 Chicago ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
Comps for a specific address
A rent estimate built from nearby listings, next to the HUD number.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,480 | $1,332 to $1,628 | $59,200 | $28.46/hr | +1.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,581 | $1,423 to $1,739 | $63,240 | $30.40/hr | +1.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,781 | $1,603 to $1,959 | $71,240 | $34.25/hr | +1.1% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,294 | $2,065 to $2,523 | $91,760 | $44.12/hr | +1.4% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,653 | $2,388 to $2,918 | $106,120 | $51.02/hr | -0.2% |
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 | $3,051 | $2,746 to $3,356 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,449 | $3,104 to $3,794 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,847 | $3,462 to $4,232 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,245 | $3,821 to $4,670 |
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 Cook, that runs from $1,480 for a studio up to $2,653 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 Cook in with 5 other counties in the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metro, DuPage County, Lake County, Will County among them, and every one of them gets $1,781 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 Illinois's 102 counties, Cook ranks 2nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 87% above the state median of $953 and about 75% above the national median county at $1,018. About 5,225,367 people live here, 1st in the state.
Counties sharing the Chicago-Joliet-Naperville metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,220 in 60141 (Hines) and $2,670 in 60053 (Morton Grove), with the 199 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60004 | Arlington Heights | $2,190 | +23.0% |
| 60005 | Arlington Heights | $1,940 | +8.9% |
| 60006 | Arlington Heights | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60007 | Elk Grove Village | $1,990 | +11.7% |
| 60008 | Rolling Meadows | $1,940 | +8.9% |
| 60009 | Elk Grove Village | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60016 | Des Plaines | $1,890 | +6.1% |
| 60017 | Des Plaines | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60018 | Des Plaines | $1,460 | -18.0% |
| 60019 | Des Plaines | $1,781County rate | — |
| 60022 | Glencoe | $2,390 | +34.2% |
| 60025 | Glenview | $2,100 | +17.9% |
| 60026 | Glenview | $2,390 | +34.2% |
| 60029 | Golf | $2,290 | +28.6% |
| 60038 | Palatine | $1,781County rate | — |
| 60043 | Kenilworth | $2,540 | +42.6% |
| 60053 | Morton Grove | $2,670 | +49.9% |
| 60055 | Palatine | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60056 | Mount Prospect | $1,910 | +7.2% |
| 60062 | Northbrook | $2,370 | +33.1% |
| 60065 | Northbrook | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60067 | Palatine | $1,900 | +6.7% |
| 60068 | Park Ridge | $1,940 | +8.9% |
| 60070 | Prospect Heights | $1,710 | -4.0% |
| 60074 | Palatine | $1,900 | +6.7% |
| 60076 | Skokie | $1,950 | +9.5% |
| 60077 | Skokie | $1,800 | +1.1% |
| 60078 | Palatine | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60082 | Techny | $1,781County rate | — |
| 60090 | Wheeling | $1,960 | +10.1% |
| 60091 | Wilmette | $2,620 | +47.1% |
| 60093 | Winnetka | $2,410 | +35.3% |
| 60094 | Palatine | $1,781County rate | — |
| 60095 | Palatine | $1,750 | -1.7% |
| 60103 | Bartlett | $2,290 | +28.6% |
| 60104 | Bellwood | $1,490 | -16.3% |
| 60107 | Streamwood | $2,340 | +31.4% |
| 60130 | Forest Park | $1,680 | -5.7% |
| 60131 | Franklin Park | $1,450 | -18.6% |
| 60141 | Hines | $1,220 | -31.5% |
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 Cook somewhere between $1,603 and $1,959. 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.
$1,781 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $71,240 a year. Put another way, $34 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% ($1,603) | HAP at 100% ($1,781) | HAP at 110% ($1,959) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $853 | $1,031 | $1,209 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $403 | $581 | $759 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 1% from FY 2025 ($1,761) to FY 2026 ($1,781). Since FY 2020 it's up 43% in total, about 6.1% a year. The Illinois median moved up 6% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $956 | $1,076 | $1,248 | $1,585 | $1,888 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,012 | $1,122 | $1,299 | $1,649 | $1,969 | +4.1% |
| FY 2022 | $1,059 | $1,161 | $1,340 | $1,697 | $2,018 | +3.2% |
| FY 2023 | $1,158 | $1,255 | $1,440 | $1,827 | $2,172 | +7.5% |
| FY 2024 | $1,399 | $1,507 | $1,714 | $2,182 | $2,583 | +19.0% |
| FY 2025 | $1,458 | $1,560 | $1,761 | $2,262 | $2,657 | +2.7% |
| FY 2026 | $1,480 | $1,581 | $1,781 | $2,294 | $2,653 | +1.1% |
| FY 2027 | $1,678 | $1,780 | $2,011 | $2,586 | $2,954 | +12.9% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,781 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,480 for a studio, $1,581 for one bedroom, $2,294 for three and $2,653 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 Cook actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cook for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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