HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Baltimore city, Maryland (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Baltimore city is $1,857 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,857
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,671 to $2,043
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$74,280
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Maryland
12th of 24
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Baltimore moves to $2,006. That's up 8%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Baltimore are asking $1,644. HUD says $1,857.
That's 11% below the county FMR. Median asking rent across 20 Baltimore 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 | $1,362 | $1,226 to $1,498 | $54,480 | $26.19/hr | -3.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,511 | $1,360 to $1,662 | $60,440 | $29.06/hr | -5.8% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,857 | $1,671 to $2,043 | $74,280 | $35.71/hr | -5.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,358 | $2,122 to $2,594 | $94,320 | $45.35/hr | -6.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,611 | $2,350 to $2,872 | $104,440 | $50.21/hr | -7.6% |
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 | $3,003 | $2,703 to $3,303 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,394 | $3,055 to $3,733 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,786 | $3,407 to $4,165 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,178 | $3,760 to $4,596 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
HUD sets Fair Market Rent once a year, based on what typical units in the area actually rent for, with utilities folded in. FY 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and in Baltimore city the five published rates run from $1,362 to $2,611, studio through four bedrooms.
Baltimore doesn't get its own number. It sits inside the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro and shares one rate with 6 other cities, including Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County. HUD sets metro FMRs from rents across the whole metro, which is why a rural corner of a big metro can carry a city-sized rate.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,845. Baltimore comes in at $1,857, within a couple percent of that, and ranks 12th of 24 in Maryland. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 82% above. Population is around 584,548.
Counties sharing the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs for the 25 ZIP codes it covers in Baltimore. Two-bedroom rates run from $1,770 in 21203 (Baltimore) to $2,200 in 21231 (Baltimore), a $430 spread inside one city. Whether your housing authority uses the ZIP rate or the city rate depends on whether HUD has designated this area for Small Area FMRs. Ask the PHA which one it's on before you price a unit.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21201 | Baltimore | $1,950 | +5.0% |
| 21202 | Baltimore | $2,190 | +17.9% |
| 21203 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21205 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21206 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21209 | Baltimore | $2,060 | +10.9% |
| 21210 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21211 | Baltimore | $1,900 | +2.3% |
| 21212 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21213 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21214 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21215 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21216 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21217 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21218 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21223 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21224 | Baltimore | $2,150 | +15.8% |
| 21229 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21230 | Baltimore | $2,150 | +15.8% |
| 21231 | Baltimore | $2,200 | +18.5% |
| 21233 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21235 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21239 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21241 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21263 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21264 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21270 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21273 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21275 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21278 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21279 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21280 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21281 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21287 | Baltimore | $1,770 | -4.7% |
| 21288 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21289 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21290 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21297 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
| 21298 | Baltimore | $1,857County rate | — |
What a voucher pays here
The FMR isn't the check you'd receive. Your local housing authority turns it into a payment standard, set between 90% and 110% of FMR, so a two-bedroom here lands between $1,671 and $2,043. Subtract about 30% of the tenant's income and that's the housing assistance payment. If you ask more than similar unassisted units rent for, the PHA's rent reasonableness check will push back.
At the standard 30% of income, a household needs about $74,280 a year to afford $1,857 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $36 an hour.
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% ($1,671) | HAP at 100% ($1,857) | HAP at 110% ($2,043) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $921 | $1,107 | $1,293 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $471 | $657 | $843 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 5% from FY 2025 ($1,965) to FY 2026 ($1,857). Since FY 2020 it's up 35% in total, about 5.1% a year. The Maryland median moved down 3% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $897 | $1,105 | $1,376 | $1,781 | $2,037 | — |
| FY 2021 | $917 | $1,115 | $1,384 | $1,793 | $2,053 | +0.6% |
| FY 2022 | $953 | $1,124 | $1,395 | $1,809 | $2,075 | +0.8% |
| FY 2023 | $1,082 | $1,254 | $1,548 | $2,009 | $2,298 | +11.0% |
| FY 2024 | $1,379 | $1,582 | $1,943 | $2,519 | $2,849 | +25.5% |
| FY 2025 | $1,407 | $1,604 | $1,965 | $2,529 | $2,826 | +1.1% |
| FY 2026 | $1,362 | $1,511 | $1,857 | $2,358 | $2,611 | -5.5% |
| FY 2027 | $1,523 | $1,625 | $2,006 | $2,509 | $2,789 | +8.0% |
Nearby counties
Baltimore County
$1,8578 mi · pop 850,737
Howard County
$1,85717 mi · pop 332,011
Anne Arundel County
$1,85721 mi · pop 588,109
Harford County
$1,85723 mi · pop 261,059
Carroll County
$1,85727 mi · pop 173,225
Montgomery County
$2,24631 mi · pop 1,056,910
Prince George's County
$2,24631 mi · pop 957,189
Kent County
$1,24632 mi · pop 19,289
Questions people ask
$1,857 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,362 for a studio, $1,511 for one bedroom, $2,358 for three and $2,611 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 Baltimore actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Baltimore for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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