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.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,857
-5.5% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$1,671–$2,043
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$74,280
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Maryland
12th of 24
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
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.
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 | $1,362 | $1,226–$1,498 | $54,480 | $26.19/hr | -3.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,511 | $1,360–$1,662 | $60,440 | $29.06/hr | -5.8% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,857 | $1,671–$2,043 | $74,280 | $35.71/hr | -5.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,358 | $2,122–$2,594 | $94,320 | $45.35/hr | -6.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,611 | $2,350–$2,872 | $104,440 | $50.21/hr | -7.6% |
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 | $3,003 | $2,703–$3,303 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,394 | $3,055–$3,733 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,786 | $3,407–$4,165 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,178 | $3,760–$4,596 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2026 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
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.
No card needed
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 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%$1,671 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,857 | Voucher pays 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.
| Fiscal 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 2026In effect | $1,362 | $1,511 | $1,857 | $2,358 | $2,611 | -5.5% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,523 | $1,625 | $2,006 | $2,509 | $2,789 | +8.0% |
About this rate
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.
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 | — |
Counties sharing the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,857 two-bedroom figure as Baltimore.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Baltimore.
Baltimore County
8 mi · 850,737 people
$1,857
same rate
Howard County
17 mi · 332,011 people
$1,857
same rate
Anne Arundel County
21 mi · 588,109 people
$1,857
same rate
Harford County
23 mi · 261,059 people
$1,857
same rate
Carroll County
27 mi · 173,225 people
$1,857
same rate
Montgomery County
31 mi · 1,056,910 people
$2,246
+21%
Prince George's County
31 mi · 957,189 people
$2,246
+21%
Kent County
32 mi · 19,289 people
$1,246
-33%
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
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 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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