HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · Effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Barnstable County, Massachusetts (FY 2026)
$2,422 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Barnstable County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Barnstable is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$2,422
+3.2% from FY 2025
Payment standard
$2,180–$2,664
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$96,880
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Massachusetts
7th of 14
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Barnstable moves to $2,488. That's up 3%. 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 | $1,834 | $1,651–$2,017 | $73,360 | $35.27/hr | +5.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,846 | $1,661–$2,031 | $73,840 | $35.50/hr | +3.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,422 | $2,180–$2,664 | $96,880 | $46.58/hr | +3.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,985 | $2,687–$3,284 | $119,400 | $57.40/hr | +3.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,428 | $3,085–$3,771 | $137,120 | $65.92/hr | +3.6% |
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 | $3,942 | $3,548–$4,336 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $4,456 | $4,010–$4,902 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $4,971 | $4,474–$5,468 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $5,485 | $4,937–$6,034 |
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 Barnstable actually rent for?
Search any address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable somewhere between $2,180 and $2,664. 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.
$2,422 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $96,880 a year. Put another way, $47 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%$2,180 | Voucher pays at 100%$2,422 | Voucher pays at 110%$2,664 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,430 | $1,672 | $1,914 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $980 | $1,222 | $1,464 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($2,346) to FY 2026 ($2,422). Since FY 2020 it's up 60% in total, about 8.2% a year. The Massachusetts median held flat over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $986 | $1,149 | $1,513 | $1,919 | $2,050 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,100 | $1,265 | $1,667 | $2,089 | $2,261 | +10.2% |
| FY 2022 | $1,248 | $1,428 | $1,879 | $2,323 | $2,548 | +12.7% |
| FY 2023 | $1,401 | $1,553 | $2,044 | $2,501 | $2,781 | +8.8% |
| FY 2024 | $1,486 | $1,585 | $2,082 | $2,541 | $2,897 | +1.9% |
| FY 2025 | $1,739 | $1,788 | $2,346 | $2,879 | $3,308 | +12.7% |
| FY 2026In effect | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 | +3.2% |
| FY 2027From Oct 1, 2026 | $1,889 | $1,902 | $2,488 | $3,121 | $3,721 | +2.7% |
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 Barnstable, that runs from $1,834 for a studio up to $3,428 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Barnstable is its own HUD metro area (Barnstable Town, MA), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Massachusetts's 14 counties, Barnstable ranks 7th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 6% above the state median of $2,283 and about 138% above the national median county at $1,018. About 230,073 people live here, 9th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,120 in 02540 (Falmouth) and $3,260 in 02630 (Barnstable), with the 55 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02532 | Buzzards Bay | $2,560 | +5.7% |
| 02534 | Cataumet | $2,250 | -7.1% |
| 02536 | East Falmouth | $2,510 | +3.6% |
| 02537 | East Sandwich | $2,940 | +21.4% |
| 02540 | Falmouth | $2,120 | -12.5% |
| 02541 | Falmouth | $2,420 | -0.1% |
| 02542 | Buzzards Bay | $2,870 | +18.5% |
| 02543 | Woods Hole | $2,120 | -12.5% |
| 02553 | Monument Beach | $2,120 | -12.5% |
| 02556 | North Falmouth | $2,320 | -4.2% |
| 02559 | Pocasset | $2,130 | -12.1% |
| 02561 | Sagamore | $2,520 | +4.0% |
| 02562 | Sagamore Beach | $2,420 | -0.1% |
| 02563 | Sandwich | $2,600 | +7.3% |
| 02574 | West Falmouth | $2,420 | -0.1% |
| 02601 | Hyannis | $2,440 | +0.7% |
| 02630 | Barnstable | $3,260 | +34.6% |
| 02631 | Brewster | $2,320 | -4.2% |
| 02632 | Centerville | $3,210 | +32.5% |
| 02633 | Chatham | $2,400 | -0.9% |
| 02634 | Centerville | $2,420 | -0.1% |
| 02635 | Cotuit | $2,750 | +13.5% |
| 02637 | Cummaquid | $2,940 | +21.4% |
| 02638 | Dennis | $2,370 | -2.1% |
| 02639 | Dennis Port | $2,180 | -10.0% |
| 02641 | East Dennis | $2,340 | -3.4% |
| 02642 | Eastham | $2,520 | +4.0% |
| 02643 | East Orleans | $2,150 | -11.2% |
| 02644 | Forestdale | $2,520 | +4.0% |
| 02645 | Harwich | $2,730 | +12.7% |
| 02646 | Harwich Port | $2,620 | +8.2% |
| 02647 | Hyannis Port | $2,430 | +0.3% |
| 02648 | Marstons Mills | $2,830 | +16.8% |
| 02649 | Mashpee | $2,470 | +2.0% |
| 02650 | North Chatham | $2,400 | -0.9% |
| 02651 | North Eastham | $2,420 | -0.1% |
| 02652 | North Truro | $2,120 | -12.5% |
| 02653 | Orleans | $2,130 | -12.1% |
| 02655 | Osterville | $2,580 | +6.5% |
| 02657 | Provincetown | $2,120 | -12.5% |
Rates by town
Massachusetts publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. All 15 towns in Barnstable County share the same rate for FY 2026, so the county number is the town number wherever you are.
| Town | Population | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Town city | 49,232 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Falmouth town | 32,841 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Yarmouth town | 25,091 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Sandwich town | 20,422 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Bourne town | 20,093 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Mashpee town | 15,234 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Dennis town | 14,803 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Harwich town | 13,506 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Brewster town | 10,367 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Chatham town | 6,643 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Orleans town | 6,342 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Eastham town | 5,772 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Wellfleet town | 4,371 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Provincetown town | 3,681 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
| Truro town | 1,675 | $1,834 | $1,846 | $2,422 | $2,985 | $3,428 |
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Barnstable.
Dukes County
29 mi · 20,751 people
$2,143
-12%
Nantucket County
33 mi · 14,299 people
$3,138
+30%
Plymouth County
34 mi · 531,889 people
$2,629
+9%
Bristol County
43 mi · 578,436 people
$1,798
-26%
Norfolk County
56 mi · 724,540 people
$2,937
+21%
Suffolk County
59 mi · 782,172 people
$2,941
+21%
Essex County
73 mi · 807,258 people
$2,683
+11%
Middlesex County
73 mi · 1,622,896 people
$2,825
+17%
Questions people ask
$2,422 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,834 for a studio, $1,846 for one bedroom, $2,985 for three and $3,428 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 Barnstable actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Barnstable for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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