HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Suffolk County, Massachusetts (FY 2026)
$2,941 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Suffolk County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Suffolk is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$2,941
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$2,647 to $3,235
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$117,640
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Massachusetts
2nd of 14
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Suffolk moves to $3,008. That's up 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Boston are asking $3,767. HUD says $2,941.
That's 28% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 20 Boston 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 | $2,359 | $2,123 to $2,595 | $94,360 | $45.37/hr | +4.2% |
| 1 bedroom | $2,476 | $2,228 to $2,724 | $99,040 | $47.62/hr | +3.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $2,941 | $2,647 to $3,235 | $117,640 | $56.56/hr | +3.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $3,526 | $3,173 to $3,879 | $141,040 | $67.81/hr | +3.2% |
| 4 bedroom | $3,894 | $3,505 to $4,283 | $155,760 | $74.88/hr | +3.5% |
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 | $4,478 | $4,030 to $4,926 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $5,062 | $4,556 to $5,568 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $5,646 | $5,081 to $6,211 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $6,230 | $5,607 to $6,853 |
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 Suffolk, that runs from $2,359 for a studio up to $3,894 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 Suffolk in with 3 other counties in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro, Middlesex County, Essex County, Norfolk County among them, and every one of them gets $2,941 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 Massachusetts's 14 counties, Suffolk ranks 2nd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 29% above the state median of $2,283 and about 189% above the national median county at $1,018. About 782,172 people live here, 4th in the state.
Rates by town
Massachusetts publishes Fair Market Rents town by town instead of by county. All 4 towns in Suffolk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston city | 663,972 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Revere city | 59,933 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Chelsea city | 39,460 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
| Winthrop Town city | 18,807 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 |
Counties sharing the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $2,560 in 02119 (Roxbury) and $4,410 in 02109 (Boston), with the 43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02108 | Boston | $3,670 | +24.8% |
| 02109 | Boston | $4,410 | +49.9% |
| 02110 | Boston | $4,410 | +49.9% |
| 02111 | Boston | $3,700 | +25.8% |
| 02112 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02113 | Boston | $3,600 | +22.4% |
| 02114 | Boston | $4,410 | +49.9% |
| 02115 | Boston | $3,330 | +13.2% |
| 02116 | Boston | $4,170 | +41.8% |
| 02117 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02118 | Boston | $2,630 | -10.6% |
| 02119 | Roxbury | $2,560 | -13.0% |
| 02120 | Roxbury Crossing | $2,860 | -2.8% |
| 02121 | Dorchester | $2,560 | -13.0% |
| 02122 | Dorchester | $2,800 | -4.8% |
| 02123 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02124 | Dorchester Center | $2,560 | -13.0% |
| 02125 | Dorchester | $2,560 | -13.0% |
| 02126 | Mattapan | $2,560 | -13.0% |
| 02127 | Boston | $3,790 | +28.9% |
| 02128 | Boston | $2,740 | -6.8% |
| 02129 | Charlestown | $4,020 | +36.7% |
| 02130 | Jamaica Plain | $3,410 | +15.9% |
| 02131 | Roslindale | $2,830 | -3.8% |
| 02132 | West Roxbury | $2,880 | -2.1% |
| 02133 | Boston | $3,890 | +32.3% |
| 02134 | Allston | $3,300 | +12.2% |
| 02135 | Brighton | $3,250 | +10.5% |
| 02136 | Hyde Park | $2,580 | -12.3% |
| 02137 | Readville | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02150 | Chelsea | $2,630 | -10.6% |
| 02151 | Revere | $2,570 | -12.6% |
| 02152 | Winthrop | $2,620 | -10.9% |
| 02163 | Boston | $4,290 | +45.9% |
| 02196 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02199 | Boston | $4,410 | +49.9% |
| 02201 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02203 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
| 02204 | Boston | $2,941County rate | — |
| 02205 | Boston | $3,040 | +3.4% |
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 Suffolk somewhere between $2,647 and $3,235. 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.
$2,941 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $117,640 a year. Put another way, $57 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% ($2,647) | HAP at 100% ($2,941) | HAP at 110% ($3,235) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $1,897 | $2,191 | $2,485 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $1,447 | $1,741 | $2,035 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 4% from FY 2025 ($2,837) to FY 2026 ($2,941). Since FY 2020 it's up 27% in total, about 4.1% a year. The Massachusetts median held flat over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $1,715 | $1,900 | $2,311 | $2,880 | $3,131 | — |
| FY 2021 | $1,742 | $1,924 | $2,336 | $2,906 | $3,168 | +1.1% |
| FY 2022 | $1,803 | $1,986 | $2,399 | $2,966 | $3,253 | +2.7% |
| FY 2023 | $2,025 | $2,198 | $2,635 | $3,207 | $3,540 | +9.8% |
| FY 2024 | $2,212 | $2,377 | $2,827 | $3,418 | $3,765 | +7.3% |
| FY 2025 | $2,263 | $2,394 | $2,837 | $3,418 | $3,761 | +0.4% |
| FY 2026 | $2,359 | $2,476 | $2,941 | $3,526 | $3,894 | +3.7% |
| FY 2027 | $2,440 | $2,518 | $3,008 | $3,584 | $3,953 | +2.3% |
Nearby counties
Norfolk County
$2,93711 mi · pop 724,540
Middlesex County
$2,82515 mi · pop 1,622,896
Essex County
$2,68321 mi · pop 807,258
Plymouth County
$2,62926 mi · pop 531,889
Bristol County
$1,79838 mi · pop 578,436
Worcester County
$1,99741 mi · pop 861,664
Barnstable County
$2,42259 mi · pop 230,073
Dukes County
$2,14367 mi · pop 20,751
Questions people ask
$2,941 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $2,359 for a studio, $2,476 for one bedroom, $3,526 for three and $3,894 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 Suffolk actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Suffolk for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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