HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in St. Louis city, Missouri (FY 2026)
$1,218 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in St. Louis city, and it's the baseline every voucher in St. Louis is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,218
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,096 to $1,340
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$48,720
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Missouri
16th of 116
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in St. Louis moves to $1,349. That's up 11%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in St. Louis are asking $1,340. HUD says $1,218.
That's 10% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 19 St. Louis 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 | $955 | $860 to $1,051 | $38,200 | $18.37/hr | +0.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $995 | $896 to $1,095 | $39,800 | $19.13/hr | +1.1% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,218 | $1,096 to $1,340 | $48,720 | $23.42/hr | +0.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,568 | $1,411 to $1,725 | $62,720 | $30.15/hr | -0.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,812 | $1,631 to $1,993 | $72,480 | $34.85/hr | +0.3% |
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 | $2,084 | $1,876 to $2,292 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,356 | $2,120 to $2,592 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,627 | $2,364 to $2,890 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,899 | $2,609 to $3,189 |
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 St. Louis city the five published rates run from $955 to $1,812, studio through four bedrooms.
St. Louis doesn't get its own number. It sits inside the St. Louis metro and shares one rate with 13 other cities, including St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Madison 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 $888. St. Louis comes in at $1,218, about 37% above that, and ranks 16th of 116 in Missouri. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 20% above. Population is around 298,018.
Counties sharing the St. Louis metro rate
St. Louis County
$1,218MO · pop 999,703
St. Charles County
$1,218MO · pop 406,262
Madison County
$1,218IL · pop 265,512
St. Clair County
$1,218IL · pop 256,791
Jefferson County
$1,218MO · pop 226,984
Franklin County
$1,218MO · pop 104,858
Lincoln County
$1,218MO · pop 60,172
Clinton County
$1,218IL · pop 36,998
Warren County
$1,218MO · pop 35,729
Monroe County
$1,218IL · pop 34,905
Jersey County
$1,218IL · pop 21,462
Calhoun County
$1,218IL · pop 4,472
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs for the 24 ZIP codes it covers in St. Louis. Two-bedroom rates run from $990 in 63106 (Saint Louis) to $1,810 in 63108 (Saint Louis), a $820 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63101 | Saint Louis | $1,460 | +19.9% |
| 63102 | Saint Louis | $1,280 | +5.1% |
| 63103 | Saint Louis | $1,310 | +7.6% |
| 63104 | Saint Louis | $1,330 | +9.2% |
| 63106 | Saint Louis | $990 | -18.7% |
| 63107 | Saint Louis | $1,030 | -15.4% |
| 63108 | Saint Louis | $1,810 | +48.6% |
| 63109 | Saint Louis | $1,240 | +1.8% |
| 63110 | Saint Louis | $1,440 | +18.2% |
| 63111 | Saint Louis | $990 | -18.7% |
| 63112 | Saint Louis | $1,140 | -6.4% |
| 63113 | Saint Louis | $1,110 | -8.9% |
| 63115 | Saint Louis | $1,060 | -13.0% |
| 63116 | Saint Louis | $1,170 | -3.9% |
| 63118 | Saint Louis | $1,160 | -4.8% |
| 63120 | Saint Louis | $1,030 | -15.4% |
| 63139 | Saint Louis | $1,340 | +10.0% |
| 63147 | Saint Louis | $1,090 | -10.5% |
| 63150 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63155 | Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 63156 | Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 63157 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63158 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63160 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63163 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63164 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63166 | Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 63169 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63171 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63177 | Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 63178 | Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 63179 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63180 | Saint Louis | $1,130 | -7.2% |
| 63182 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63188 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63195 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63197 | Saint Louis | $1,218County rate | — |
| 63199 | Saint Louis | $1,218County 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 $1,096 and $1,340. 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 $48,720 a year to afford $1,218 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $23 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% ($1,096) | HAP at 100% ($1,218) | HAP at 110% ($1,340) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $346 | $468 | $590 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $18 | $140 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 0% from FY 2025 ($1,215) to FY 2026 ($1,218). Since FY 2020 it's up 35% in total, about 5.1% a year. The Missouri median moved up 8% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $633 | $701 | $905 | $1,185 | $1,395 | — |
| FY 2021 | $671 | $731 | $938 | $1,224 | $1,440 | +3.6% |
| FY 2022 | $689 | $745 | $947 | $1,230 | $1,449 | +1.0% |
| FY 2023 | $748 | $795 | $999 | $1,294 | $1,512 | +5.5% |
| FY 2024 | $928 | $972 | $1,209 | $1,565 | $1,818 | +21.0% |
| FY 2025 | $951 | $984 | $1,215 | $1,570 | $1,806 | +0.5% |
| FY 2026 | $955 | $995 | $1,218 | $1,568 | $1,812 | +0.2% |
| FY 2027 | $1,064 | $1,104 | $1,349 | $1,731 | $1,997 | +10.8% |
Nearby counties
St. Louis County
$1,2189 mi · pop 999,703
St. Charles County
$1,21825 mi · pop 406,262
Jefferson County
$1,21828 mi · pop 226,984
Franklin County
$1,21844 mi · pop 104,858
Lincoln County
$1,21848 mi · pop 60,172
Warren County
$1,21848 mi · pop 35,729
Ste. Genevieve County
$92250 mi · pop 18,494
St. Francois County
$90456 mi · pop 66,814
Questions people ask
$1,218 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $955 for a studio, $995 for one bedroom, $1,568 for three and $1,812 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 St. Louis actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in St. Louis for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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