HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (FY 2026)
$1,279 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Cuyahoga County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Cuyahoga is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,279
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,151 to $1,407
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$51,160
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Ohio
13th of 88
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Cuyahoga moves to $1,274. That's unchanged. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Cleveland are asking $1,142. HUD says $1,279.
That's 11% below the county FMR. Median asking rent across 20 Cleveland 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 | $933 | $840 to $1,026 | $37,320 | $17.94/hr | +5.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,058 | $952 to $1,164 | $42,320 | $20.35/hr | +6.3% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,279 | $1,151 to $1,407 | $51,160 | $24.60/hr | +5.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,646 | $1,481 to $1,811 | $65,840 | $31.65/hr | +6.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,760 | $1,584 to $1,936 | $70,400 | $33.85/hr | +5.6% |
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 | $2,024 | $1,822 to $2,226 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,288 | $2,059 to $2,517 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,552 | $2,297 to $2,807 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,816 | $2,534 to $3,098 |
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 Cuyahoga, that runs from $933 for a studio up to $1,760 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 Cuyahoga in with 4 other counties in the Cleveland metro, Lorain County, Lake County, Medina County among them, and every one of them gets $1,279 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 Ohio's 88 counties, Cuyahoga ranks 13th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 26% above the state median of $1,016 and about 26% above the national median county at $1,018. About 1,256,620 people live here, 2nd in the state.
Counties sharing the Cleveland metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $970 in 44127 (Cleveland) and $1,920 in 44040 (Gates Mills), with the 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44017 | Berea | $1,280 | +0.1% |
| 44022 | Chagrin Falls | $1,850 | +44.6% |
| 44040 | Gates Mills | $1,920 | +50.1% |
| 44070 | North Olmsted | $1,350 | +5.6% |
| 44101 | Cleveland | $1,610 | +25.9% |
| 44102 | Cleveland | $1,130 | -11.6% |
| 44103 | Cleveland | $1,070 | -16.3% |
| 44104 | Cleveland | $980 | -23.4% |
| 44105 | Cleveland | $1,070 | -16.3% |
| 44106 | Cleveland | $1,450 | +13.4% |
| 44107 | Lakewood | $1,360 | +6.3% |
| 44108 | Cleveland | $1,160 | -9.3% |
| 44109 | Cleveland | $1,080 | -15.6% |
| 44110 | Cleveland | $1,100 | -14.0% |
| 44111 | Cleveland | $1,180 | -7.7% |
| 44112 | Cleveland | $1,080 | -15.6% |
| 44113 | Cleveland | $1,920 | +50.1% |
| 44114 | Cleveland | $1,780 | +39.2% |
| 44115 | Cleveland | $1,540 | +20.4% |
| 44116 | Rocky River | $1,410 | +10.2% |
| 44117 | Euclid | $1,080 | -15.6% |
| 44118 | Cleveland | $1,490 | +16.5% |
| 44119 | Cleveland | $1,180 | -7.7% |
| 44120 | Cleveland | $1,210 | -5.4% |
| 44121 | Cleveland | $1,420 | +11.0% |
| 44122 | Beachwood | $1,840 | +43.9% |
| 44123 | Euclid | $1,280 | +0.1% |
| 44124 | Cleveland | $1,480 | +15.7% |
| 44125 | Cleveland | $1,390 | +8.7% |
| 44126 | Cleveland | $1,210 | -5.4% |
| 44127 | Cleveland | $970 | -24.2% |
| 44128 | Cleveland | $1,250 | -2.3% |
| 44129 | Cleveland | $1,250 | -2.3% |
| 44130 | Cleveland | $1,380 | +7.9% |
| 44131 | Independence | $1,840 | +43.9% |
| 44132 | Euclid | $1,270 | -0.7% |
| 44133 | North Royalton | $1,320 | +3.2% |
| 44134 | Cleveland | $1,410 | +10.2% |
| 44135 | Cleveland | $1,280 | +0.1% |
| 44136 | Strongsville | $1,500 | +17.3% |
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 Cuyahoga somewhere between $1,151 and $1,407. 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.
$1,279 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $51,160 a year. Put another way, $25 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% ($1,151) | HAP at 100% ($1,279) | HAP at 110% ($1,407) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $401 | $529 | $657 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $79 | $207 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 6% from FY 2025 ($1,208) to FY 2026 ($1,279). Since FY 2020 it's up 51% in total, about 7.1% a year. The Ohio median moved up 9% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $585 | $691 | $849 | $1,119 | $1,174 | — |
| FY 2021 | $599 | $705 | $865 | $1,137 | $1,188 | +1.9% |
| FY 2022 | $632 | $732 | $893 | $1,169 | $1,224 | +3.2% |
| FY 2023 | $719 | $820 | $998 | $1,296 | $1,369 | +11.8% |
| FY 2024 | $811 | $913 | $1,108 | $1,434 | $1,527 | +11.0% |
| FY 2025 | $881 | $995 | $1,208 | $1,553 | $1,667 | +9.0% |
| FY 2026 | $933 | $1,058 | $1,279 | $1,646 | $1,760 | +5.9% |
| FY 2027 | $924 | $1,050 | $1,274 | $1,628 | $1,756 | -0.4% |
Nearby counties
Questions people ask
$1,279 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $933 for a studio, $1,058 for one bedroom, $1,646 for three and $1,760 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 Cuyahoga actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cuyahoga for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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