HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (FY 2027)
$1,274 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Cuyahoga County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Cuyahoga is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,274
-0.4% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,147–$1,401
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$50,960
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Ohio
13th of 88
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 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 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $924 | $832–$1,016 | $36,960 | $17.77/hr | -1.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,050 | $945–$1,155 | $42,000 | $20.19/hr | -0.8% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,274 | $1,147–$1,401 | $50,960 | $24.50/hr | -0.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,628 | $1,465–$1,791 | $65,120 | $31.31/hr | -1.1% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,756 | $1,580–$1,932 | $70,240 | $33.77/hr | -0.2% |
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 | $2,019 | $1,817–$2,221 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,283 | $2,055–$2,511 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,546 | $2,291–$2,801 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,810 | $2,529–$3,091 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Cleveland are asking $1,121. HUD says $1,274.
That's 12% 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.
No card needed
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 $1,147 and $1,401. 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.
$1,274 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $50,960 a year. Put another way, $25 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%$1,147 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,274 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,401 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $397 | $524 | $651 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $74 | $201 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 0% from FY 2026 ($1,279) to FY 2027 ($1,274). Since FY 2020 it's up 50% in total, about 6.0% a year. The Ohio median moved up 3% over the same year.
| Fiscal 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 2027In effect | $924 | $1,050 | $1,274 | $1,628 | $1,756 | -0.4% |
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 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Cuyahoga, that runs from $924 for a studio up to $1,756 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 $1,274 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 22% above the state median of $1,048 and about 20% above the national median county at $1,063. About 1,245,873 people live here, 2nd in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,000 in 44104 (Cleveland) and $1,910 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 | $1,270 | -0.3% |
| 44022 | Chagrin Falls | $1,830 | +43.6% |
| 44040 | Gates Mills | $1,910 | +49.9% |
| 44070 | North Olmsted | $1,340 | +5.2% |
| 44101 | Cleveland | $1,680 | +31.9% |
| 44102 | Cleveland | $1,150 | -9.7% |
| 44103 | Cleveland | $1,080 | -15.2% |
| 44104 | Cleveland | $1,000 | -21.5% |
| 44105 | Cleveland | $1,070 | -16.0% |
| 44106 | Cleveland | $1,430 | +12.2% |
| 44107 | Lakewood | $1,370 | +7.5% |
| 44108 | Cleveland | $1,170 | -8.2% |
| 44109 | Cleveland | $1,080 | -15.2% |
| 44110 | Cleveland | $1,100 | -13.7% |
| 44111 | Cleveland | $1,180 | -7.4% |
| 44112 | Cleveland | $1,070 | -16.0% |
| 44113 | Cleveland | $1,910 | +49.9% |
| 44114 | Cleveland | $1,750 | +37.4% |
| 44115 | Cleveland | $1,630 | +27.9% |
| 44116 | Rocky River | $1,390 | +9.1% |
| 44117 | Euclid | $1,060 | -16.8% |
| 44118 | Cleveland | $1,520 | +19.3% |
| 44119 | Cleveland | $1,170 | -8.2% |
| 44120 | Cleveland | $1,210 | -5.0% |
| 44121 | Cleveland | $1,410 | +10.7% |
| 44122 | Beachwood | $1,850 | +45.2% |
| 44123 | Euclid | $1,250 | -1.9% |
| 44124 | Cleveland | $1,470 | +15.4% |
| 44125 | Cleveland | $1,370 | +7.5% |
| 44126 | Cleveland | $1,200 | -5.8% |
| 44127 | Cleveland | $1,000 | -21.5% |
| 44128 | Cleveland | $1,220 | -4.2% |
| 44129 | Cleveland | $1,240 | -2.7% |
| 44130 | Cleveland | $1,380 | +8.3% |
| 44131 | Independence | $1,740 | +36.6% |
| 44132 | Euclid | $1,280 | +0.5% |
| 44133 | North Royalton | $1,310 | +2.8% |
| 44134 | Cleveland | $1,370 | +7.5% |
| 44135 | Cleveland | $1,280 | +0.5% |
| 44136 | Strongsville | $1,490 | +17.0% |
Counties sharing the Cleveland metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,274 two-bedroom figure as Cuyahoga.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Cuyahoga.
Lake County
22 mi · 232,216 people
$1,274
same rate
Geauga County
25 mi · 95,481 people
$1,274
same rate
Lorain County
25 mi · 317,129 people
$1,274
same rate
Medina County
28 mi · 183,660 people
$1,274
same rate
Summit County
28 mi · 537,864 people
$1,231
-3%
Portage County
32 mi · 161,956 people
$1,231
-3%
Wayne County
45 mi · 116,588 people
$1,082
-15%
Erie County
48 mi · 74,581 people
$1,221
-4%
Questions people ask
$1,274 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $924 for a studio, $1,050 for one bedroom, $1,628 for three and $1,756 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 Cuyahoga actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Cuyahoga for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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