HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Villalba Municipio, Puerto Rico (FY 2026)
$538 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Villalba Municipio, and it's the baseline every voucher in Villalba is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$538
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$484 to $592
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$21,520
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Puerto Rico
46th of 78
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Villalba moves to $573. That's up 7%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Villalba actually rent for?
Search any address in Villalba for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $469 | $422 to $516 | $18,760 | $9.02/hr | -8.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $491 | $442 to $540 | $19,640 | $9.44/hr | -7.7% |
| 2 bedroom | $538 | $484 to $592 | $21,520 | $10.35/hr | -8.7% |
| 3 bedroom | $748 | $673 to $823 | $29,920 | $14.38/hr | -9.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $844 | $760 to $928 | $33,760 | $16.23/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 | $971 | $874 to $1,068 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $1,097 | $987 to $1,207 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $1,224 | $1,102 to $1,346 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $1,350 | $1,215 to $1,485 |
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 Villalba, that runs from $469 for a studio up to $844 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The municipio doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Villalba in with 2 other municipios in the Ponce metro, Ponce Municipio, Juana Díaz Municipio among them, and every one of them gets $538 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the municipio number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Puerto Rico's 78 counties, Villalba ranks 46th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 5% below the state median of $564 and about 47% below the national median county at $1,018. About 21,984 people live here, 57th in the state.
Counties sharing the Ponce metro rate
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 Villalba somewhere between $484 and $592. 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.
$538 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $21,520 a year. Put another way, $10 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% ($484) | HAP at 100% ($538) | HAP at 110% ($592) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 9% from FY 2025 ($589) to FY 2026 ($538). Since FY 2020 it's up 22% in total, about 3.3% a year. The Puerto Rico median moved down 2% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $377 | $388 | $442 | $638 | $749 | — |
| FY 2021 | $384 | $393 | $448 | $641 | $738 | +1.4% |
| FY 2022 | $392 | $399 | $455 | $646 | $750 | +1.6% |
| FY 2023 | $421 | $430 | $486 | $685 | $770 | +6.8% |
| FY 2024 | $454 | $467 | $524 | $738 | $828 | +7.8% |
| FY 2025 | $512 | $532 | $589 | $825 | $894 | +12.4% |
| FY 2026 | $469 | $491 | $538 | $748 | $844 | -8.7% |
| FY 2027 | $505 | $526 | $573 | $793 | $889 | +6.5% |
Questions people ask
$538 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $469 for a studio, $491 for one bedroom, $748 for three and $844 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 Villalba actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Villalba for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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