HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Chester County, South Carolina (FY 2026)
$1,056 a month. That's HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Chester County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Chester is measured against.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,056
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$950 to $1,162
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$42,240
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in South Carolina
24th of 46
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Chester moves to $1,103. That's up 4%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Chester actually rent for?
Search any address in Chester 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 | $811 | $730 to $892 | $32,440 | $15.60/hr | -2.9% |
| 1 bedroom | $816 | $734 to $898 | $32,640 | $15.69/hr | -2.9% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,056 | $950 to $1,162 | $42,240 | $20.31/hr | +0.5% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,469 | $1,322 to $1,616 | $58,760 | $28.25/hr | -0.3% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,547 | $1,392 to $1,702 | $61,880 | $29.75/hr | -3.9% |
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 | $1,779 | $1,601 to $1,957 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,011 | $1,810 to $2,212 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,243 | $2,019 to $2,467 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,475 | $2,228 to $2,723 |
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 Chester, that runs from $811 for a studio up to $1,547 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Chester is its own HUD metro area (Chester County, SC), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among South Carolina's 46 counties, Chester ranks 24th for two-bedroom FMR. That's within a couple percent of the state median of $1,077 and about 4% above the national median county at $1,018. About 32,171 people live here, 28th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $990 in 29706 (Chester) and $1,380 in 29714 (Fort Lawn), with the 7 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.
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 Chester somewhere between $950 and $1,162. 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.
$1,056 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $42,240 a year. Put another way, $20 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% ($950) | HAP at 100% ($1,056) | HAP at 110% ($1,162) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $200 | $306 | $412 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 0% from FY 2025 ($1,051) to FY 2026 ($1,056). Since FY 2020 it's up 53% in total, about 7.3% a year. The South Carolina median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $521 | $525 | $691 | $911 | $1,044 | — |
| FY 2021 | $553 | $556 | $720 | $941 | $1,109 | +4.2% |
| FY 2022 | $569 | $572 | $712 | $966 | $1,105 | -1.1% |
| FY 2023 | $645 | $649 | $791 | $1,124 | $1,264 | +11.1% |
| FY 2024 | $733 | $737 | $910 | $1,282 | $1,441 | +15.0% |
| FY 2025 | $835 | $840 | $1,051 | $1,473 | $1,610 | +15.5% |
| FY 2026 | $811 | $816 | $1,056 | $1,469 | $1,547 | +0.5% |
| FY 2027 | $844 | $850 | $1,103 | $1,515 | $1,593 | +4.5% |
Nearby counties
Lancaster County
$1,01116 mi · pop 97,611
York County
$1,68622 mi · pop 282,987
Fairfield County
$1,27624 mi · pop 20,942
Union County
$1,03833 mi · pop 27,158
Kershaw County
$1,00934 mi · pop 65,779
Cherokee County
$90243 mi · pop 56,200
Newberry County
$99443 mi · pop 37,918
Richland County
$1,27646 mi · pop 416,161
Questions people ask
$1,056 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $811 for a studio, $816 for one bedroom, $1,469 for three and $1,547 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 Chester actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Chester for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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