HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Austin County, Texas (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Austin County is $1,095 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,095
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$986 to $1,205
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$43,800
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Texas
109th of 254
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Austin moves to $1,069. That's down 2%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Austin actually rent for?
Search any address in Austin 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 | $885 | $797 to $974 | $35,400 | $17.02/hr | +10.3% |
| 1 bedroom | $891 | $802 to $980 | $35,640 | $17.13/hr | 0.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,095 | $986 to $1,205 | $43,800 | $21.06/hr | +9.4% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,523 | $1,371 to $1,675 | $60,920 | $29.29/hr | +8.6% |
| 4 bedroom | $1,837 | $1,653 to $2,021 | $73,480 | $35.33/hr | +12.4% |
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 | $2,113 | $1,902 to $2,324 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,388 | $2,149 to $2,627 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,664 | $2,398 to $2,930 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $2,939 | $2,645 to $3,233 |
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 Austin, that runs from $885 for a studio up to $1,837 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
Austin is its own HUD metro area (Austin County, TX), so the rate here is set from rents inside the county rather than a wider region.
Among Texas's 254 counties, Austin ranks 109th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 4% above the state median of $1,054 and about 8% above the national median county at $1,018. About 30,406 people live here, 94th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $970 in 77485 (Wallis) and $1,280 in 78944 (Industry), with the 8 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 Austin somewhere between $986 and $1,205. 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.
$1,095 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $43,800 a year. Put another way, $21 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% ($986) | HAP at 100% ($1,095) | HAP at 110% ($1,205) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $236 | $345 | $455 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $0 | $5 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 9% from FY 2025 ($1,001) to FY 2026 ($1,095). Since FY 2020 it's up 14% in total, about 2.2% a year. The Texas median moved up 7% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $722 | $793 | $961 | $1,198 | $1,687 | — |
| FY 2021 | $650 | $810 | $956 | $1,242 | $1,641 | -0.5% |
| FY 2022 | $606 | $778 | $912 | $1,258 | $1,561 | -4.6% |
| FY 2023 | $639 | $826 | $955 | $1,357 | $1,627 | +4.7% |
| FY 2024 | $727 | $821 | $922 | $1,299 | $1,565 | -3.5% |
| FY 2025 | $802 | $891 | $1,001 | $1,403 | $1,635 | +8.6% |
| FY 2026 | $885 | $891 | $1,095 | $1,523 | $1,837 | +9.4% |
| FY 2027 | $812 | $817 | $1,069 | $1,480 | $1,787 | -2.4% |
Nearby counties
Waller County
$1,57319 mi · pop 57,463
Washington County
$1,30923 mi · pop 35,807
Colorado County
$1,14725 mi · pop 20,582
Fayette County
$1,01934 mi · pop 24,564
Fort Bend County
$1,57341 mi · pop 832,607
Wharton County
$1,10041 mi · pop 41,614
Burleson County
$1,18645 mi · pop 17,958
Lee County
$1,14149 mi · pop 17,543
Questions people ask
$1,095 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $885 for a studio, $891 for one bedroom, $1,523 for three and $1,837 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 Austin actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Austin for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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