HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Bell County, Texas (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Bell County is $1,233 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,233
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,110 to $1,356
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$49,320
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Texas
55th of 254
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Bell moves to $1,138. That's down 8%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Bell actually rent for?
Search any address in Bell 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 | $983 | $885 to $1,081 | $39,320 | $18.90/hr | +6.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $990 | $891 to $1,089 | $39,600 | $19.04/hr | +6.5% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,233 | $1,110 to $1,356 | $49,320 | $23.71/hr | +5.2% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,711 | $1,540 to $1,882 | $68,440 | $32.90/hr | +4.9% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,068 | $1,861 to $2,275 | $82,720 | $39.77/hr | +5.1% |
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 | $2,378 | $2,140 to $2,616 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $2,688 | $2,419 to $2,957 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $2,999 | $2,699 to $3,299 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,309 | $2,978 to $3,640 |
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 Bell, that runs from $983 for a studio up to $2,068 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 Bell in with one other county in the Killeen-Temple metro, Coryell County among them, and every one of them gets $1,233 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 Texas's 254 counties, Bell ranks 55th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 17% above the state median of $1,054 and about 21% above the national median county at $1,018. About 372,821 people live here, 15th in the state.
Counties sharing the Killeen-Temple metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,060 in 76501 (Temple) and $1,760 in 76511 (Bartlett), with the 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76501 | Temple | $1,060 | -14.0% |
| 76502 | Temple | $1,490 | +20.8% |
| 76503 | Temple | $1,240 | +0.6% |
| 76504 | Temple | $1,370 | +11.1% |
| 76508 | Temple | $1,233County rate | — |
| 76511 | Bartlett | $1,760 | +42.7% |
| 76513 | Belton | $1,300 | +5.4% |
| 76533 | Heidenheimer | $1,240 | +0.6% |
| 76534 | Holland | $1,210 | -1.9% |
| 76540 | Killeen | $1,240 | +0.6% |
| 76541 | Killeen | $1,130 | -8.4% |
| 76542 | Killeen | $1,360 | +10.3% |
| 76543 | Killeen | $1,190 | -3.5% |
| 76544 | Fort Hood | $1,340 | +8.7% |
| 76547 | Killeen | $1,240 | +0.6% |
| 76548 | Harker Heights | $1,200 | -2.7% |
| 76549 | Killeen | $1,350 | +9.5% |
| 76554 | Little River Academy | $1,290 | +4.6% |
| 76559 | Nolanville | $1,220 | -1.1% |
| 76564 | Pendleton | $1,233County rate | — |
| 76569 | Rogers | $1,110 | -10.0% |
| 76571 | Salado | $1,570 | +27.3% |
| 76579 | Troy | $1,170 | -5.1% |
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 Bell somewhere between $1,110 and $1,356. 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.
$1,233 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $49,320 a year. Put another way, $24 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% ($1,110) | HAP at 100% ($1,233) | HAP at 110% ($1,356) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $360 | $483 | $606 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $0 | $33 | $156 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 5% from FY 2025 ($1,172) to FY 2026 ($1,233). Since FY 2020 it's up 57% in total, about 7.8% 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 | $607 | $611 | $785 | $1,132 | $1,378 | — |
| FY 2021 | $635 | $639 | $815 | $1,166 | $1,411 | +3.8% |
| FY 2022 | $637 | $641 | $815 | $1,158 | $1,395 | 0.0% |
| FY 2023 | $749 | $754 | $957 | $1,360 | $1,630 | +17.4% |
| FY 2024 | $895 | $900 | $1,135 | $1,599 | $1,926 | +18.6% |
| FY 2025 | $924 | $930 | $1,172 | $1,631 | $1,968 | +3.3% |
| FY 2026 | $983 | $990 | $1,233 | $1,711 | $2,068 | +5.2% |
| FY 2027 | $921 | $927 | $1,138 | $1,576 | $1,902 | -7.7% |
Nearby counties
Coryell County
$1,23330 mi · pop 82,927
Williamson County
$1,85231 mi · pop 617,396
Falls County
$97335 mi · pop 17,013
Milam County
$1,03735 mi · pop 25,080
McLennan County
$1,24040 mi · pop 261,090
Burnet County
$1,24742 mi · pop 49,684
Lampasas County
$1,06745 mi · pop 21,829
Travis County
$1,85253 mi · pop 1,289,054
Questions people ask
$1,233 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $983 for a studio, $990 for one bedroom, $1,711 for three and $2,068 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 Bell actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Bell for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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