HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Harris County, Texas (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Harris County is $1,573 a month. That's the number the housing authority starts from when it sets Section 8 payment standards here.
2 bedroom FMR
$1,573
FY 2026, utilities included
Payment standard range
$1,416 to $1,730
90% to 110% of FMR
Income to afford 2BR
$62,920
per year, at 30% of income
Rank in Texas
23rd of 254
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Harris moves to $1,497. That's down 5%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
Market check
Two-bedrooms in Houston are asking $1,814. HUD says $1,573.
That's 15% above the county FMR. Median asking rent across 22 Houston ZIP codes with active 2BR listings. FMR includes utilities and asking rents usually don't, so the true gap is a little smaller.
Comps for a specific address
A rent estimate built from nearby listings, next to the HUD number.
FY 2026 Fair Market Rents
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,280 | $1,152 to $1,408 | $51,200 | $24.62/hr | +4.4% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,323 | $1,191 to $1,455 | $52,920 | $25.44/hr | +3.4% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,573 | $1,416 to $1,730 | $62,920 | $30.25/hr | +2.9% |
| 3 bedroom | $2,116 | $1,904 to $2,328 | $84,640 | $40.69/hr | +3.8% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,639 | $2,375 to $2,903 | $105,560 | $50.75/hr | +2.8% |
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 | $3,035 | $2,732 to $3,339 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,431 | $3,088 to $3,774 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,827 | $3,444 to $4,210 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $4,222 | $3,800 to $4,644 |
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 Harris, that runs from $1,280 for a studio up to $2,639 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 Harris in with 6 other counties in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, Galveston County among them, and every one of them gets $1,573 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, Harris ranks 23rd for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 49% above the state median of $1,054 and about 55% above the national median county at $1,018. About 4,726,177 people live here, 1st in the state.
Counties sharing the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
Zoom in and the picture changes. HUD's Small Area FMRs put a two-bedroom at $1,050 in 77026 (Houston) and $2,360 in 77002 (Houston), with the 221 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77001 | Houston | $1,540 | -2.1% |
| 77002 | Houston | $2,360 | +50.0% |
| 77003 | Houston | $1,920 | +22.1% |
| 77004 | Houston | $1,580 | +0.4% |
| 77005 | Houston | $2,360 | +50.0% |
| 77006 | Houston | $2,360 | +50.0% |
| 77007 | Houston | $2,360 | +50.0% |
| 77008 | Houston | $1,870 | +18.9% |
| 77009 | Houston | $1,370 | -12.9% |
| 77010 | Houston | $2,360 | +50.0% |
| 77011 | Houston | $1,110 | -29.4% |
| 77012 | Houston | $1,070 | -32.0% |
| 77013 | Houston | $1,310 | -16.7% |
| 77014 | Houston | $1,390 | -11.6% |
| 77015 | Houston | $1,400 | -11.0% |
| 77016 | Houston | $1,320 | -16.1% |
| 77017 | Houston | $1,250 | -20.5% |
| 77018 | Houston | $1,500 | -4.6% |
| 77019 | Houston | $2,360 | +50.0% |
| 77020 | Houston | $1,110 | -29.4% |
| 77021 | Houston | $1,420 | -9.7% |
| 77022 | Houston | $1,220 | -22.4% |
| 77023 | Houston | $1,230 | -21.8% |
| 77024 | Houston | $2,140 | +36.0% |
| 77025 | Houston | $1,760 | +11.9% |
| 77026 | Houston | $1,050 | -33.2% |
| 77027 | Houston | $2,350 | +49.4% |
| 77028 | Houston | $1,310 | -16.7% |
| 77029 | Houston | $1,260 | -19.9% |
| 77030 | Houston | $1,930 | +22.7% |
| 77031 | Houston | $1,260 | -19.9% |
| 77032 | Houston | $1,430 | -9.1% |
| 77033 | Houston | $1,410 | -10.4% |
| 77034 | Houston | $1,380 | -12.3% |
| 77035 | Houston | $1,350 | -14.2% |
| 77036 | Houston | $1,380 | -12.3% |
| 77037 | Houston | $1,150 | -26.9% |
| 77038 | Houston | $1,430 | -9.1% |
| 77039 | Houston | $1,350 | -14.2% |
| 77040 | Houston | $1,530 | -2.7% |
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 Harris somewhere between $1,416 and $1,730. 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.
$1,573 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $62,920 a year. Put another way, $30 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% ($1,416) | HAP at 100% ($1,573) | HAP at 110% ($1,730) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $666 | $823 | $980 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $216 | $373 | $530 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went up 3% from FY 2025 ($1,529) to FY 2026 ($1,573). Since FY 2020 it's up 44% in total, about 6.2% 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 | $826 | $908 | $1,096 | $1,485 | $1,878 | — |
| FY 2021 | $908 | $983 | $1,176 | $1,576 | $2,010 | +7.3% |
| FY 2022 | $944 | $1,014 | $1,208 | $1,603 | $2,058 | +2.7% |
| FY 2023 | $1,030 | $1,095 | $1,307 | $1,722 | $2,226 | +8.2% |
| FY 2024 | $1,073 | $1,135 | $1,357 | $1,792 | $2,303 | +3.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,226 | $1,279 | $1,529 | $2,038 | $2,568 | +12.7% |
| FY 2026 | $1,280 | $1,323 | $1,573 | $2,116 | $2,639 | +2.9% |
| FY 2027 | $1,233 | $1,261 | $1,497 | $2,017 | $2,502 | -4.8% |
Nearby counties
Fort Bend County
$1,57326 mi · pop 832,607
Montgomery County
$1,57331 mi · pop 629,989
Waller County
$1,57337 mi · pop 57,463
Brazoria County
$1,35940 mi · pop 374,600
Galveston County
$1,57340 mi · pop 350,801
Liberty County
$1,57346 mi · pop 93,523
Chambers County
$1,57347 mi · pop 47,037
Austin County
$1,09554 mi · pop 30,406
Questions people ask
$1,573 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,280 for a studio, $1,323 for one bedroom, $2,116 for three and $2,639 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 Harris actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Harris for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
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