HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2026 · effective Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026
Fair Market Rent in Winchester city, Virginia (FY 2026)
HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Winchester city 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 Virginia
51st of 133
by 2BR FMR
HUD has already published FY 2027. On October 1, 2026 the two-bedroom rate in Winchester moves to $1,505. That's down 4%. The full FY 2027 table is in the history section below.
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Winchester actually rent for?
Search any address in Winchester 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 | $1,133 | $1,020 to $1,246 | $45,320 | $21.79/hr | +3.5% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,255 | $1,130 to $1,381 | $50,200 | $24.13/hr | +0.2% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,573 | $1,416 to $1,730 | $62,920 | $30.25/hr | +0.3% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,965 | $1,769 to $2,162 | $78,600 | $37.79/hr | +0.7% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,639 | $2,375 to $2,903 | $105,560 | $50.75/hr | +0.2% |
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
HUD sets Fair Market Rent once a year, based on what typical units in the area actually rent for, with utilities folded in. FY 2026 runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, and in Winchester city the five published rates run from $1,133 to $2,639, studio through four bedrooms.
Winchester doesn't get its own number. It sits inside the Winchester metro and shares one rate with 2 other cities, including Frederick County, Hampshire County. HUD sets metro FMRs from rents across the whole metro, which is why a rural corner of a big metro can carry a city-sized rate.
The state median two-bedroom FMR is $1,254. Winchester comes in at $1,573, about 25% above that, and ranks 51st of 133 in Virginia. Against the national median county ($1,018) it's about 55% above. Population is around 28,103.
Counties sharing the Winchester metro rate
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs for the 2 ZIP codes it covers in Winchester. Two-bedroom rates run from $1,590 in 22604 (Winchester) to $1,730 in 22601 (Winchester), a $140 spread inside one city. Whether your housing authority uses the ZIP rate or the city rate depends on whether HUD has designated this area for Small Area FMRs. Ask the PHA which one it's on before you price a unit.
What a voucher pays here
The FMR isn't the check you'd receive. Your local housing authority turns it into a payment standard, set between 90% and 110% of FMR, so a two-bedroom here lands between $1,416 and $1,730. Subtract about 30% of the tenant's income and that's the housing assistance payment. If you ask more than similar unassisted units rent for, the PHA's rent reasonableness check will push back.
At the standard 30% of income, a household needs about $62,920 a year to afford $1,573 a month. On a 40-hour week that's $30 an hour.
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 0% from FY 2025 ($1,569) to FY 2026 ($1,573). Since FY 2020 it's up 53% in total, about 7.4% a year. The Virginia median moved up 5% over the same year.
| Year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $778 | $783 | $1,027 | $1,368 | $1,803 | — |
| FY 2021 | $814 | $819 | $1,064 | $1,399 | $1,814 | +3.6% |
| FY 2022 | $868 | $868 | $1,117 | $1,444 | $1,886 | +5.0% |
| FY 2023 | $879 | $962 | $1,227 | $1,547 | $2,037 | +9.8% |
| FY 2024 | $983 | $1,104 | $1,390 | $1,734 | $2,347 | +13.3% |
| FY 2025 | $1,095 | $1,253 | $1,569 | $1,952 | $2,635 | +12.9% |
| FY 2026 | $1,133 | $1,255 | $1,573 | $1,965 | $2,639 | +0.3% |
| FY 2027 | $1,066 | $1,180 | $1,505 | $1,895 | $2,516 | -4.3% |
Nearby counties
Frederick County
$1,5733 mi · pop 92,007
Clarke County
$2,24610 mi · pop 14,882
Warren County
$1,31519 mi · pop 40,800
Shenandoah County
$1,09130 mi · pop 44,337
Loudoun County
$2,24632 mi · pop 420,773
Rappahannock County
$1,37533 mi · pop 7,422
Fauquier County
$2,24636 mi · pop 73,290
Page County
$92442 mi · pop 23,753
Questions people ask
$1,573 a month for FY 2026, which runs October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The other rates are $1,133 for a studio, $1,255 for one bedroom, $1,965 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 Winchester actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Winchester for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. 3 free searches, no card.
Free tier. No credit card.