County FMR · HUD FY2026

Cape Girardeau County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Cape Girardeau County, MO - 16% below the US average.

$807
1-bedroom FMR
$992
2-bedroom FMR
+1.6%
YoY change
-16%
vs US avg

The verdict

Cape Girardeau is the 28th most expensive of 116 counties in Missouri by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #1,385 most affordable of 3,145 HUD counties.

#1,385
most affordable of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#28
most expensive of 116 in Missouri (2BR)
+4%
vs the state average
$32,280
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (8.5%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (33.3%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Cape Girardeau County, MO. Verify with HUD →

The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri is $807 per month in FY 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A 2-bedroom costs $992/mo and a studio is $763/mo. This is 16% lower than the national average of $959 and 4% above the Missouri average of $777.

Rent increased1.6% from FY 2025 ($794), roughly tracking inflation. The 30% affordability floor is comparatively reachable here at $32,280/year.

Observed renter burden: 42.4% of the 11,081 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Missouri. Population: 81,703. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.9%, Census ACS). That's faster than Missouri's statewide growth of +1.3% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area CAPE·GIRARDEAU·COUNTY·MO·MO

Cape Girardeau County, MO: $807/mo 1BR · #1385 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA MO
  • 1BR-FMR $807
  • 2BR-FMR $992
  • RANK-MID #1,385
  • YOY-FLAT +1.6%
  • VSUS-BELOW -16%
  • VS-ST-NEAR +4% MO
  • INC-ROOM 14%
  • POP-MID 82K
  • PHOTO-NEAR St. Louis County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $726–$888
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: St. Louis ($188 1BR gap)

Read with: Section 8 housing guide

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $734 · US avg: $893
$763/mo
↑ 2.1% YoY +4% vs state -15% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $777 · US avg: $959
$807/mo
↑ 1.6% YoY +4% vs state -16% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $972 · US avg: $1,175
$992/mo
↑ 0.7% YoY +2% vs state -16% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,268 · US avg: $1,525
$1,380/mo
↑ 0.0% YoY +9% vs state -10% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $1,460 · US avg: $1,756
$1,664/mo
↑ 0.6% YoY +14% vs state -5% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $747
$763
+$16 (+2.1%)
1 Bedroom $794
$807
+$13 (+1.6%)
2 Bedroom $985
$992
+$7 (+0.7%)
3 Bedroom $1,380
$1,380
$0 (0.0%)
4 Bedroom $1,654
$1,664
+$10 (+0.6%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Cape Girardeau County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
13.3%
Affordable
Need $30,520/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
14.1%
Affordable
Need $32,280/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
17.3%
Affordable
Need $39,680/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
24%
Affordable
Need $55,200/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
29%
Affordable
Need $66,560/yr for 30% rule
How we calculate this

Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.

0%100%National avg22%17.3%
Cape Girardeau County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $68,912 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Missouri rent burden →

Where Cape Girardeau sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$992 higher than 44% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Above this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

How Cape Girardeau compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Missouri counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Cape Girardeau is highlighted. Nearby Missouri counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Jackson County ($1,197), Clay County ($1,197), St. Louis County ($995), St. Charles County ($995), St. Louis city ($995), Greene County ($883), Cape Girardeau County (this county) ($807).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

With a below-average 1-bedroom at $807/mo, most of these Missouri occupations clear, or miss, the 30% affordability line.

Occupation MO Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $114,550 8.5% Affordable
Registered Nurses $79,770 12.1% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $77,410 12.5% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $73,210 13.2% Affordable
Electricians $70,950 13.6% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $60,720 15.9% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $58,730 16.5% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,540 19.2% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $48,250 20.1% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $41,850 23.1% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $37,990 25.5% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $34,080 28.4% Affordable
Retail Salespersons $31,250 31% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $29,310 33% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $29,060 33.3% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Missouri) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Cape Girardeau County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Cape Girardeau (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 37.5% overall, from $587 to $807. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 9.3% (FY 2023).

$550$600$650$700$750$800$850 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $807
Cape Girardeau County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑1.6% $763 $807 $992
FY 2025 ↑7.0% $747 $794 $985
FY 2024 ↑9.1% $685 $742 $933
FY 2023 ↑9.3% $597 $680 $871
FY 2022 ↑1.6% $536 $622 $807
FY 2021 ↑4.3% $537 $612 $807
FY 2020 $542 $587 $773
Total change (6yr): +37.5%
Annualized: +5.4%/yr
1 BR: $587 → $807

Part of the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Metro Area

Cape Girardeau County is a central county of the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metropolitan statistical area, alongside 2 other metro-area counties.

Cape Girardeau County ranks #3 of 3 counties in this metro area by 1-bedroom FMR. Every county sharing this metro, highest to lowest: Bollinger County ($807), Alexander County ($807), Cape Girardeau County (this county) ($807).

Bollinger County
1 BR: $807/mo
Alexander County
1 BR: $807/mo
Cape Girardeau County (this county)
1 BR: $807/mo

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Cape Girardeau County, both outside Missouri so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.

Similar 2-bedroom FMR

Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside MO (FY2026).

Madison County
NE · 2 BR $992/mo
Fayette County
OH · 2 BR $992/mo
White County
TN · 2 BR $992/mo
Hickman County
TN · 2 BR $992/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside MO).

Polk County
WI · 17.3% of income · 2 BR $1,097/mo
Boone County
IL · 17.3% of income · 2 BR $1,175/mo
Comal County
TX · 17.3% of income · 2 BR $1,426/mo
Brown County
OH · 17.3% of income · 2 BR $1,008/mo

Nearby Counties in Missouri

Largest counties by population in Missouri

Showing the 8 largest of 115 other counties in Missouri.

St. Louis County
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 999,703
Jackson County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 715,526
St. Charles County
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 406,262
Greene County
1 BR: $883/mo Pop: 299,188
St. Louis city
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 298,018
Clay County
1 BR: $1,197/mo Pop: 253,085
Jefferson County
1 BR: $995/mo Pop: 226,984
Boone County
1 BR: $1,011/mo Pop: 184,043
View all counties in Missouri →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Cape Girardeau County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Cape Girardeau County is $807 per month. A 2-bedroom is $992 and a studio is $763.
How does Cape Girardeau County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Cape Girardeau County is 16% below the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $807 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Cape Girardeau County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Cape Girardeau County's 2-bedroom FMR of $992 ranks #1,385 most affordable among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Cape Girardeau County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $32,280 ($2,690/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Cape Girardeau County.
Is rent going up or down in Cape Girardeau County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Cape Girardeau County increased by 1.6% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $794 to $807.
Which jobs can afford rent in Cape Girardeau County? ▼
Based on Missouri BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, Registered Nurses, General and Operations Managers can afford a 1-bedroom at $807/mo. 12 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Cape Girardeau County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Cape Girardeau County went from $587 in FY 2020 to $807 in FY 2026, a total change of +37.5% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Cape Girardeau County? ▼
In Cape Girardeau County, the FY 2026 FMR of $807/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Cape Girardeau County? ▼
For Cape Girardeau County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($807/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.