Metro FMR · CBSA 13380 · HUD FY2026

Bellingham, WA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Bellingham, WA MSA metro area - 56% above the US average.

$1,493
1-bedroom FMR
$1,794
2-bedroom FMR
+8.1%
YoY change
+56%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Bellingham, WA MSA area rents at $1,794 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 53% above the US average, higher than 85% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#58
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+53%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$71,760
income to afford it (30% rule)
+8.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Bellingham: #58 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $80,989, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 22.1% of annual income. It remains below the 30% affordability guide, but is a material part of a median-income household's budget.

The 2-bedroom figure places Bellingham in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 226,523 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 5.4% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents.

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.1%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,465/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,794 runs 22.5% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 56.2% of the 33,703 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$1,463/mo

21.7% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,493/mo

22.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,794/mo

26.6% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,495/mo

37.0% of median income

4 Bedroom

$3,010/mo

44.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·13380

Bellingham: $1,493/mo 1BR · #58 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 13380

  • CBSA 13380
  • 1BR-FMR $1,493
  • 2BR-FMR $1,794
  • RANK-MID #58
  • YOY-SURGE +8.1%
  • VSUS-HIGH +56%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #8 WA
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-MID 227K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bremerton-Silverda
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,344–$1,642
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard ($55 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Bellingham sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,794 Top 15% higher than 85% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). This entry sits in this band. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. 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.

What this shows #58 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 53% above the national 2-bedroom average. 40 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Bellingham studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #58 nationally

1BR $1,493 (+56% vs US, +8.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 13380.

Studio
$1,463
US avg $893
↑8.5% YoY +64% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,493
US avg $959
↑8.1% YoY +56% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,794
US avg $1,175
↑9.3% YoY +53% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,495
US avg $1,525
↑8.4% YoY +64% vs US
4 Bedroom
$3,010
US avg $1,756
↑9.2% YoY +71% vs US

How Bellingham compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other WA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Bellingham highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Bellingham: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Bellingham with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside WA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside WA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Charleston-North Charleston
SC · 2 BR $1,787/mo
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
FL · 2 BR $1,785/mo
Palm Coast
FL · 2 BR $1,806/mo
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville
IL · 2 BR $1,781/mo

Burden % · outside WA

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Dallas
TX · 26.6% of income · 2 BR $1,931/mo
Homosassa Springs
FL · 26.6% of income · 2 BR $1,225/mo
Redding
CA · 26.5% of income · 2 BR $1,590/mo
Punta Gorda
FL · 26.7% of income · 2 BR $1,470/mo

Bellingham: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Bellingham, WA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Bellingham, WA MSA is $1,493 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,794 and a studio is $1,463.
How does Bellingham, WA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Bellingham, WA MSA metro area is 56% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,493 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Bellingham rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,794 ranks #58 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Bellingham, WA MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $59,720 ($4,977/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Bellingham, WA MSA area.
Is Bellingham's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 5.4% over the past five years (Census ACS) - among the faster-growing metros nationally, a trend that typically adds upward pressure on rents. The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 3.1%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Bellingham vs Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard →

What this means for renters

Treat Bellingham's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 1 county; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $1,493/mo · 1BR WA

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.