Metro FMR · CBSA 14460 · HUD FY2026

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 158% above the US average.

$2,476
1-bedroom FMR
$2,941
2-bedroom FMR
+8.2%
YoY change
+158%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $2,941 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 150% above the US average, higher than 99% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#4
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+150%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$117,640
income to afford it (30% rule)
+8.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy: #4 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $112,484, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 26.4% 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 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 743,613 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#4 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

A two-bedroom FMR sits at the edge of the 30% guide for a median-income household, taking 31.4% of recorded median income before utilities outside FMR and other household costs.

Observed renter burden: 47.9% of the 736,354 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

$2,359/mo

25.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$2,476/mo

26.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$2,941/mo

31.4% of median income

3 Bedroom

$3,526/mo

37.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$3,894/mo

41.5% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·14460

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy: $2,476/mo 1BR · #4 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 14460

  • CBSA 14460
  • 1BR-FMR $2,476
  • 2BR-FMR $2,941
  • RANK-UPPER #4
  • YOY-SURGE +8.2%
  • VSUS-HIGH +158%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #7 MA
  • INC-MID 26%
  • POP-MAJOR 744K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Amherst Town-North
  • VOUCH-90-110 $2,228–$2,724
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Amherst Town-Northampton ($896 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Boston-Cambridge-Quincy sits among every US metro

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

$2,941 Top 1% higher than 99% 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%). Below this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Below this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). This entry sits in this band. $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.

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

CBSA 14460

Counties inside Boston-Cambridge-Quincy

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 14460, but county-level schedules inside Boston-Cambridge-Quincy still diverge: 7 counties range from $2,194 (2BR in Strafford) to $2,941 (Suffolk), a 34% spread. Suffolk is the largest county by population.

Suffolk County 2BR $2,941 · 664K Middlesex County 2BR $2,941 · 24K Essex County 2BR $2,941 · 17K Plymouth County 2BR $2,311 · 17K Strafford County 2BR $2,194 · 9K Rockingham County 2BR $2,270 · 7K

Showing the 6 largest of 7 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #4 nationally

1BR $2,476 (+158% vs US, +8.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 14460.

Studio
$2,359
US avg $893
↑9.1% YoY +164% vs US
1 Bedroom
$2,476
US avg $959
↑8.2% YoY +158% vs US
2 Bedroom
$2,941
US avg $1,175
↑8.5% YoY +150% vs US
3 Bedroom
$3,526
US avg $1,525
↑8.0% YoY +131% vs US
4 Bedroom
$3,894
US avg $1,756
↑8.3% YoY +122% vs US

How Boston-Cambridge-Quincy compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Boston-Cambridge-Quincy highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Boston-Cambridge-Quincy with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside MA (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside MA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Oakland-Fremont
CA · 2 BR $2,912/mo
San Benito County
CA · 2 BR $2,902/mo
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
CA · 2 BR $3,001/mo
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
CA · 2 BR $2,827/mo

Burden % · outside MA

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

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford
FL · 31.3% of income · 2 BR $1,972/mo
Kalawao County
HI · 31.5% of income · 2 BR $2,492/mo
Vineland
NJ · 31.1% of income · 2 BR $1,673/mo
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
CA · 30.7% of income · 2 BR $2,201/mo

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area is $2,476 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,941 and a studio is $2,359.
How does Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 158% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $2,476 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Boston-Cambridge-Quincy rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,941 ranks #4 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 14460, but 7 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $2,194–$2,941 for a 2-bedroom (34% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Boston-Cambridge-Quincy vs Amherst Town-Northampton →

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 $2,476/mo · 1BR MA

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.