Metro FMR · CBSA 15180 · HUD FY2026

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA metro area - 10% below the US average.

$866
1-bedroom FMR
$1,047
2-bedroom FMR
+14.4%
YoY change
-10%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA area rents at $1,047 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 11% below the US average, lower than 88% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#47
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-11%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$41,880
income to afford it (30% rule)
+14.4%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Brownsville-Harlingen: #47 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $51,334, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 20.2% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 421,854 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the lower-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: 44.9% of the 47,081 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

$773/mo

18.1% of median income

1 Bedroom

$866/mo

20.2% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,047/mo

24.5% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,414/mo

33.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,479/mo

34.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·15180

Brownsville-Harlingen: $866/mo 1BR · #47 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 15180

  • CBSA 15180
  • 1BR-FMR $866
  • 2BR-FMR $1,047
  • RANK-MID #47
  • YOY-SURGE +14.4%
  • VSUS-BELOW -10%
  • IN-ST-LOW #4 TX
  • INC-MID 20%
  • POP-MAJOR 422K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Abilene
  • VOUCH-90-110 $779–$953
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Abilene ($154 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Brownsville-Harlingen sits among every US metro

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

$1,047 higher than 12% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $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.

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

Brownsville-Harlingen studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #47 most affordable

1BR $866 (-10% vs US, +14.4% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 15180.

Studio
$773
US avg $893
↑16.1% YoY -13% vs US
1 Bedroom
$866
US avg $959
↑14.4% YoY -10% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,047
US avg $1,175
↑10.4% YoY -11% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,414
US avg $1,525
↑11.9% YoY -7% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,479
US avg $1,756
↑12.9% YoY -16% vs US

How Brownsville-Harlingen compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other TX metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Brownsville-Harlingen highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Brownsville-Harlingen: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside TX

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Hattiesburg
MS · 2 BR $1,047/mo
Geary County
KS · 2 BR $1,048/mo
Kingsport-Bristol
TN · 2 BR $1,044/mo
Waterloo-Cedar Falls
IA · 2 BR $1,051/mo

Burden % · outside TX

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

Pueblo
CO · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,269/mo
Darlington County
SC · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,098/mo
Denver-Aurora-Centennial
CO · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $2,089/mo
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
NY · 24.5% of income · 2 BR $1,979/mo

Brownsville-Harlingen: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA is $866 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,047 and a studio is $773.
How does Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA metro area is 10% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $866 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Brownsville-Harlingen rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,047 ranks #47 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $34,640 ($2,887/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA area.

Compare Brownsville-Harlingen vs Abilene →

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 $866/mo · 1BR TX

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.