Metro FMR · CBSA 15380 · HUD FY2026

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA metro area - 19% above the US average.

$1,139
1-bedroom FMR
$1,343
2-bedroom FMR
+13.8%
YoY change
+19%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA area rents at $1,343 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 14% above the US average, higher than 55% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#174
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+14%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$53,720
income to afford it (30% rule)
+13.8%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Buffalo-Cheektowaga: #174 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $70,572, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.4% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Buffalo-Cheektowaga in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 1,163,462 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half 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: 46.7% of the 167,815 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

$1,105/mo

18.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,139/mo

19.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,343/mo

22.8% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,640/mo

27.9% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,869/mo

31.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·15380

Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,139/mo 1BR · #174 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 15380

  • CBSA 15380
  • 1BR-FMR $1,139
  • 2BR-FMR $1,343
  • RANK-MID #174
  • YOY-SURGE +13.8%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +19%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #7 NY
  • INC-ROOM 19%
  • POP-MEGA 1.2M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albany-Schenectady
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,025–$1,253
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albany-Schenectady-Troy ($278 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Buffalo-Cheektowaga sits among every US metro

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

$1,343 higher than 55% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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

CBSA 15380

Counties inside Buffalo-Cheektowaga

Across 2 HUD counties in CBSA 15380, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,343–$1,343, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Erie County 2BR $1,343 · 951K Niagara County 2BR $1,343 · 212K

Buffalo-Cheektowaga studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #174 nationally

1BR $1,139 (+19% vs US, +13.8% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 15380.

Studio
$1,105
US avg $893
↑14.2% YoY +24% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,139
US avg $959
↑13.8% YoY +19% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,343
US avg $1,175
↑14.2% YoY +14% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,640
US avg $1,525
↑14.0% YoY +8% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,869
US avg $1,756
↑15.0% YoY +6% vs US

How Buffalo-Cheektowaga compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NY metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Buffalo-Cheektowaga highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside NY

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
AL · 2 BR $1,345/mo
Clarksville
TN · 2 BR $1,346/mo
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
AR · 2 BR $1,347/mo
San Angelo
TX · 2 BR $1,339/mo

Burden % · outside NY

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

Spartanburg
SC · 22.8% of income · 2 BR $1,187/mo
Greene County
AL · 22.8% of income · 2 BR $1,140/mo
Rome
GA · 22.9% of income · 2 BR $1,192/mo
Ann Arbor
MI · 22.8% of income · 2 BR $1,656/mo

Buffalo-Cheektowaga: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA is $1,139 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,343 and a studio is $1,105.
How does Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY MSA metro area is 19% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,139 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Buffalo-Cheektowaga rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,343 ranks #174 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 15380, but 2 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,343–$1,343 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Buffalo-Cheektowaga vs Albany-Schenectady-Troy →

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 $1,139/mo · 1BR NY

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.