Metro FMR · CBSA 15980 · HUD FY2026

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA metro area - 71% above the US average.

$1,638
1-bedroom FMR
$1,961
2-bedroom FMR
+10.1%
YoY change
+71%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA area rents at $1,961 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 67% above the US average, higher than 90% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#39
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+67%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$78,440
income to afford it (30% rule)
+10.1%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Cape Coral-Fort Myers: #39 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $73,099, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 26.9% 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 Cape Coral-Fort Myers in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 772,902 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 10.3% 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 10.1%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,597/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,961 runs 22.8% 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.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#39 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

A two-bedroom FMR sits at the edge of the 30% guide for a median-income household, taking 32.2% of recorded median income before utilities outside FMR and other household costs.

Observed renter burden: 55.6% of the 83,155 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

$1,629/mo

26.7% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,638/mo

26.9% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,961/mo

32.2% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,560/mo

42.0% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,836/mo

46.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·15980

Cape Coral-Fort Myers: $1,638/mo 1BR · #39 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 15980

  • CBSA 15980
  • 1BR-FMR $1,638
  • 2BR-FMR $1,961
  • RANK-UPPER #39
  • YOY-SURGE +10.1%
  • VSUS-HIGH +71%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #17 FL
  • INC-MID 27%
  • POP-MAJOR 773K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Baker County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,474–$1,802
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Baker County ($716 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Cape Coral-Fort Myers sits among every US metro

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

$1,961 Top 10% higher than 90% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #39 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 67% above the national 2-bedroom average. 25 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

Cape Coral-Fort Myers studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #39 nationally

1BR $1,638 (+71% vs US, +10.1% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 15980.

Studio
$1,629
US avg $893
↑10.2% YoY +82% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,638
US avg $959
↑10.1% YoY +71% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,961
US avg $1,175
↑6.4% YoY +67% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,560
US avg $1,525
↑5.7% YoY +68% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,836
US avg $1,756
↑5.4% YoY +62% vs US

How Cape Coral-Fort Myers compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other FL metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Cape Coral-Fort Myers highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Cape Coral-Fort Myers: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Cape Coral-Fort Myers with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside FL (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside FL

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
WA · 2 BR $1,960/mo
Trenton-Princeton
NJ · 2 BR $1,950/mo
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
NY · 2 BR $1,979/mo
Dallas
TX · 2 BR $1,931/mo

Burden % · outside FL

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

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
CA · 32.3% of income · 2 BR $2,512/mo
Kalawao County
HI · 31.5% of income · 2 BR $2,492/mo
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
CA · 33% of income · 2 BR $2,827/mo
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy
MA · 31.4% of income · 2 BR $2,941/mo

Cape Coral-Fort Myers: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA is $1,638 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,961 and a studio is $1,629.
How does Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA metro area is 71% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,638 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Cape Coral-Fort Myers rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,961 ranks #39 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $65,520 ($5,460/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA area.
Is Cape Coral-Fort Myers's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 10.3% 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 10.1%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

Compare Cape Coral-Fort Myers vs Baker County →

What this means for renters

Treat Cape Coral-Fort Myers's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $1,638 implies about $65,520/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Cape Coral-Fort Myers stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Baker County
  • See where Cape Coral-Fort Myers ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

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 $1,638/mo · 1BR FL

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.