Metro FMR · CBSA 16020 · HUD FY2026

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA metro area - 16% below the US average.

$807
1-bedroom FMR
$992
2-bedroom FMR
+1.6%
YoY change
-16%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA area rents at $992 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 16% below the US average, lower than 94% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#24
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-16%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$39,680
income to afford it (30% rule)
+1.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Cape Girardeau: #24 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $67,267, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 14.4% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Cape Girardeau in the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 97,622 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+0.7%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 7.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $864/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $992 runs 14.8% 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.

Its 2-bedroom FMR is in the lowest national tenth (#24 most affordable of 387 metros), though the household budget still depends on local income.

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: 40.7% of the 12,263 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

$763/mo

13.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$807/mo

14.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$992/mo

17.7% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,380/mo

24.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,664/mo

29.7% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·16020

Cape Girardeau: $807/mo 1BR · #24 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 16020

  • CBSA 16020
  • 1BR-FMR $807
  • 2BR-FMR $992
  • RANK-LOW #24
  • YOY-FLAT +1.6%
  • VSUS-BELOW -16%
  • IN-ST-LOW #2 MO
  • INC-ROOM 14%
  • POP-MID 98K
  • PHOTO-FINISH Callaway County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $726–$888
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Callaway County ($13 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Cape Girardeau sits among every US metro

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

$992 higher than 6% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). This entry sits in this band. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Above this entry. $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.

What this shows #24 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 16% below the national 2-bedroom average. 27 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 16020

Counties inside Cape Girardeau

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 16020, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($992–$992, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Cape Girardeau County 2BR $992 · 82K Bollinger County 2BR $992 · 11K Alexander County 2BR $992 · 5K

Cape Girardeau studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #24 most affordable

1BR $807 (-16% vs US, +1.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 16020.

Studio
$763
US avg $893
↑2.1% YoY -15% vs US
1 Bedroom
$807
US avg $959
↑1.6% YoY -16% vs US
2 Bedroom
$992
US avg $1,175
↑0.7% YoY -16% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,380
US avg $1,525
↑0.0% YoY -10% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,664
US avg $1,756
↑0.6% YoY -5% vs US

How Cape Girardeau compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MO metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Cape Girardeau: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside MO

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Wheeling
WV · 2 BR $991/mo
Alexandria
LA · 2 BR $994/mo
Allen County
KY · 2 BR $996/mo
Florence-Muscle Shoals
AL · 2 BR $1,000/mo

Burden % · outside MO

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

Appleton
WI · 17.7% of income · 2 BR $1,236/mo
Fargo
ND · 17.7% of income · 2 BR $1,112/mo
Atascosa County
TX · 17.7% of income · 2 BR $1,098/mo
Peoria
IL · 17.6% of income · 2 BR $1,039/mo

Cape Girardeau: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA is $807 per month. A 2-bedroom is $992 and a studio is $763.
How does Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA metro area is 16% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $807 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Cape Girardeau rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $992 ranks #24 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lowest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Cape Girardeau metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 16020, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $992–$992 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Cape Girardeau's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+0.7%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 7.0%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Cape Girardeau vs Callaway County →

What this means for renters

Treat Cape Girardeau'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 $807 implies about $32,280/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Cape Girardeau stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Callaway County
  • See where Cape Girardeau 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 3 counties; 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 $807/mo · 1BR MO

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.