Metro FMR · CBSA 16820 · HUD FY2026

Charlottesville, VA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Charlottesville, VA MSA metro area - 67% above the US average.

$1,602
1-bedroom FMR
$1,824
2-bedroom FMR
+7.7%
YoY change
+67%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Charlottesville, VA MSA area rents at $1,824 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 55% above the US average, higher than 87% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#50
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+55%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$72,960
income to afford it (30% rule)
+7.7%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Charlottesville: #50 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $90,552, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 21.2% 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 Charlottesville in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 221,648 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-3.5%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.6%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,528/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,824 runs 19.4% 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 sits in the upper-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: 45.8% of the 30,579 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

$1,421/mo

18.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,602/mo

21.2% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,824/mo

24.2% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,218/mo

29.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,731/mo

36.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·16820

Charlottesville: $1,602/mo 1BR · #50 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 16820

  • CBSA 16820
  • 1BR-FMR $1,602
  • 2BR-FMR $1,824
  • RANK-MID #50
  • YOY-SURGE +7.7%
  • VSUS-HIGH +67%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #8 VA
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MID 222K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Floyd County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,442–$1,762
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Floyd County ($768 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Charlottesville sits among every US metro

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

$1,824 Top 13% higher than 87% 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 #50 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 55% 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

CBSA 16820

Counties inside Charlottesville

Across 5 HUD counties in CBSA 16820, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,824–$1,824, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Albemarle County 2BR $1,824 · 113K Charlottesville city 2BR $1,824 · 46K Fluvanna County 2BR $1,824 · 27K Greene County 2BR $1,824 · 21K Nelson County 2BR $1,824 · 15K

Charlottesville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #50 nationally

1BR $1,602 (+67% vs US, +7.7% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 16820.

Studio
$1,421
US avg $893
↑1.2% YoY +59% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,602
US avg $959
↑7.7% YoY +67% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,824
US avg $1,175
↑5.5% YoY +55% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,218
US avg $1,525
↑2.9% YoY +45% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,731
US avg $1,756
↑4.2% YoY +56% vs US

How Charlottesville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other VA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Charlottesville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside VA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell
GA · 2 BR $1,820/mo
Kingston
NY · 2 BR $1,818/mo
Beaufort County
SC · 2 BR $1,816/mo
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington
PA · 2 BR $1,810/mo

Burden % · outside VA

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

Mount Vernon-Anacortes
WA · 24.1% of income · 2 BR $1,720/mo
Dover
DE · 24.2% of income · 2 BR $1,470/mo
Johnson City
TN · 24.2% of income · 2 BR $1,132/mo
Yakima
WA · 24.2% of income · 2 BR $1,374/mo

Charlottesville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Charlottesville, VA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Charlottesville, VA MSA is $1,602 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,824 and a studio is $1,421.
How does Charlottesville, VA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Charlottesville, VA MSA metro area is 67% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,602 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Charlottesville rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,824 ranks #50 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Charlottesville metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 16820, but 5 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,824–$1,824 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Charlottesville's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-3.5%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 2.6%, a tight rental market where HUD's annual FMR schedule can lag what landlords are actually asking.

Compare Charlottesville vs Floyd County →

What this means for renters

Treat Charlottesville'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 $1,602 implies about $64,080/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Charlottesville stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Floyd County
  • See where Charlottesville 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 5 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 $1,602/mo · 1BR VA

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.