Metro FMR · CBSA 16860 · HUD FY2026

Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA metro area - 32% above the US average.

$1,263
1-bedroom FMR
$1,390
2-bedroom FMR
-1.6%
YoY change
+32%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA area rents at $1,390 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 18% above the US average, higher than 60% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#155
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+18%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$55,600
income to afford it (30% rule)
-1.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Chattanooga: #155 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $68,666, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 22.1% 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 Chattanooga in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 564,466 residents, this is a major regional 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.

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

$1,211/mo

21.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,263/mo

22.1% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,390/mo

24.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,734/mo

30.3% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,853/mo

32.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·16860

Chattanooga: $1,263/mo 1BR · #155 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 16860

  • CBSA 16860
  • 1BR-FMR $1,263
  • 2BR-FMR $1,390
  • RANK-MID #155
  • YOY-FLAT -1.6%
  • VSUS-HIGH +32%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #9 TN
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-MAJOR 564K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Clarksville
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,137–$1,389
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Clarksville ($169 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Chattanooga sits among every US metro

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

$1,390 Top 40% higher than 60% 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 16860

Counties inside Chattanooga

Across 6 HUD counties in CBSA 16860, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,390–$1,390, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Hamilton County 2BR $1,390 · 367K Walker County 2BR $1,390 · 68K Catoosa County 2BR $1,390 · 68K Marion County 2BR $1,390 · 29K Dade County 2BR $1,390 · 16K Sequatchie County 2BR $1,390 · 16K

Chattanooga studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #155 nationally

1BR $1,263 (+32% vs US, -1.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 16860.

Studio
$1,211
US avg $893
↓1.6% YoY +36% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,263
US avg $959
↓1.6% YoY +32% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,390
US avg $1,175
↓2.5% YoY +18% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,734
US avg $1,525
↓3.5% YoY +14% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,853
US avg $1,756
↓4.6% YoY +6% vs US

How Chattanooga compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other TN metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Chattanooga: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside TN

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Syracuse
NY · 2 BR $1,392/mo
Crook County
OR · 2 BR $1,385/mo
Yuma
AZ · 2 BR $1,382/mo
Chambersburg
PA · 2 BR $1,379/mo

Burden % · outside TN

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

Trenton-Princeton
NJ · 24.3% of income · 2 BR $1,950/mo
El Paso
TX · 24.3% of income · 2 BR $1,191/mo
Elmira
NY · 24.3% of income · 2 BR $1,283/mo
Reading
PA · 24.3% of income · 2 BR $1,575/mo

Chattanooga: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA is $1,263 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,390 and a studio is $1,211.
How does Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Chattanooga, TN-GA MSA metro area is 32% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,263 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Chattanooga rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,390 ranks #155 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Chattanooga metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 16860, but 6 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,390–$1,390 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Chattanooga vs Clarksville →

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 $1,263/mo · 1BR TN

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.