Metro FMR · CBSA 17860 · HUD FY2026

Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 5% above the US average.

$1,011
1-bedroom FMR
$1,160
2-bedroom FMR
+17.3%
YoY change
+5%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,160 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 1% below the US average, lower than 72% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#109
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-1%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$46,400
income to afford it (30% rule)
+17.3%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Columbia: #109 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $69,463, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 17.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

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

With 211,078 residents, this is a smaller-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: 46.9% of the 33,477 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

$800/mo

13.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,011/mo

17.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,160/mo

20.0% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,573/mo

27.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,861/mo

32.1% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·17860

Columbia: $1,011/mo 1BR · #109 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 17860

  • CBSA 17860
  • 1BR-FMR $1,011
  • 2BR-FMR $1,160
  • RANK-MID #109
  • YOY-SURGE +17.3%
  • VSUS-NEAR +5%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #5 MO
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 211K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Callaway County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $910–$1,112
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Callaway County ($217 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Columbia sits among every US metro

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

$1,160 higher than 28% of 387 metro areas

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

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

CBSA 17860

Counties inside Columbia

Across 3 HUD counties in CBSA 17860, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($958–$1,160, 21% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Boone County 2BR $1,160 · 184K Cooper County 2BR $958 · 17K Howard County 2BR $1,044 · 10K

Columbia studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #109 most affordable

1BR $1,011 (+5% vs US, +17.3% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 17860.

Studio
$800
US avg $893
↑15.8% YoY -10% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,011
US avg $959
↑17.3% YoY +5% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,160
US avg $1,175
↑15.2% YoY -1% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,573
US avg $1,525
↑15.7% YoY +3% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,861
US avg $1,756
↑16.2% YoY +6% vs US

How Columbia compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other MO metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Columbia: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Columbia 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).

Laredo
TX · 2 BR $1,161/mo
Kalamazoo-Portage
MI · 2 BR $1,162/mo
Green Bay
WI · 2 BR $1,164/mo
Jackson
MI · 2 BR $1,165/mo

Burden % · outside MO

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

Hagerstown
MD · 20% of income · 2 BR $1,261/mo
Dothan
AL · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $950/mo
Janesville-Beloit
WI · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $1,246/mo
Greeley
CO · 20.1% of income · 2 BR $1,563/mo

Columbia: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,011 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,160 and a studio is $800.
How does Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Columbia, MO HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 5% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,011 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Columbia rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,160 ranks #109 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Columbia metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 17860, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $958–$1,160 for a 2-bedroom (21% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Columbia vs Callaway County →

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 $1,011/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.