Metro FMR · CBSA 17980 · HUD FY2026

Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 2% below the US average.

$939
1-bedroom FMR
$1,088
2-bedroom FMR
+0.2%
YoY change
-2%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,088 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 7% below the US average, lower than 84% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#63
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-7%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$43,520
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Columbus: #63 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $57,762, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Columbus in the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 326,159 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 6.0% 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 5.6%, 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 $1,030/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,088 runs 5.6% 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 lower-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: 45.1% of the 53,998 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

$895/mo

18.6% of median income

1 Bedroom

$939/mo

19.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,088/mo

22.6% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,445/mo

30.0% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,703/mo

35.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·17980

Columbus: $939/mo 1BR · #63 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 17980

  • CBSA 17980
  • 1BR-FMR $939
  • 2BR-FMR $1,088
  • RANK-MID #63
  • YOY-FLAT +0.2%
  • VSUS-NEAR -2%
  • IN-ST-LOW #4 GA
  • INC-ROOM 20%
  • POP-MAJOR 326K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albany
  • VOUCH-90-110 $845–$1,033
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albany ($67 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Columbus sits among every US metro

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

$1,088 higher than 16% 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.

What this shows #63 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 7% below the national 2-bedroom average. 113 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 17980

Counties inside Columbus

Across 7 HUD counties in CBSA 17980, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($973–$1,088, 12% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Muscogee County 2BR $1,088 · 205K Russell County 2BR $1,088 · 59K Harris County 2BR $1,088 · 35K Chattahoochee County 2BR $1,088 · 9K Marion County 2BR $1,088 · 8K Talbot County 2BR $973 · 6K

Showing the 6 largest of 7 HUD counties in this CBSA. County pages carry filing-level FMR detail.

Columbus studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #63 most affordable

1BR $939 (-2% vs US, +0.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 17980.

Studio
$895
US avg $893
↑1.4% YoY +0% vs US
1 Bedroom
$939
US avg $959
↑0.2% YoY -2% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,088
US avg $1,175
↓1.8% YoY -7% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,445
US avg $1,525
↓1.2% YoY -5% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,703
US avg $1,756
↓4.4% YoY -3% vs US

How Columbus compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other GA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Columbus: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside GA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Grand Forks
ND · 2 BR $1,089/mo
Canton-Massillon
OH · 2 BR $1,086/mo
Hot Springs
AR · 2 BR $1,090/mo
Farmington
NM · 2 BR $1,085/mo

Burden % · outside GA

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

Harrisburg-Carlisle
PA · 22.6% of income · 2 BR $1,493/mo
Detroit-Warren-Livonia
MI · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,411/mo
Altoona
PA · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,138/mo
Niles
MI · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,184/mo

Columbus: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area is $939 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,088 and a studio is $895.
How does Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Columbus, GA-AL HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 2% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $939 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Columbus rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,088 ranks #63 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Columbus metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 17980, but 7 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $973–$1,088 for a 2-bedroom (12% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Columbus's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 6.0% 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 5.6%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Columbus vs Albany →

What this means for renters

Treat Columbus'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 $939 implies about $37,560/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Columbus stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Albany
  • See where Columbus 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 7 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 $939/mo · 1BR GA

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.