Metro FMR · CBSA 20500 · HUD FY2026

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 57% above the US average.

$1,507
1-bedroom FMR
$1,711
2-bedroom FMR
-7.9%
YoY change
+57%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,711 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 46% above the US average, higher than 80% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#77
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+46%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$68,440
income to afford it (30% rule)
-7.9%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Durham-Chapel Hill: #77 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $81,017, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 22.3% 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 Durham-Chapel Hill in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 586,905 residents, this is a major regional metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

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: 45.9% of the 92,709 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

$1,417/mo

21.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,507/mo

22.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,711/mo

25.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,117/mo

31.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,527/mo

37.4% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·20500

Durham-Chapel Hill: $1,507/mo 1BR · #77 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 20500

  • CBSA 20500
  • 1BR-FMR $1,507
  • 2BR-FMR $1,711
  • RANK-MID #77
  • YOY-DOWN -7.9%
  • VSUS-HIGH +57%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #15 NC
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-MAJOR 587K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Anson County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,356–$1,658
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Anson County ($640 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Durham-Chapel Hill sits among every US metro

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

$1,711 Top 20% higher than 80% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 20500

Counties inside Durham-Chapel Hill

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 20500, but county-level schedules inside Durham-Chapel Hill still diverge: 4 counties range from $948 (2BR in Person) to $1,711 (Durham), a 80% spread. Durham is the largest county by population.

Durham County 2BR $1,711 · 325K Orange County 2BR $1,711 · 146K Chatham County 2BR $1,711 · 77K Person County 2BR $948 · 39K

Durham-Chapel Hill studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #77 nationally

1BR $1,507 (+57% vs US, -7.9% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 20500.

Studio
$1,417
US avg $893
↓8.5% YoY +59% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,507
US avg $959
↓7.9% YoY +57% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,711
US avg $1,175
↓8.6% YoY +46% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,117
US avg $1,525
↓9.3% YoY +39% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,527
US avg $1,756
↓10.0% YoY +44% vs US

How Durham-Chapel Hill compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NC metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Durham-Chapel Hill highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Durham-Chapel Hill: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Durham-Chapel Hill with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside NC (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside NC

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington
MN · 2 BR $1,709/mo
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville
FL · 2 BR $1,709/mo
Albany-Schenectady-Troy
NY · 2 BR $1,702/mo
Mount Vernon-Anacortes
WA · 2 BR $1,720/mo

Burden % · outside NC

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

Rochester
NY · 25.4% of income · 2 BR $1,573/mo
Knoxville
TN · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,471/mo
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell
GA · 25.3% of income · 2 BR $1,820/mo
Athens-Clarke County
GA · 25.4% of income · 2 BR $1,331/mo

Durham-Chapel Hill: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,507 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,711 and a studio is $1,417.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 57% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,507 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Durham-Chapel Hill rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,711 ranks #77 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 20500, but 4 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $948–$1,711 for a 2-bedroom (80% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Durham-Chapel Hill vs Anson 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 $1,507/mo · 1BR NC

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.