Metro FMR · CBSA 23540 · HUD FY2026

Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 30% above the US average.

$1,246
1-bedroom FMR
$1,493
2-bedroom FMR
-4.7%
YoY change
+30%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $1,493 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 27% above the US average, higher than 68% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#124
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+27%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$59,720
income to afford it (30% rule)
-4.7%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Gainesville: #124 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $58,946, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 25.4% 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 Gainesville in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 341,067 residents, this is a mid-sized metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population grew 22.7% 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 10.8%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,219/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,493 runs 22.5% 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 middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

A two-bedroom FMR sits at the edge of the 30% guide for a median-income household, taking 30.4% of recorded median income before utilities outside FMR and other household costs.

Observed renter burden: 54.7% of the 56,551 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

$1,154/mo

23.5% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,246/mo

25.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,493/mo

30.4% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,868/mo

38.0% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,977/mo

40.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·23540

Gainesville: $1,246/mo 1BR · #124 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 23540

  • CBSA 23540
  • 1BR-FMR $1,246
  • 2BR-FMR $1,493
  • RANK-MID #124
  • YOY-DOWN -4.7%
  • VSUS-HIGH +30%
  • IN-ST-LOW #10 FL
  • INC-MID 25%
  • POP-MAJOR 341K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Baker County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,121–$1,371
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Baker County ($324 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Gainesville sits among every US metro

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

$1,493 Top 32% higher than 68% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 #124 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 27% above the national 2-bedroom average. 51 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

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

CBSA 23540

Counties inside Gainesville

HUD publishes one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 23540, but county-level schedules inside Gainesville still diverge: 3 counties range from $974 (2BR in Levy) to $1,493 (Alachua), a 53% spread. Alachua is the largest county by population.

Alachua County 2BR $1,493 · 280K Levy County 2BR $974 · 43K Gilchrist County 2BR $1,493 · 18K

Gainesville studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #124 nationally

1BR $1,246 (+30% vs US, -4.7% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 23540.

Studio
$1,154
US avg $893
↓1.9% YoY +29% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,246
US avg $959
↓4.7% YoY +30% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,493
US avg $1,175
↓5.7% YoY +27% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,868
US avg $1,525
↓7.3% YoY +22% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,977
US avg $1,756
↓5.8% YoY +13% vs US

How Gainesville compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other FL metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

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

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

Gainesville: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside FL

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Harrisburg-Carlisle
PA · 2 BR $1,493/mo
Albany
OR · 2 BR $1,500/mo
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee
WA · 2 BR $1,500/mo
Bakersfield-Delano
CA · 2 BR $1,483/mo

Burden % · outside FL

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

Urban Honolulu
HI · 30.4% of income · 2 BR $2,642/mo
Napa
CA · 30.5% of income · 2 BR $2,773/mo
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
CA · 30.1% of income · 2 BR $2,693/mo
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
CA · 30.7% of income · 2 BR $2,201/mo

Gainesville: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area is $1,246 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,493 and a studio is $1,154.
How does Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Gainesville, FL HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 30% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,246 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Gainesville rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,493 ranks #124 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Gainesville metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 23540, but 3 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $974–$1,493 for a 2-bedroom (53% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Gainesville's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population grew 22.7% 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 10.8%, a loose rental market that typically gives renters more negotiating leverage than the FMR schedule alone implies.

Compare Gainesville vs Baker County →

What this means for renters

Treat Gainesville'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 $1,246 implies about $49,840/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Gainesville stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Baker County
  • See where Gainesville 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 3 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 $1,246/mo · 1BR FL

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.