Metro FMR · CBSA 41860 · HUD FY2026

Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area - 149% above the US average.

$2,385
1-bedroom FMR
$2,912
2-bedroom FMR
+8.4%
YoY change
+149%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area area rents at $2,912 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 148% above the US average, higher than 99% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#4
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+148%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$116,480
income to afford it (30% rule)
+8.4%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Oakland-Fremont: #4 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $133,780, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 21.4% 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 Oakland-Fremont in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 4,692,242 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-0.4%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.4%, 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 $2,426/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $2,912 runs 20.0% 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.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#4 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

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: 45.3% of the 774,052 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

$2,142/mo

19.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$2,385/mo

21.4% of median income

2 Bedroom

$2,912/mo

26.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$3,724/mo

33.4% of median income

4 Bedroom

$4,413/mo

39.6% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·41860

Oakland-Fremont: $2,385/mo 1BR · #4 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 41860

  • CBSA 41860
  • 1BR-FMR $2,385
  • 2BR-FMR $2,912
  • RANK-UPPER #4
  • YOY-SURGE +8.4%
  • VSUS-HIGH +149%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #22 CA
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MEGA 4.7M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Bakersfield-Delano
  • VOUCH-90-110 $2,147–$2,624
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Bakersfield-Delano ($1,245 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Oakland-Fremont sits among every US metro

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

$2,912 Top 1% higher than 99% 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%). Below this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Below this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Below this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). This entry sits in this band. $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 41860

Counties inside Oakland-Fremont

Across 5 HUD counties in CBSA 41860, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($2,912–$3,604, 24% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Alameda County 2BR $2,912 · 1.7M Contra Costa County 2BR $2,912 · 1.2M San Francisco County 2BR $3,604 · 851K San Mateo County 2BR $3,604 · 754K Marin County 2BR $3,604 · 260K

Oakland-Fremont studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #4 nationally

1BR $2,385 (+149% vs US, +8.4% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 41860.

Studio
$2,142
US avg $893
↑10.6% YoY +140% vs US
1 Bedroom
$2,385
US avg $959
↑8.4% YoY +149% vs US
2 Bedroom
$2,912
US avg $1,175
↑8.6% YoY +148% vs US
3 Bedroom
$3,724
US avg $1,525
↑8.5% YoY +144% vs US
4 Bedroom
$4,413
US avg $1,756
↑8.2% YoY +151% vs US

How Oakland-Fremont compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other CA metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Oakland-Fremont highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Oakland-Fremont: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

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

2BR FMR · outside CA

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Boston-Cambridge-Quincy
MA · 2 BR $2,941/mo
Urban Honolulu
HI · 2 BR $2,642/mo
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
CT · 2 BR $2,511/mo
Seattle-Bellevue
WA · 2 BR $2,501/mo

Burden % · outside CA

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

Charleston-North Charleston
SC · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $1,787/mo
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
AZ · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $1,839/mo
Valdosta
GA · 26.2% of income · 2 BR $1,192/mo
Watertown-Fort Drum
NY · 25.9% of income · 2 BR $1,405/mo

Oakland-Fremont: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area is $2,385 per month. A 2-bedroom is $2,912 and a studio is $2,142.
How does Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Oakland-Fremont, CA HUD Metro FMR Area metro area is 149% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $2,385 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Oakland-Fremont rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $2,912 ranks #4 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Oakland-Fremont metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 41860, but 5 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $2,912–$3,604 for a 2-bedroom (24% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.
Is Oakland-Fremont's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (-0.4%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.4%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Oakland-Fremont vs Bakersfield-Delano →

What this means for renters

Treat Oakland-Fremont's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

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 5 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 $2,385/mo · 1BR CA

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.