Metro FMR · CBSA 45300 · HUD FY2026

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA metro area - 77% above the US average.

$1,696
1-bedroom FMR
$1,977
2-bedroom FMR
+0.6%
YoY change
+77%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA area rents at $1,977 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 68% above the US average, higher than 91% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#35
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+68%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$79,080
income to afford it (30% rule)
+0.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: FMR at the affordability edge

At the metro's ACS median household income of $71,254, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 28.6% of annual income. It sits close to the 30% affordability guide, leaving little room for other housing costs.

The 2-bedroom figure places Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater in the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 3,194,310 residents, this is a large metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

That budget pressure matches a top-decile 2-bedroom FMR nationally (#35 of 387 HUD-tracked metros).

A two-bedroom FMR sits at the edge of the 30% guide for a median-income household, taking 33.3% of recorded median income before utilities outside FMR and other household costs.

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

$1,593/mo

26.8% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,696/mo

28.6% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,977/mo

33.3% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,527/mo

42.6% of median income

4 Bedroom

$3,077/mo

51.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·45300

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: $1,696/mo 1BR · #35 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 45300

  • CBSA 45300
  • 1BR-FMR $1,696
  • 2BR-FMR $1,977
  • RANK-UPPER #35
  • YOY-FLAT +0.6%
  • VSUS-HIGH +77%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #19 FL
  • INC-EDGE 29%
  • POP-MEGA 3.2M
  • PHOTO-NEAR Baker County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,526–$1,866
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Baker County ($774 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater sits among every US metro

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

$1,977 Top 9% higher than 91% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $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 45300

Counties inside Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

Across 4 HUD counties in CBSA 45300, 2-bedroom FMRs cluster tightly ($1,977–$1,977, 0% spread), so the metro-wide schedule tracks most constituent counties closely.

Hillsborough County 2BR $1,977 · 1.5M Pinellas County 2BR $1,977 · 960K Pasco County 2BR $1,977 · 569K Hernando County 2BR $1,977 · 197K

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #35 nationally

1BR $1,696 (+77% vs US, +0.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 45300.

Studio
$1,593
US avg $893
↑1.7% YoY +78% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,696
US avg $959
↑0.6% YoY +77% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,977
US avg $1,175
↓0.1% YoY +68% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,527
US avg $1,525
↓0.2% YoY +66% vs US
4 Bedroom
$3,077
US avg $1,756
↓0.2% YoY +75% vs US

How Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other FL metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

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

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 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).

Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
NY · 2 BR $1,979/mo
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
WA · 2 BR $1,960/mo
Trenton-Princeton
NJ · 2 BR $1,950/mo
Dallas
TX · 2 BR $1,931/mo

Burden % · outside FL

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

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
CA · 33.4% of income · 2 BR $2,601/mo
Flagstaff
AZ · 33.1% of income · 2 BR $1,921/mo
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
CA · 33% of income · 2 BR $2,827/mo
Salinas
CA · 34.1% of income · 2 BR $2,684/mo

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA is $1,696 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,977 and a studio is $1,593.
How does Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA metro area is 77% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,696 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,977 ranks #35 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the highest-rent tenth of HUD metro areas).
Do county rents differ inside the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area? ▼
Yes. HUD assigns one metro-wide FMR for CBSA 45300, but 4 constituent counties publish their own county FMR schedules spanning $1,977–$1,977 for a 2-bedroom (0% spread). Use county pages for filing at the county level.

Compare Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater vs Baker 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 $1,696/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.