HUD FY2026 · National FMR ranking

Cheapest Rent for 3-Bedroom Apartments

The most affordable counties for 3-bedroom units by Fair Market Rent. The cheapest county runs just $930 for a 3-bedroom, the best options for larger families.

$930
Cheapest county (3BR) - Bullock
$1,143
Cheapest metro (3BR)
3,145
Counties ranked

The cheapest US county for a 3-bedroom is Bullock County, where HUD Fair Market Rent is $930/month in FY 2026. Ranked across 3,145 counties; the most affordable 3BR markets cluster in the rural South and Midwest.

Most affordable areas by 3-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY 2026, ranked across all 50 states, the best options for larger families. Three-bedroom FMRs run well above studio and 1-bedroom rates in the same county. Figures come from HUD's published FMR tables; see our methodology.

Top 10 cheapest counties by 3-bedroom FMR

HUD Fair Market Rent, the FY2026 ceiling HUD will subsidize for a modest 3-bedroom unit

3BR FMR / mo

What this shows Bullock County is the most affordable county in the nation for a 3-bedroom. Rural counties across the South and Midwest fill the cheapest tier.

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

Top 50 Cheapest Counties, 3-Bedroom

# County Studio 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR
1 Bullock County $576 $708 $776 $930 $1,302
2 Crenshaw County $588 $591 $776 $930 $1,027
3 Perry County $596 $636 $803 $963 $1,198
4 Escambia County $576 $675 $776 $972 $1,203
5 Franklin County $576 $704 $776 $976 $1,071
6 Randolph County $536 $634 $778 $980 $1,126
7 DeKalb County $576 $591 $776 $992 $1,302
8 Pickens County $588 $591 $776 $994 $1,290
9 Covington County $576 $591 $776 $999 $1,302
10 Claiborne Parish $601 $706 $834 $1,000 $1,249
11 Butler County $622 $638 $837 $1,004 $1,139
12 Jackson County $576 $643 $776 $1,004 $1,234
13 Cherokee County $627 $682 $844 $1,012 $1,259
14 Greene County $727 $768 $842 $1,012 $1,118
15 Monroe County $727 $768 $842 $1,012 $1,115
16 Newton County $638 $642 $842 $1,012 $1,115
17 Prentiss County $638 $642 $842 $1,012 $1,118
18 Smith County $727 $768 $842 $1,012 $1,118
19 Webster County $708 $713 $842 $1,012 $1,115
20 Barbour County $576 $693 $776 $1,017 $1,068
21 Marengo County $582 $693 $783 $1,018 $1,187
22 Jefferson Davis County $693 $698 $842 $1,020 $1,118
23 Choctaw County $578 $616 $778 $1,024 $1,179
24 Clay County $576 $591 $776 $1,024 $1,027
25 Lamar County $618 $636 $776 $1,024 $1,040
26 Tallapoosa County $637 $663 $857 $1,030 $1,216
27 Marion County $651 $655 $860 $1,031 $1,366
28 Clarke County $588 $603 $791 $1,034 $1,261
29 Caldwell County $619 $714 $866 $1,038 $1,209
30 Casey County $619 $790 $866 $1,038 $1,169
31 Crittenden County $619 $660 $866 $1,038 $1,209
32 Knott County $619 $683 $866 $1,038 $1,209
33 Knox County $619 $745 $866 $1,038 $1,453
34 Lincoln County $619 $753 $866 $1,038 $1,147
35 Magoffin County $619 $790 $866 $1,038 $1,209
36 Muhlenberg County $619 $660 $866 $1,038 $1,224
37 Russell County $619 $660 $866 $1,038 $1,147
38 Whitley County $619 $660 $866 $1,038 $1,157
39 Marion County $535 $591 $776 $1,039 $1,302
40 St. Landry Parish $631 $636 $834 $1,040 $1,202
41 Clinton County $619 $660 $866 $1,041 $1,209
42 Lincoln County $667 $714 $869 $1,042 $1,177
43 Ritchie County $658 $662 $869 $1,042 $1,151
44 Ohio County $619 $660 $866 $1,043 $1,218
45 Clarke County $750 $783 $867 $1,044 $1,150
46 Amite County $708 $713 $855 $1,047 $1,139
47 Emmons County $679 $683 $873 $1,047 $1,464
48 Allen Parish $601 $754 $834 $1,048 $1,249
49 Carroll County $708 $713 $842 $1,049 $1,118
50 Issaquena County $708 $713 $842 $1,049 $1,118

Top 25 Cheapest Metro Areas, 3-Bedroom

# Metro Area Studio 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR
1 Morehouse Parish, LA HUD Metro FMR Area $631 $636 $834 $1,143 $1,172
2 Cherokee County, KS HUD Metro FMR Area $664 $668 $877 $1,157 $1,161
3 Little River County, AR HUD Metro FMR Area $666 $671 $880 $1,166 $1,170
4 Acadia Parish, LA HUD Metro FMR Area $607 $671 $880 $1,055 $1,194
5 Boone County, WV HUD Metro FMR Area $669 $674 $869 $1,195 $1,458
6 Fayette County, WV HUD Metro FMR Area $631 $697 $915 $1,195 $1,535
7 Fort Smith, AR-OK MSA $683 $714 $937 $1,266 $1,532
8 Benton County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area $659 $729 $956 $1,209 $1,348
9 Rock County, MN HUD Metro FMR Area $727 $742 $973 $1,353 $1,357
10 Bosque County, TX HUD Metro FMR Area $671 $742 $973 $1,283 $1,288
11 Parkersburg-Vienna, WV MSA $741 $745 $928 $1,194 $1,253
12 Anniston-Oxford, AL MSA $753 $757 $962 $1,300 $1,361
13 Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH MSA $752 $757 $973 $1,285 $1,482
14 Allen County, KY HUD Metro FMR Area $759 $759 $996 $1,224 $1,520
15 Dothan, AL HUD Metro FMR Area $757 $762 $950 $1,288 $1,428
16 Youngstown-Warren, OH MSA $735 $771 $973 $1,270 $1,345
17 Mansfield, OH MSA $671 $773 $973 $1,315 $1,530
18 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL MSA $698 $775 $1,000 $1,242 $1,409
19 Decatur, AL MSA $755 $776 $961 $1,262 $1,550
20 Alexandria, LA MSA $728 $780 $994 $1,342 $1,523
21 Lawton, OK HUD Metro FMR Area $779 $784 $1,001 $1,392 $1,679
22 Boone County, IA HUD Metro FMR Area $783 $788 $1,026 $1,427 $1,500
23 Massac County, IL HUD Metro FMR Area $784 $789 $969 $1,348 $1,415
24 Gadsden, AL MSA $639 $792 $927 $1,124 $1,304
25 Callaway County, MO HUD Metro FMR Area $789 $794 $1,042 $1,249 $1,472

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find the cheapest 3-bedroom rent in the US? ▼
Based on FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents, the most affordable counties for 3-bedroom rentals are concentrated in rural areas of states like Alabama, Mississippi, and parts of the Midwest (Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas). Many of these markets have 3-bedroom FMRs under $1,000/mo, far below the national average.
What income is needed to afford a 3-bedroom apartment? ▼
Using the 30% affordability rule, you need annual gross income of about 40 times the monthly 3-bedroom FMR. If the FMR is $900/mo, that's approximately $36,000/year. Families with housing vouchers can typically use 3-bedroom FMR as the payment standard for their voucher size.
Why is 3-bedroom FMR important for families? ▼
For families with two or more children, a 3-bedroom unit is often necessary for adequate space. HUD's 3-bedroom FMR guides housing assistance programs, and knowing these rates helps families compare affordability across different regions when making relocation decisions.
How much more expensive is a 3-bedroom vs a 2-bedroom? ▼
On average, 3-bedroom FMRs are 20–30% higher than 2-bedroom FMRs in the same county. In rural and lower-cost markets, the difference may be smaller. In high-cost urban markets, the gap can be larger due to limited larger-unit supply.

How to read this ranking

3-bedroom is the largest common voucher size in HUD's schedule - typically the FY2026 ceiling for a larger family household.

  • FMR is HUD's Section 8 payment-standard ceiling near the local 40th-percentile gross rent, not a live listing-site asking price. Full methodology
  • The jump from 2-BR to 3-BR FMR is often the steepest step in the schedule - a cheap 2-BR county is not necessarily cheap at 3-BR. Cheapest 2-BR ranking
  • A cheap 3-BR county is not automatically an affordable one for that household - check it against local median income. Rent burden rankings

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), FY2026 Fair Market Rents. This ranking is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Cheapest Studio → Cheapest 1-BR → Cheapest 2-BR → Most expensive areas → Rent growth rankings →

Rankings based on FY 2026 Fair Market Rents (FMR) published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Counties sorted by 3-bedroom FMR ascending. Metro areas sorted by 1-bedroom FMR (HUD benchmark); 3-BR shown for reference.

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.