HUD FY2026 · National FMR ranking

Cheapest Rent in the US

The most affordable counties and metro areas by Fair Market Rent. The cheapest county runs just $591 for a 1-bedroom.

$591
Cheapest county (1BR) — Clay
$636
Cheapest metro (1BR)
3,145
Counties ranked

Ranked across all 50 states and DC from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents. HUD sets each county's FMR at roughly the 40th percentile of local gross rents. See our methodology.

Top 10 cheapest counties by 1-bedroom FMR

HUD Fair Market Rent — the FY2026 ceiling HUD will subsidize for a modest 1-bedroom unit

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Clay County is the most affordable county in the nation for a 1-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

# County Studio 1 BR 2 BR 3 BR 4 BR
1 Clay County $576 $591 $776 $1,024 $1,027
2 Covington County $576 $591 $776 $999 $1,302
3 Crenshaw County $588 $591 $776 $930 $1,027
4 DeKalb County $576 $591 $776 $992 $1,302
5 Marion County $535 $591 $776 $1,039 $1,302
6 Marshall County $588 $591 $776 $1,069 $1,073
7 Pickens County $588 $591 $776 $994 $1,290
8 Clarke County $588 $603 $791 $1,034 $1,261
9 Conecuh County $576 $615 $776 $1,079 $1,157
10 Coosa County $576 $615 $776 $1,079 $1,157
11 Choctaw County $578 $616 $778 $1,024 $1,179
12 Monroe County $576 $619 $776 $1,079 $1,254
13 Winston County $576 $631 $776 $1,070 $1,150
14 Randolph County $536 $634 $778 $980 $1,126
15 Lamar County $618 $636 $776 $1,024 $1,040
16 Perry County $596 $636 $803 $963 $1,198
17 Morehouse Parish $631 $636 $834 $1,143 $1,172
18 St. Landry Parish $631 $636 $834 $1,040 $1,202
19 West Carroll Parish $601 $636 $834 $1,088 $1,138
20 Dallas County $620 $637 $836 $1,103 $1,107
21 Butler County $622 $638 $837 $1,004 $1,139
22 Madison Parish $616 $638 $834 $1,100 $1,399
23 Sumter County $619 $642 $827 $1,107 $1,193
24 Attala County $638 $642 $842 $1,115 $1,118
25 Bolivar County $638 $642 $842 $1,096 $1,115
26 Calhoun County $637 $642 $842 $1,167 $1,217
27 Chickasaw County $638 $642 $842 $1,121 $1,411
28 Choctaw County $638 $642 $842 $1,115 $1,118
29 Leflore County $638 $642 $842 $1,055 $1,115
30 Newton County $638 $642 $842 $1,012 $1,115
31 Prentiss County $638 $642 $842 $1,012 $1,118
32 Sunflower County $581 $642 $842 $1,136 $1,260
33 Jackson County $576 $643 $776 $1,004 $1,234
34 Caldwell Parish $604 $647 $834 $1,072 $1,249
35 Catahoula Parish $601 $647 $834 $1,139 $1,249
36 Concordia Parish $601 $647 $834 $1,139 $1,249
37 East Carroll Parish $601 $647 $834 $1,139 $1,249
38 Red River Parish $601 $647 $834 $1,073 $1,251
39 Lincoln County $645 $649 $852 $1,126 $1,129
40 Webster Parish $600 $651 $854 $1,130 $1,131
41 Avoyelles Parish $617 $653 $857 $1,087 $1,283
42 Marion County $651 $655 $860 $1,031 $1,366
43 Wilcox County $632 $656 $843 $1,079 $1,261
44 Lawrence County $653 $657 $863 $1,068 $1,148
45 Butler County $660 $660 $866 $1,204 $1,232
46 Clinton County $619 $660 $866 $1,041 $1,209
47 Crittenden County $619 $660 $866 $1,038 $1,209
48 Fulton County $619 $660 $866 $1,204 $1,453
49 Graves County $619 $660 $866 $1,204 $1,311
50 Hickman County $619 $660 $866 $1,142 $1,147

Top 25 Cheapest Metro Areas

# 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
Cheapest Studio → Cheapest 2-BR → Cheapest 3-BR → Most expensive areas → Rent growth rankings →