Rent Data · Updated June 2026
Austin Rent Report 2026
Official 2-bedroom rent benchmarks for 63 Austin-area ZIP codes — why the urban core still out-benchmarks nearly every suburb, and what a falling federal benchmark means for landlords.
Key Findings
- The official benchmark for a 2-bedroom spans $1,120 to $2,780 per month across the metro (HUD FY2026). The median Austin-area ZIP benchmarks at $1,980.
- Austin is the reverse of Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston: the core city ($2,113 average) out-benchmarks 11 of 13 localities. Only Lakeway / Bee Cave ($2,265) and Hutto ($2,230) sit higher.
- The metro benchmark is falling: HUD’s metro-wide 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent dropped 5% year over year, from $1,949 (FY2025) to $1,852 (FY2026) — the only market in our coverage where the federal benchmark declined.
- Hutto is the quiet outlier: at $2,230 it now carries a higher official benchmark than Round Rock ($2,000), Cedar Park ($2,000), and Pflugerville ($1,980).
- San Marcos is the metro’s affordability anchor at $1,480 — 30% below the Austin core average and a $1,300/month gap to downtown’s $2,780 ceiling.
2026 Rent Benchmarks by City
2-bedroom, HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rent. City figure is the average of residential ZIP-level benchmarks within the locality.
| # | City / Area | 2BR Benchmark | ZIP Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeway / Bee Cave | $2,265 | $2,230–$2,300 across 2 ZIPs |
| 2 | Hutto | $2,230 | single ZIP |
| 3 | Georgetown | $2,150 | $1,970–$2,330 across 2 ZIPs |
| 4 | Leander | $2,130 | single ZIP |
| 5 | Austin (core city ZIPs) | $2,113 | $1,760–$2,780 across 35 ZIPs |
| 6 | Cedar Park | $2,000 | single ZIP |
| 7 | Round Rock | $2,000 | $1,790–$2,120 across 3 ZIPs |
| 8 | Pflugerville | $1,980 | single ZIP |
| 9 | Manor | $1,970 | single ZIP |
| 10 | Buda | $1,880 | single ZIP |
| 11 | Dripping Springs | $1,850 | single ZIP |
| 12 | Kyle | $1,810 | single ZIP |
| 13 | San Marcos | $1,480 | single ZIP |
What This Means for Landlords
These figures are the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s official 40th-percentile gross-rent benchmarks — the payment standards behind Housing Choice Vouchers. They are not asking rents: a well-presented home in a strong school district typically leases above its ZIP benchmark. Treat them as a floor reference, not a ceiling.
Austin also carries a warning the other Texas metros don’t: the federal benchmark moved down 5% this cycle. Landlords renewing leases priced off 2024–2025 expectations should re-check their ZIP’s current figure before assuming a rent increase will hold. Two rentals both “in Austin” can sit $1,000 a month apart on the official benchmark. If you want a read on your specific property, our free rental analysis compares it against live local comps.
Voucher-program landlords: the ZIP-level figures here are the FY2026 basis for what the program pays in your exact ZIP code.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average rent benchmark for a 2-bedroom in Austin in 2026?
The median Austin-area ZIP code carries an official 2-bedroom benchmark of $1,980 per month (HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents). Across Austin’s 35 core-city ZIP codes the average is $2,113, with individual ZIPs ranging from $1,760 to $2,780.
Are Austin rents falling in 2026?
The official metro-wide benchmark fell. HUD’s 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro dropped from $1,949 (FY2025) to $1,852 (FY2026) — a 5% year-over-year decline, the only Flat Fee Landlord market where the federal benchmark moved down.
Which Austin suburb has the highest rent benchmark in 2026?
Lakeway / Bee Cave, at an average of $2,265 per month for a 2-bedroom across its residential ZIP codes. Hutto ($2,230) is the surprise runner-up — it now benchmarks above Round Rock ($2,000), Cedar Park ($2,000), and Pflugerville ($1,980).
Are rents higher in the Austin suburbs or the city core?
The core, in most cases — Austin is the reverse of Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston. Austin’s core-city average ($2,113) out-benchmarks 11 of the 13 localities in this report; only Lakeway / Bee Cave and Hutto sit higher. Downtown (78701), west Austin (78733), and Circle C (78739) share the metro ceiling at $2,780.
What is the difference between Fair Market Rent and asking rent?
Fair Market Rent is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s estimate of the 40th-percentile gross rent (rent plus utilities) for standard-quality units in a ZIP code. It is a payment benchmark, not an asking price — well-maintained homes typically lease above it.
How much can a landlord charge for a Section 8 rental in Austin?
Housing Choice Voucher payment standards in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro are set per ZIP code using Small Area Fair Market Rents. The ZIP-level figures in this report are those FY2026 benchmarks; each housing authority sets its payment standard as a percentage of them.
Methodology & Source
Data: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA (final), retrieved June 11, 2026 from huduser.gov. City figures are the unweighted average of HUD ZIP-level 2-bedroom FMRs for residential ZIP codes within each locality; PO-box and metro-default ZIPs (those carrying HUD’s uniform metro schedule where ZIP-specific data is insufficient) are excluded, leaving 63 residential ZIP codes. FMRs estimate the 40th-percentile gross rent (rent + utilities) for standard-quality units. Analysis by Flat Fee Landlord. This page is refreshed when HUD publishes each fiscal year’s final figures. Journalists and researchers may cite this analysis with attribution and a link. See also: our Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Northern Virginia, and Maryland rent reports.
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