Rent Data · Updated August 2026
Washington DC Rent Report 2026
Official 2-bedroom rent benchmarks for all 22 residential DC ZIP codes — from $1,490 in Woodridge to $3,370 on Capitol Hill.
Key Findings
- The official benchmark for a 2-bedroom spans $1,490 to $3,370 per month inside the District — a 126% spread, the widest intra-city range of any market we track (HUD FY2026).
- The median residential DC ZIP benchmarks at $2,470/month for a 2-bedroom.
- Capitol Hill/Navy Yard (20003) and Adams Morgan/U Street (20009) tie for first at $3,370 — level with Great Falls, the top of the entire Washington metro.
- Georgetown (20007) benchmarks at $2,460 — ninth in the city. The official benchmark reflects each ZIP’s full rental stock, not its reputation. Pricing a Georgetown rental off prestige instead of the ZIP benchmark is how listings sit vacant.
- East of the Anacostia River (20019, 20020, 20032: $1,610–$1,630), benchmarks run at roughly half the NW core.
2026 Rent Benchmarks by ZIP Code
2-bedroom, HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rent. Neighborhood labels are the commonly used names for each ZIP.
| # | ZIP | Neighborhoods | 2BR Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20003 | Capitol Hill / Navy Yard | $3,370 |
| 2 | 20009 | Adams Morgan / U Street | $3,370 |
| 3 | 20004 | Penn Quarter | $3,220 |
| 4 | 20037 | Foggy Bottom / West End | $3,220 |
| 5 | 20001 | Shaw / Mount Vernon Triangle | $3,140 |
| 6 | 20008 | Cleveland Park / Woodley Park | $3,010 |
| 7 | 20005 | Logan Circle / Thomas Circle | $2,910 |
| 8 | 20024 | Southwest Waterfront | $2,620 |
| 9 | 20036 | Dupont Circle | $2,600 |
| 10 | 20016 | AU Park / Palisades | $2,540 |
| 11 | 20002 | H Street / NoMa | $2,480 |
| 12 | 20007 | Georgetown | $2,460 |
| 13 | 20010 | Columbia Heights / Mount Pleasant | $2,370 |
| 14 | 20006 | Downtown / GWU | $2,210 |
| 15 | 20015 | Chevy Chase DC | $2,210 |
| 16 | 20017 | Brookland | $2,110 |
| 17 | 20011 | Petworth / 16th Street Heights | $2,030 |
| 18 | 20012 | Takoma | $1,770 |
| 19 | 20020 | Anacostia / Hillcrest | $1,630 |
| 20 | 20032 | Congress Heights | $1,620 |
| 21 | 20019 | Deanwood / Benning | $1,610 |
| 22 | 20018 | Woodridge / Brentwood | $1,490 |
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 rowhouse on a good block typically leases above its ZIP benchmark. Treat them as a floor reference, not a ceiling.
ZIP-level pricing matters more in DC than in any suburb. A Petworth rental (20011, $2,030) priced like adjacent Columbia Heights (20010, $2,370) sits vacant; a Capitol Hill rental priced like the citywide average leaves $900 a month on the table. 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 Washington DC in 2026?
The median residential Washington DC ZIP code carries an official 2-bedroom benchmark of $2,470 per month (HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents). ZIP-level benchmarks range from $1,490 in Woodridge/Brentwood (20018) to $3,370 on Capitol Hill (20003) and in Adams Morgan/U Street (20009).
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 in strong neighborhoods typically lease above it. Use it as a floor reference when pricing a rental.
Which Washington DC ZIP code has the highest rent benchmark in 2026?
ZIPs 20003 (Capitol Hill/Navy Yard) and 20009 (Adams Morgan/U Street) tie at $3,370 per month for a 2-bedroom — level with Great Falls, the most expensive locality in the entire Washington metro area.
Does Georgetown have the highest rents in DC?
Not on the official benchmark. Georgetown (20007) benchmarks at $2,460 — below Capitol Hill, Adams Morgan, Penn Quarter, the West End, Shaw, Cleveland Park, Logan Circle, the Southwest Waterfront, and Dupont Circle. Benchmarks reflect each ZIP’s full rental stock, not its most famous streets.
How much can a landlord charge for a Section 8 rental in Washington DC?
Housing Choice Voucher payment standards in the District are set per ZIP code using HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. The ZIP-level figures in this report are those FY2026 benchmarks; the DC 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD HUD Metro FMR Area (revised file effective May 21, 2026), retrieved August 21, 2026 from huduser.gov. The table lists the District of Columbia’s residential ZIP codes; federal-facility and military ZIP codes are excluded. Neighborhood labels are the commonly used names for each ZIP, not official boundaries. 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 figures. Journalists and researchers may cite this analysis with attribution and a link. See also: our Northern Virginia, Maryland, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio rent reports.
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