Cities with the Highest and Lowest Fair Market Rent

Top 25 U.S. cities with the highest and lowest HUD fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment. Pop > 20,000.

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Top 25 — Most Expensive

Source: HUD
#CityPopulationFMR (2BR)
1Watsonville, CA51,968$4,214
2Santa Cruz, CA60,953$4,214
3Redwood City, CA82,423$3,604
4Foster City, CA32,964$3,604
5Burlingame, CA30,526$3,604
6Daly City, CA102,560$3,604
7Pacifica, CA37,527$3,604
8East Palo Alto, CA29,143$3,604
9San Mateo, CA103,555$3,604
10San Rafael, CA60,604$3,604
11Novato, CA52,689$3,604
12San Carlos, CA29,797$3,604
13Menlo Park, CA32,775$3,604
14San Bruno, CA42,612$3,604
15Millbrae, CA22,589$3,604
16South San Francisco, CA64,487$3,604
17San Francisco, CA836,321$3,604
18Belmont, CA27,505$3,604
19Palo Alto, CA67,231$3,483
20Santa Clara, CA129,239$3,483
21San Jose, CA990,054$3,483
22Los Gatos, CA32,773$3,483
23Sunnyvale, CA153,455$3,483
24Cupertino, CA58,886$3,483
25Los Altos, CA30,736$3,483

Bottom 25 — Least Expensive

Source: HUD
#CityPopulationFMR (2BR)
1Albertville, AL22,584$776
2Oxford, AL22,063$814
3Greenville, MS28,833$842
4Columbus, MS23,616$872
5Emporia, KS24,098$877
6Searcy, AR23,115$880
7Ruston, LA22,224$881
8Pittsburg, KS20,606$901
9Richmond, KY35,498$904
10New Iberia, LA27,926$905
11Paragould, AR29,940$905
12Meridian, MS34,466$906
13Danville, VA42,239$914
14Galesburg, IL29,653$916
15Carbondale, IL21,813$916
16Freeport, IL23,636$916
17Fort Dodge, IA24,788$919
18Shelby, NC21,868$925
19Gadsden, AL33,617$927
20Parkersburg, WV29,461$928
21Aberdeen, SD28,297$929
22Rolla, MO20,144$933
23Enterprise, AL28,990$933
24Greenwood, SC22,527$934
25Van Buren, AR23,545$937

Watsonville, CA ranks #1 for most expensive among U.S. cities with populations over 20,000, with a value of $4,214. Rounding out the top cities are Santa Cruz, CA, Redwood City, CA, Foster City, CA. On the other end, Albertville, AL has the least expensive value at $776. This ranking includes only cities with populations above 20,000. Data sourced from HUD.

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