Rents are right about where Belleville's 10-year trend predicts.
Rent by unit size
These are HUD Fair Market Rents, the payment standard for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8). They often differ from the $1,120 market median above, and that is expected: FMR is the 40th percentile of standard-quality units and counts gross rent, so it includes essential utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, and trash. The market median is asking rent, which usually excludes utilities. HUD sets FMR once a year; market rent here updates monthly.
Source: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents. Read the methodology →
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
February. Asking rents in Belleville usually run 0.4% below trend in February and 0.7% above it in May, about $12 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Belleville is 1.1% below its high of $1,132 in July 2026, at $1,120 as of September 2026.
Rent in Belleville changed +3.2% over the year to September 2026. Across the 94 Illinois cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +4.0%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Belleville rose 40.6% while median household income rose 32.1% ($48,099 to $63,535). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Belleville is 54.1% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has fallen 2 months in a row, and rose in 9 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($63,535) is $1,588 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 3-bedroom ($1,447); a 4-bedroom is $1,673.
Alton, 30 miles away, rents for 10% less ($1,003/mo), about $1,400 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Belleville. The seasonal pattern compares Zillow’s seasonally adjusted and unadjusted series. Income is the Census median household income (5-year estimates). Fair Market Rents are HUD’s, which include utilities.
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Who lives here
Belleville, IL is majority owner-occupied, has a median income below the national average, 28% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Belleville, IL has changed in 5 years
Rent in Belleville, IL has increased 42.3% since 2021, going from about $787 per month to roughly $1,120 today. Household income in the area moved from $56,404 to $63,535 across the same window, up 12.6% versus 2021. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 29.7 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Headcount in the area went from 42,463 to 41,370 between 2021 and 2024, a 2.6% change. Reading these numbers side by side helps frame whether current listings in Belleville, IL look reasonable against where the market sat half a decade ago.
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Can you afford rent in Belleville on your salary?
At $1,120/mo, how Belleville rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Belleville rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Belleville. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Belleville
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Belleville is $1,120/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $873/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,120/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $907/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,447/mo.
At 21% of local median household income ($63,535/yr), Belleville ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 3.2% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Belleville rent compare to other cities in Illinois?
At $1,120/mo, rent takes ~21% of Belleville's median household income ($63,535/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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