Rents are 9% below what Chapel Hill's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
Rent by unit size
Bedroom figures are derived from HUD Fair Market Rents and scaled to match Chapel Hill's market median, because the published HUD values all ran above it. They are gross rents that include essential utilities (electricity, water, gas, sewer, trash).
12-month history
Last updated: October 17, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Chapel Hill usually run 1.1% below trend in January and 1.4% above it in June, about $43 a month apart at today's median. Based on 10 years of data.
Rent in Chapel Hill is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in September 2015.
Rent in Chapel Hill changed +1.5% over the year to September 2026. Across the 94 North Carolina cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.9%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Chapel Hill rose 35.6% while median household income rose 16.8% ($73,614 to $85,989). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Chapel Hill is 35.3% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 5 months in a row, and rose in 7 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($85,989) is $2,150 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($2,085); a 3-bedroom is $2,600.
Hillsborough, 13 miles away, rents for 12% less ($1,509/mo), about $2,600 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Chapel Hill. 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
Chapel Hill, NC is roughly split between renters and owners, skews toward younger working-age adults, 76.6% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Chapel Hill, NC has changed in 5 years
Rent in Chapel Hill, NC has climbed 29.5% since 2021, going from about $1,330 per month to roughly $1,723 today. Census figures show median household income at $85,989 today, compared with $77,037 five years earlier. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 17.9 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 60,920 to 61,607 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.1% change. About 52.6% of households rent today, against 50.7% in 2021. The combined trend lines point to a market that has changed measurably from where it stood in early 2021.
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Can you afford rent in Chapel Hill on your salary?
At $1,723/mo, how Chapel Hill rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Chapel Hill rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Chapel Hill. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Chapel Hill
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Chapel Hill is $1,723/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,333/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,611/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,410/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $2,009/mo.
At 24% of local median household income ($85,989/yr), Chapel Hill ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.5% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Chapel Hill rent compare to other cities in North Carolina?
Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Chapel Hill?
At $1,723/mo, rent takes ~24% of Chapel Hill's median household income ($85,989/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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