Rents are 5% below what Lancaster's 10-year trend predicts — a better deal than its own history suggests.
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 $1,564 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
January. Asking rents in Lancaster usually run 0.7% below trend in January and 0.5% above it in April, about $19 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Lancaster is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in February 2015.
Rent in Lancaster changed +4.1% over the year to September 2026. Across the 114 Pennsylvania cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +3.6%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Lancaster rose 41.4% while median household income rose 39.9% ($45,514 to $63,690). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Lancaster is 51% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 6 months in a row, and rose in 10 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($63,690) is $1,592 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,477); a 3-bedroom is $1,927.
The priciest of 3 ZIP codes in Lancaster, 17601 ($1,852/mo), costs 31% more than the cheapest, 17602 ($1,413/mo).
Columbia, 10 miles away, rents for 14% less ($1,347/mo), about $2,600 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Lancaster. 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
Lancaster, PA is roughly split between renters and owners, skews toward younger working-age adults, has a median income below the national average, 29.4% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Lancaster, PA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Lancaster, PA has climbed by $403 per month, settling near $1,564 after starting the period at $1,161. Median household income grew from $54,145 to $63,690 between 2021 and 2024, a 17.6% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 17.1 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. About 51.4% of households rent today, against 53.4% in 2021. Educational attainment has shifted as well, with the share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher climbed from 25.4% to 29.4%. Taken together, the five-year picture in Lancaster, PA reflects how housing costs and the people paying them have evolved through a stretch that included a pandemic, a hot rental market, and a recent cooling phase.
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Can you afford rent in Lancaster on your salary?
At $1,564/mo, how Lancaster rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Lancaster rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Lancaster. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Lancaster
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Lancaster is $1,564/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,050/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,477/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,173/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $1,927/mo.
At 29% of local median household income ($63,690/yr), Lancaster ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 4.1% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Lancaster rent compare to other cities in Pennsylvania?
At $1,564/mo, rent takes ~29% of Lancaster's median household income ($63,690/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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