Rents are 10% below what Dallas'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 $1,591 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: September 25, 2026
What the numbers show
January. Asking rents in Dallas usually run 0.8% below trend in January and 0.9% above it in July, about $27 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Dallas is 1% below its high of $1,607 in August 2022, at $1,591 as of August 2026.
Rent in Dallas changed +1.1% over the year to August 2026. Across the 222 Texas cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +0.8%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Dallas rose 23.4% while median household income rose 34.1% ($52,580 to $70,518). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in Dallas is 22.2% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 36.8% over the same stretch.
Rent has risen 5 months in a row, and rose in 8 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($70,518) is $1,763 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 1-bedroom ($1,603); a 2-bedroom is $1,882.
The priciest of 40 ZIP codes in Dallas, 75229 ($2,693/mo), costs 2.6 times the cheapest, 75243 ($1,048/mo).
Bedford, 20 miles away, rents for 15% less ($1,350/mo), about $2,900 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Dallas. 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
Dallas, TX is majority renter-occupied, 38.2% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Dallas, TX has changed in 5 years
Across the past five years, the going rent in Dallas, TX has shifted from $1,338 to $1,591, up 18.9% since 2021. Median household income climbed from $58,231 to $70,518 between 2021 and 2024, a 21.1% shift. Bachelor's-degree-or-higher attainment moved from 35.6% to 38.2% across the same window. Taken together, the five-year picture in Dallas, TX 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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At $1,591/mo, how Dallas rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Dallas rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Dallas. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Dallas
Last updated: September 25, 2026
The median rent in Dallas is $1,591/mo as of September 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,529/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,882/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,603/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $2,359/mo.
At 27% of local median household income ($70,518/yr), Dallas ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 1.1% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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At $1,591/mo, rent takes ~27% of Dallas's median household income ($70,518/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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