Rents are 5% below what Houston'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 $1,544 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 Houston usually run 0.6% below trend in January and 0.7% above it in July, about $20 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Houston is 0.8% below its high of $1,556 in April 2025, at $1,544 as of September 2026.
Rent in Houston changed -0.1% over the year to September 2026. Across the 224 Texas cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +1.0%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Houston rose 19.8% while median household income rose 23.8% ($52,338 to $64,813). Income kept ahead of rent.
Rent in Houston is 18% higher than in March 2020. Across the US, rent is up 37.3% over the same stretch.
Rent rose in 4 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($64,813) is $1,620 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 2-bedroom ($1,577); a 3-bedroom is $2,102.
The priciest of 92 ZIP codes in Houston, 77010 ($2,856/mo), costs 3.4 times the cheapest, 77013 ($830/mo).
Pasadena, 13 miles away, rents for 12% less ($1,361/mo), about $2,200 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Houston. 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.
Is your rent fair?
Compare your rent to the local median.
Who lives here
Houston, TX is majority renter-occupied, has a median income below the national average, 36.6% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Houston, TX has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Houston, TX has climbed by $224 per month, settling near $1,544 after starting the period at $1,320. Median household income grew from $56,019 to $64,813 between 2021 and 2024, a 15.7% shift. Headcount in the area went from 2,293,288 to 2,328,253 between 2021 and 2024, a 1.5% change. Taken together, the five-year picture in Houston, 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.
Discussions about Houston
No discussions yet. Start the conversation.
Can you afford rent in Houston on your salary?
At $1,544/mo, how Houston rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Houston rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Houston. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Houston
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Houston is $1,544/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,264/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,577/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,320/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $2,102/mo.
At 29% of local median household income ($64,813/yr), Houston ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have decreased 0.1% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
How much income do you need to rent in Houston?
Is rent going up or down in Houston?
When is the cheapest time to rent in Houston?
Has rent outpaced income in Houston?
Which Houston neighborhoods have the lowest rent?
How does Houston rent compare to other cities in Texas?
Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Houston?
At $1,544/mo, rent takes ~29% of Houston's median household income ($64,813/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
How does this area stack up?
Pick another city or ZIP to compare.
Estimated from ZIP-level data
Be the first to submit your rent for Houston.
No discussions yet.