Rents are 11% below what Federal Way'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 Federal Way'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 Federal Way usually run 1.1% below trend in January and 1.3% above it in August, about $47 a month apart at today's median. Based on 11 years of data.
Rent in Federal Way is at its highest level since Zillow's records here began in January 2015.
Rent in Federal Way changed +3.3% over the year to September 2026. Across the 97 Washington cities Zillow tracks, the typical change was +2.6%.
From 2019 to 2024, rent in Federal Way rose 31.6% while median household income rose 29% ($67,347 to $86,909). Rent outpaced income.
Rent in Federal Way is 32.5% 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 10 of the last 12 months.
30% of the median household income ($86,909) is $2,173 a month. That covers HUD's Fair Market Rent for up to a 1-bedroom ($2,105); a 2-bedroom is $2,450.
Burien, 11 miles away, rents for 10% less ($1,748/mo), about $2,400 a year in savings.
From Zillow's monthly rent index (ZORI) for Federal Way. 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
Federal Way, WA is majority owner-occupied, 30.8% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates
How Federal Way, WA has changed in 5 years
Compared with 2021, rent in Federal Way, WA has climbed by $372 per month, settling near $1,944 after starting the period at $1,572. Median household income grew from $72,969 to $86,909 between 2021 and 2024, a 19.1% shift. Rent outpaced income growth by roughly 4.6 percentage points, which means renters are spending a larger slice of each paycheck on housing than they did in 2021. Taken together, the five-year picture in Federal Way, WA 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 Federal Way on your salary?
At $1,944/mo, how Federal Way rent compares to typical pay (30% rule).
Federal Way rent by bedroom count
Median rent for each apartment size in Federal Way. Click any size for full breakdown.
Tips for renters in Federal Way
Last updated: October 17, 2026
The median rent in Federal Way is $1,944/mo as of October 2026. A studio apartment averages $1,490/mo while a 2-bedroom runs $1,785/mo. One-bedroom apartments average $1,533/mo and 3-bedroom units go for $2,356/mo.
At 27% of local median household income ($86,909/yr), Federal Way ranks as affordable compared to the national benchmark of 30%. Rents have increased 3.3% over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
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Which nearby cities are cheaper to rent in than Federal Way?
At $1,944/mo, rent takes ~27% of Federal Way's median household income ($86,909/yr). The standard benchmark is 30%.
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Estimated from ZIP-level data
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