Average Rent in Houston, TX (2026)

Typical asking rent in Houston is $1,553. Across the 95 ZIP codes with data it runs from $828 to $2,934, so which side of town you buy on matters as much as the city average. Data as of July 2026.

Median rent
$1,553
Average rent
$1,579
Lowest ZIP
$828
Highest ZIP
$2,934

Rent by ZIP code in Houston

ZIP codeCountyTypical rentvs city median
77010Harris County$2,934+89%
77059Harris County$2,565+65%
77005Harris County$2,307+49%
77018Harris County$2,148+38%
77004Harris County$2,110+36%
77019Harris County$2,059+33%
77008Harris County$1,993+28%
77047Harris County$1,935+25%
77003Harris County$1,922+24%
77345Harris County$1,912+23%
77007Harris County$1,907+23%
77083Harris County$1,900+22%
77073Harris County$1,884+21%
77336Harris County$1,881+21%
77071Harris County$1,879+21%
77012Harris County$1,875+21%
77048Harris County$1,874+21%
77044Harris County$1,855+19%
77021Harris County$1,853+19%
77009Harris County$1,826+18%
77020Harris County$1,824+17%
77024Harris County$1,823+17%
77098Harris County$1,801+16%
77067Harris County$1,791+15%
77094Harris County$1,787+15%
77062Harris County$1,784+15%
77027Harris County$1,780+15%
77002Harris County$1,779+15%
77041Harris County$1,759+13%
77033Harris County$1,757+13%
77045Harris County$1,741+12%
77053Fort Bend County$1,733+12%
77006Harris County$1,717+11%
77016Harris County$1,709+10%
77088Harris County$1,708+10%
77031Harris County$1,705+10%
77051Harris County$1,684+8%
77076Harris County$1,681+8%
77030Harris County$1,675+8%
77043Harris County$1,642+6%
77339Harris County$1,628+5%
77056Harris County$1,624+5%
77038Harris County$1,619+4%
77028Harris County$1,611+4%
77091Harris County$1,602+3%
77079Harris County$1,594+3%
77055Harris County$1,5560%
77046Harris County$1,5530%
77084Harris County$1,5500%
77078Harris County$1,545-1%
77092Harris County$1,536-1%
77085Harris County$1,534-1%
77064Harris County$1,522-2%
77089Harris County$1,518-2%
77070Harris County$1,491-4%
77066Harris County$1,476-5%
77087Harris County$1,472-5%
77017Harris County$1,465-6%
77057Harris County$1,439-7%
77096Harris County$1,437-7%
77011Harris County$1,436-8%
77058Harris County$1,429-8%
77025Harris County$1,423-8%
77075Harris County$1,417-9%
77032Harris County$1,415-9%
77072Harris County$1,411-9%
77022Harris County$1,407-9%
77026Harris County$1,405-10%
77023Harris County$1,397-10%
77040Harris County$1,385-11%
77095Harris County$1,375-11%
77086Harris County$1,364-12%
77049Harris County$1,358-13%
77077Harris County$1,356-13%
77065Harris County$1,345-13%
77039Harris County$1,320-15%
77054Harris County$1,318-15%
77082Harris County$1,292-17%
77042Harris County$1,266-18%
77063Harris County$1,254-19%
77035Harris County$1,241-20%
77093Harris County$1,225-21%
77074Harris County$1,224-21%
77069Harris County$1,199-23%
77080Harris County$1,167-25%
77014Harris County$1,153-26%
77015Harris County$1,121-28%
77090Harris County$1,091-30%
77099Harris County$1,068-31%
77060Harris County$1,061-32%
77081Harris County$1,021-34%
77034Harris County$1,018-34%
77061Harris County$995-36%
77036Harris County$966-38%
77013Harris County$828-47%

Rent by bedroom count in Houston

Zillow's index above blends every unit size into one number. For a bedroom level view, these are HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents for Harris County. They include utilities and sit near the 40th percentile of the market, so treat them as the low side of what a typical unit lists for. Harris County uses Small Area FMRs, and the two bedroom figure runs from $1,020 to $2,250 depending on the Houston ZIP code.

Unit sizeFY2027 Fair Market RentChange from FY2026
Studio$1,233-3.7%
1 bedroom$1,261-4.7%
2 bedroom$1,497-4.8%
3 bedroom$2,017-4.7%
4 bedroom$2,502-5.2%

Source: HUD Fair Market Rents. Updates when HUD publishes a new fiscal year.

Is rent going up or down in Houston?

Typical rent across Harris County is $1,586 as of August 2026. That is about level with a year earlier and up 11.8% over five years. The Houston rent report compares these rents with Section 8 voucher rents ZIP by ZIP.

YearTypical rent, Harris CountyChange
2021$1,466+11.1%
2022$1,530+4.3%
2023$1,562+2.1%
2024$1,587+1.6%
2025$1,581-0.4%
2026 (through August)$1,586+0.3%

Zillow Observed Rent Index for the county, all home types, last published month of each year. Each row is compared with the end of the year before it.

Houston rent questions

What is the average rent in Houston, TX?
Typical asking rent in Houston is $1,553 a month as of July 2026, across 95 ZIP codes. By ZIP code it runs from $828 to $2,934.
How much is rent for a 2 bedroom in Houston?
HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a two bedroom in Harris County is $1,497 a month including utilities. A one bedroom is $1,261 and a three bedroom is $2,017. Fair Market Rent is set near the 40th percentile, so a typical unit lists somewhat higher.
Is rent going up or down in Houston?
Rent is flat. Typical rent in Harris County is $1,586 as of August 2026, within half a percent of a year earlier.
What is the cheapest ZIP code to rent in Houston?
ZIP 77013 has the lowest typical asking rent in Houston at $828 a month, compared with $1,553 for the city overall.
How much income do you need to rent in Houston?
Most landlords look for gross income of about three times the rent. At the typical Houston rent of $1,553, that is about $4,659 a month, or $55,908 a year. This is a common screening rule of thumb, and individual landlords set their own.

How to use these numbers

These are Zillow Observed Rent Index values, a smoothed measure of typical asking rent for single family homes, condos, and apartments in each ZIP code. They describe what units are listed for, not what any specific unit will get. Condition, bedroom count, and the exact block all move the number.

If you are underwriting a purchase, use the ZIP figure rather than the city median, and then verify against live listings for the same bedroom count before you commit. Houston sits in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro area.

Other Texas cities

Would a rental in Houston cash flow?

Start the analyzer with the Houston median rent of $1,553 and add a real purchase price to see cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return.