MD/Howard County/COLUMBIA
COLUMBIA, MD
CitySAFMR
Howard County
Found 3 ZIPs
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$1,500 – $1,830$1,450 – $1,640
1 BR$1,670 – $2,030$1,610 – $1,850
2 BR$2,050 – $2,490$2,050 – $2,360
3 BR$2,600 – $3,160$2,510 – $2,840
4 BR$2,880 – $3,500$2,880 – $3,270
5 BR$4,013
6 BR$4,616
7 BR$5,308
8 BR$6,104

Market Alignment

How HUD fair market rents align with the state of the rental market.

Studio
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.03ratio
FMR$1,500
Market$1,450
vs market+$50

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.11ratio
FMR$1,820
Market$1,640
vs market+$180

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
Studio· 1 ZIP
1.24ratio
FMR$1,830
Market$1,470
vs market+$360

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
1.03–1.24
1 BR
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.04ratio
FMR$1,670
Market$1,610
vs market+$60

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.09ratio
FMR$2,020
Market$1,850
vs market+$170

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
1 BR· 1 ZIP
1.26ratio
FMR$2,030
Market$1,610
vs market+$420

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
1.04–1.26
2 BR
2 BR· 1 ZIP
0.90ratio
FMR$2,050
Market$2,290
vs market-$240

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
2 BR· 1 ZIP
1.06ratio
FMR$2,490
Market$2,360
vs market+$130

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
2 BR· 1 ZIP
1.10ratio
FMR$2,480
Market$2,260
vs market+$220

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

1
0.90–1.10
3 BR
3 BR· 1 ZIP
0.88ratio
FMR$2,600
Market$2,960
vs market-$360

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.11ratio
FMR$3,160
Market$2,840
vs market+$320

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
3 BR· 1 ZIP
1.25ratio
FMR$3,150
Market$2,510
vs market+$640

FMR exceeds market. Payment is likely to be capped due to rent reasonableness requirements in this area.

1
0.88–1.25
4 BR
4 BR· 1 ZIP
0.84ratio
FMR$2,880
Market$3,420
vs market-$540

FMR falls below market. Section 8 income will likely be below what private tenants pay in this area.

1
4 BR· 2 ZIPs
1.07ratio range
Median FMR$3,495
Median Market$3,265
vs market+$230

FMR aligns with market rates. Payment is likely to be at or near the FMR in this area.

2
0.84–1.07
0.700.800.901.001.101.201.30aligned range

Voucher alignment varies significantly by bedroom size in this area.

Bedroom curve

Historical
See FMR progression in recent years

Data indexed

FMR
FY2026
Market rent
last ~365 days

ZIP Codes

Ranked by Investment Score (vs area median)

About this result(HUD FMR/SAFMR details)

This page shows HUD Fair Market Rent data for COLUMBIA, MD (MD) for FY 2026. Fair Market Rent (FMR) is a HUD benchmark used to determine payment standards for programs like the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program.

Values are shown for 0–4 bedroom units. In some metro areas HUD publishes Small Area FMR (SAFMR) at the ZIP-code level; otherwise the county/metropolitan-area FMR applies. This result is labeled SAFMR based on HUD's designation for the area and the available data.

Tip: use these numbers as a starting point and confirm local program rules (payment standards may differ from HUD's published FMR). If you're comparing neighborhoods, SAFMR ZIP ranges can highlight variation within the same county.

Related ZIPs