98229
ZIPSAFMR
Whatcom County, WA
BRFMR
Eff. Rent
0 BR$1,540$1,490
1 BR$1,570$1,570
2 BR$1,890$1,890
3 BR$2,630$2,630
4 BR$3,170$3,170
5 BR$3,645
6 BR$4,192
7 BR$4,821
8 BR$5,544

Market Alignment

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

Studio
Studio
1.03ratio
FMR$1,540
Market$1,490
vs market+$50

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

1.03
1 BR
1 BR
0.90ratio
FMR$1,570
Market$1,750
vs market-$180

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

0.90
2 BR
2 BR
0.90ratio
FMR$1,890
Market$2,110
vs market-$220

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

0.90
3 BR
3 BR
0.94ratio
FMR$2,630
Market$2,790
vs market-$160

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

0.94
4 BR
4 BR
0.90ratio
FMR$3,170
Market$3,510
vs market-$340

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

0.90
0.700.800.901.001.101.201.30aligned range

Voucher rents are below market for smaller unit sizes.

Bedroom curve

Historical
See FMR progression in recent years

Data indexed

FMR
FY2026
Market rent
last ~365 days

Purchase Price Calculator

Maximum purchase price
$218,937
Rent
$1,890
Down payment
$43,787
Loan
$175,149
Mortgage
$1,107
Expenses
$583
Market inputs
About this result(HUD FMR/SAFMR details)

This page shows HUD Fair Market Rent data for 98229 (WA) 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.