Virginia's statewide two-bedroom fair market rent is $1,022 a month. Fairfax County's is $2,246.
That is a 120% gap inside one state, and it is the defining feature of Virginia rent data: a very expensive northern corner attached to a large and much cheaper rest-of-state, averaged together across 64 rent areas without weighting for where anyone lives.
And the northern corner shares its rent area with Maryland, which sets up the most consequential housing comparison in the Washington metro.
A note before you start. This is general education, not housing, legal or financial advice. Rent figures come from HUD's Fair Market Rents for FY2026, published under 24 CFR 888.113. An FMR is the 40th percentile of GROSS rent — rent plus tenant-paid utilities — for standard-quality units in a defined rent area, so roughly 60% of units cost more. Take-home figures are computed by this site's own tax engine for tax year 2026 on a single filer taking the standard deduction. Virginia landlord-tenant law is outside this dataset.
1. What HUD says renting costs in Virginia
| Unit size | Statewide fair market rent |
|---|---|
| Studio | $812 |
| 1 bedroom | $856 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,022 |
| 3 bedroom | $1,340 |
| 4 bedroom | $1,586 |
The statewide figure is the median across Virginia's 64 distinct rent areas, unweighted by population. Virginia has more rent areas than all but four states, and most of them are rural — while a very large share of Virginians live in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads.
Which is why $1,022 describes a Virginia that most Virginians do not live in.
Work out what rent your own income actually supports in Virginia2. The spread
| Measure | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Distinct rent areas | 64 |
| Cheapest 2-bedroom area | $914 |
| Dearest 2-bedroom area | $2,246 |
| Internal spread | 146% |
| Statewide median | $1,022 |
Virginia's cheapest rent area is $914 — below the $973 figure that recurs as the minimum in seventeen other states, and one of twenty states with areas underneath it.
The $1,332 monthly gap between the cheapest and dearest is $15,984 a year.
And notice how close the statewide median is to the cheap end. $1,022 against a floor of $914 — only 12% above it. The median sits near the bottom of Virginia's range because most of Virginia's 64 rent areas are rural, and each counts once regardless of population.
3. Three things a fair market rent is not
It is the 40th percentile, not the median. Roughly 60% of standard-quality units rent for more than the FMR. Fairfax's $2,246 means a clear majority of Fairfax two-bedrooms cost more.
It is GROSS rent, including tenant-paid utilities. HUD builds the figure to cover rent plus the utilities a tenant pays.
It is per rent area, not per county — and Virginia's most important rent area does not stop at the state line. That is section 4.
4. One rent area, three jurisdictions
| County | Studio | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | Rent area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County, VA | $1,953 | $2,246 | $2,835 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD |
| Prince William County, VA | $1,953 | $2,246 | $2,835 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD |
| Montgomery County, MD | $1,953 | $2,246 | $2,835 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD |
| Prince George's County, MD | $1,953 | $2,246 | $2,835 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD |
Four counties, two states, one figure.
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria rent area spans the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. Every county inside it carries exactly $2,246 for a two-bedroom.
That is not a claim that Arlington and Manassas cost the same. The FMR is an area-wide 40th percentile across the whole Washington metro, and the real markets inside it differ enormously.
What it does mean is that the published rent is identical across the state line — and the tax is not.
5. Virginia versus Maryland, on identical rent
This is the comparison that decides where a great many Washington-metro households live, and because the rent is the same number on both sides, it reduces cleanly to tax.
| Virginia side | Maryland side | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-bedroom FMR | $2,246 | $2,246 |
| State income tax on $85,000 | $4,073 | $3,672 |
| Local income tax | None | $1,900–$2,700 |
| Total income tax | $4,073 | $5,572–$6,372 |
| Advantage | Virginia, by $1,499–$2,299 |
On the state figure alone Maryland looks cheaper. Maryland takes $3,672 at $85,000 against Virginia's $4,073.
Then add Maryland's county income tax. Every Maryland county and Baltimore City levies one, at 2.25% to 3.20% — there is no Maryland county without it. That adds roughly $1,900 to $2,700 at that salary.
Virginia has none. No Virginia county, city or town levies a tax on personal income or earnings. Form 760 has no local income tax line.
Net result: Virginia is $125 to $192 a month cheaper, on identical rent, decided by which side of the Potomac you sleep on.
The honest offsets
Virginia levies a personal property tax on vehicles — the "car tax" — assessed annually by the locality. Renters pay it too; it is a tax on the car, not the dwelling. Maryland does not levy one. For a two-car household that is a real recurring cost and it eats into the advantage above.
And Virginia's BPOL tax on gross receipts reaches the self-employed, which Maryland's structure does not in the same way.
Washington DC itself is a third option, with its own income tax structure, and it is outside this dataset.
6. What the two-bedroom actually requires
| Statewide | Fairfax / Prince William | |
|---|---|---|
| 2-bedroom | $1,022 | $2,246 |
| Gross income a 3x screen demands | $36,792 | $80,856 |
$80,856 to rent a median two-bedroom in Northern Virginia — HUD's 40th percentile, so about 60% cost more.
What passing that screen leaves
| Statewide 2-bed | |
|---|---|
| Gross income required | $36,792 |
| Virginia take-home, single filer | About $30,441 |
| Take-home per month | $2,537 |
| Rent | $1,022 |
| Rent as a share of take-home | 40.3% |
| State | Rent as % of take-home at exactly 3x gross |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | 44.7% |
| Oregon | 43.1% |
| Virginia | 40.3% |
| Texas | 38.6% |
| North Dakota | 38.2% |
The 3x rule never lands on 30% in any state. Virginia's 40.3% is mid-range, and the reason it is not lower is Virginia's frozen bracket schedule — the 5.75% top rate begins at $17,000 of taxable income, so almost every Virginian pays it on most of their income.
7. 30% of gross, and 30% of what you actually get
| Annual salary | 30% of gross | 30% of Virginia take-home | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| $45,000 | $1,125 | $914 | $211 |
| $60,000 | $1,500 | $1,194 | $306 |
| $85,000 | $2,125 | $1,614 | $511 |
At $85,000 the conventional rule allows $2,125 and the honest budget figure is $1,614. Virginia's income tax alone takes $4,073 of that salary — $339 a month.
What the two-bedroom costs at real salaries
| Annual salary | Statewide | Fairfax / Prince William |
|---|---|---|
| $45,000 | 33.5% | 73.7% |
| $60,000 | 25.7% | 56.4% |
| $85,000 | 19.0% | 41.8% |
Rent as a share of take-home pay.
The two columns tell completely different stories. At $85,000 the statewide two-bedroom is 19.0% of take-home — one of the lightest burdens in the country. Northern Virginia's is 41.8%, past HUD's cost-burden line and approaching its severe threshold.
At $45,000 the statewide figure still works at 33.5% and Northern Virginia is 73.7% — and a landlord's screen requiring $80,856 would refuse the application first.
That gap is the whole of Virginia's housing politics, and no statewide figure captures it.
8. Rent versus buy in Virginia
Three things decide it, and the rent is not one of them:
Appreciation. Backward-looking, county-specific, and not a forecast.
Selling costs. Around 7% of the sale price, and it never comes back.
Ongoing carrying cost. Virginia's effective property tax rates on real estate sit around the national middle — but the vehicle personal property tax applies to renters and owners alike, so it does not tip the comparison either way. It is a cost of living in Virginia rather than a cost of owning in Virginia.
One Northern Virginia-specific point: the price level in Fairfax and Arlington makes the 7% selling cost a very large absolute number, and the deposit is the binding constraint for most renters there. The break-even year is pushed out by both.
Run the Virginia rent-versus-buy calculator with your own county.
9. What you can actually control
Find out which of the 64 rent areas you are in. Virginia has more than all but four states and they range from $914 to $2,246.
If you are in the DC metro, run the Maryland comparison properly. Section 5 does it: identical rent, and Virginia $1,499 to $2,299 a year cheaper on income tax once Maryland's universal county tax is counted — offset by Virginia's vehicle tax.
Get the landlord test and the budget test straight. 3x gross gets you approved. 30% of take-home is what you can carry. On Northern Virginia's $2,246 those are $80,856 of income and, at that income, $1,547 of rent — $699 less than the rent itself.
Existing debt does not appear in the landlord's test.
Budget for the car tax. It applies to renters, it is billed by the locality, and people moving in from states without one are routinely surprised. Virginia's Personal Property Tax Relief programme reduces it on qualifying vehicles below a value threshold but does not eliminate it.
And reduce the income tax side. Virginia's 5.75% is the marginal rate for essentially anyone above $26,680 of salary — a pre-tax 401(k) deferral saves 5.75% of whatever you defer at almost every income, which is unusually simple and is the one lever entirely within your control.
10. How HUD's cost-burden thresholds actually work
The 30% and 50% figures quoted throughout this article are not rules of thumb. They are regulatory definitions, and knowing where they come from tells you what they are and are not good for.
HUD defines a household as "cost-burdened" when it spends more than 30% of gross income on housing, and "severely cost-burdened" above 50%. The threshold traces back to the National Housing Act, and HUD uses it to measure housing need and to set programme eligibility.
Three things follow from that origin, and all three matter to a renter:
It is measured against gross income because a housing programme can verify gross income. A caseworker can read a W-2. They cannot easily verify what your actual tax withholding, retirement deferrals and health premiums leave you. Gross is administratively tractable, not economically correct.
It counts housing costs, not just rent. HUD's measure includes utilities, which is precisely why the fair market rent is defined as gross rent. If you are comparing your own situation against the 30% threshold, include your utility bills — otherwise you are measuring a smaller number against the same line.
It is a population statistic before it is personal advice. The threshold exists to answer "how many households in this county are struggling," and it does that job well. It was never designed to tell one household what it can afford, and it does not account for household size, debt, childcare, medical costs, or the tax rate where you live.
Which is why this article reports both figures. In Virginia a two-bedroom at $1,022 against a $36,792 income is exactly at HUD's 30% line by HUD's own measure. Against what actually reaches that household's account it is closer to 40%. Both numbers are correct; they answer different questions.
If you want one number to plan around, use 30% of take-home. It is the more conservative of the two, it is the one that reflects what you can actually spend, and it is what this site's calculator reports alongside the conventional figure.
11. What a landlord checks besides your income
The 3x income screen is the most visible test, and it is not the only one. None of the following is a legal requirement — they are common industry practice, and individual landlords differ.
Credit score. Most professionally managed buildings run a credit check, and many publish a minimum. A low score does not automatically disqualify you, but it commonly triggers a larger deposit or a guarantor requirement.
Rental history and references. Previous landlords, length of tenancy, and any eviction filings. An eviction filing can appear on a tenant screening report even where the case was dismissed, which is worth knowing if you have one.
The security deposit. How much a landlord may ask for, when it must be returned, and what may be deducted are all governed by state law, and those rules vary enormously. Check Virginia's own statute — this site's rent dataset covers HUD fair market rents and does not cover landlord-tenant law, so nothing on this page should be read as describing it.
Application fees. Charged per applicant in most markets, and often non-refundable. Applying to several places at once is a real cost.
Guarantors and co-signers. Where an applicant fails the income screen, many landlords will accept a guarantor — commonly at a higher multiple, such as 80x the monthly rent in annual income rather than 36x. That is a much larger number than the tenant's own test, and it is the usual route for students and recent graduates.
Proof of income. Pay stubs, an offer letter, or tax returns for the self-employed. Self-employed applicants are frequently asked for two years of returns, which is a materially higher bar than a salaried applicant faces on the same income.
The practical point: the 3x screen decides whether you clear the first filter. Everything above decides whether you get the apartment, and several of those items cost money to fail.
12. When these figures change
HUD publishes fair market rents annually, effective at the start of the federal fiscal year on 1 October. The figures in this article are FY2026.
Three ways your area's number can move:
Re-measurement. HUD builds FMRs from American Community Survey data with more recent trend adjustments. A rent area whose measured market has moved will see its figure move with it.
Redefinition. HUD occasionally redraws rent areas — splitting a metro, adding a county to one, or creating a small-area FMR where ZIP-level figures replace a single metro figure. When that happens, a county's published rent can change substantially without any change in its actual market. Virginia has 64 rent areas today; that count is not fixed.
The floor. HUD applies a national minimum. In FY2026 the two-bedroom floor is $973, and seventeen states have at least one rent area sitting on it. When the floor rises, every area at the floor rises with it — regardless of what happened locally.
What that means for planning. A fair market rent is a well-sourced annual snapshot, not a forecast. If you are signing a twelve-month lease, the figure that matters is the rent in the lease, and the FMR is context for judging whether that rent is reasonable for the area and the unit size.
Voucher holders should note one thing more. FMRs set the basis for Housing Choice Voucher payment standards, and a public housing agency may set its standard within a range around the FMR rather than exactly at it. Your agency's payment standard is the operative number, not the published FMR.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average rent in Virginia? HUD's statewide fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,022 a month for FY2026 — an unweighted median across 64 rent areas ranging from $914 to $2,246. Fairfax and Prince William counties are $2,246.
Why is Northern Virginia so much more expensive than the state figure? Because Virginia has 64 rent areas, most of them rural, and each counts once in the statewide median regardless of population. Northern Virginia sits in the Washington metro rent area at $2,246, 120% above the statewide $1,022.
Why do Fairfax and Montgomery County, Maryland show the same rent? Both are inside the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD rent area, which spans three jurisdictions. Every county inside a rent area carries the same published figure.
Is it cheaper to rent in Virginia or Maryland near DC? The rent is identical at $2,246. Virginia is cheaper on income tax by $1,499 to $2,299 a year at $85,000, because every Maryland county levies a local income tax and no Virginia locality does. Virginia's vehicle personal property tax is the offset.
Can a Virginia county or city tax my income? No. Form 760 has no local income tax line. Virginia localities are funded by real and personal property taxes, a local sales tax option, and the BPOL gross receipts tax on businesses.
Do renters pay Virginia's car tax? Yes. It is assessed on registered vehicles by the locality and applies whether you rent or own your home.
What income do I need to rent a two-bedroom in Northern Virginia? A 3x landlord screen on $2,246 needs $80,856 a year. On the statewide $1,022 it needs $36,792.
Is 30% of income a realistic rent budget in Virginia? 30% of gross on $85,000 is $2,125 and 30% of Virginia take-home is $1,614. The statewide two-bedroom fits inside both comfortably; Northern Virginia's $2,246 fits inside neither.
What to do next
Virginia's statewide figure and its Northern Virginia figure describe different states. If you are in the DC metro, the Maryland comparison in section 5 is worth more than anything else here.
- Virginia rent affordability calculator — the landlord's test and the budget test, side by side.
- Virginia take-home pay — and why the 5.75% rate reaches almost everyone.
- Take-Home Pay in Maryland — the county tax that changes the answer.
- The 30% rule is measured against the wrong number — the full argument.
- Renting in the USA in 2026 — all fifty states, county by county.
Every figure on this site is sourced and dated. How we source every number.
Rent figures are HUD Fair Market Rents for FY2026, from HUD User, published under 24 CFR 888.113. An FMR is the 40th percentile of gross rent including tenant-paid utilities for standard-quality units in a defined rent area — not a market median. Statewide figures are the median across Virginia's 64 distinct rent areas, unweighted by population. Take-home figures are computed by this site's own tax engine for tax year 2026 on a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependents or pre-tax deferrals, using federal figures from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and Virginia rates from this site's sourced 50-state dataset. Maryland county income tax figures in section 5 are illustrative estimates across the 2.25%–3.20% range. The 3x landlord screen is a common industry practice, not a legal standard. Virginia landlord-tenant law, locality vehicle tax rates and BPOL schedules are outside this dataset. This is general education and not housing, legal or financial advice.