Average Rent in North Carolina (2026) — HUD Fair Market Rents
The average two-bedroom rent in North Carolina is $1,389 per month by HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent data (population-weighted); two-bedroom FMRs range from $925 to $1,835 across 83 rent areas.
Fair Market Rent is HUD's annual estimate of what a modest rental costs in each local market — the 40th percentile of gross rents (rent plus tenant-paid utilities) for recent movers, published for studio through four-bedroom units and used to set Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. FMRs are a federal benchmark, not an asking-rent average: use them to sanity-check your pricing (statewide, North Carolina's typical two-bedroom FMR moved -0.1% versus FY 2025).
All 83 North Carolina FMR areas
Sorted by two-bedroom rent, highest first. 28 metro areas; the rest are non-metro county areas. "vs FY 2025" is the two-bedroom change from last year's FMR for the same area.
| Area | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2 BR vs FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asheville, NC MSA Metro 3 countiesBuncombe County · Henderson County · Madison County | $1,436 | $1,674 | $1,835 | $2,231 | $3,078 | +21.4% |
Raleigh-Cary, NC MSA Metro 3 countiesFranklin County · Johnston County · Wake County | $1,524 | $1,596 | $1,750 | $2,196 | $2,936 | -0.7% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,492 | $1,512 | $1,713 | $2,376 | $2,797 | +1.0% |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 3 countiesChatham County · Durham County · Orange County | $1,417 | $1,507 | $1,711 | $2,117 | $2,527 | -8.6% |
| Gates County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,489 | $1,513 | $1,709 | $2,364 | $2,794 | +38.9% |
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 4 countiesCabarrus County · Gaston County · Mecklenburg County · Union County | $1,469 | $1,538 | $1,686 | $2,076 | $2,637 | -7.6% |
| Wilmington, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,144 | $1,513 | $1,659 | $2,178 | $2,319 | +5.0% |
| Dare County, NC Non-metro | $1,120 | $1,305 | $1,430 | $1,821 | $1,893 | +1.3% |
| Brunswick County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,242 | $1,301 | $1,426 | $1,983 | $2,392 | — |
| Transylvania County, NC Non-metro | $1,032 | $1,039 | $1,363 | $1,634 | $2,048 | +18.5% |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC MSA Metro | $1,157 | $1,239 | $1,358 | $1,889 | $2,278 | — |
| Burlington, NC MSA Metro | $992 | $1,230 | $1,348 | $1,670 | $1,972 | +10.8% |
| Iredell County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,167 | $1,222 | $1,340 | $1,809 | $2,248 | -3.4% |
Greensboro-High Point, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 2 countiesGuilford County · Randolph County | $1,159 | $1,213 | $1,330 | $1,703 | $1,960 | +15.7% |
| Camden County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,121 | $1,139 | $1,287 | $1,790 | $2,159 | +14.0% |
| Fayetteville, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,090 | $1,113 | $1,251 | $1,667 | $2,068 | +0.9% |
| Goldsboro, NC MSA Metro | $942 | $948 | $1,244 | $1,496 | $2,021 | +5.1% |
Winston-Salem, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro 4 countiesDavie County · Forsyth County · Stokes County · Yadkin County | $995 | $1,082 | $1,232 | $1,607 | $1,898 | +5.9% |
| Haywood County, NC Non-metro | $1,039 | $1,122 | $1,230 | $1,475 | $1,844 | — |
| Chowan County, NC Non-metro | $924 | $930 | $1,220 | $1,463 | $1,615 | +8.2% |
| Pasquotank County, NC Non-metro | $921 | $927 | $1,216 | $1,640 | $1,899 | +2.0% |
| Granville County, NC Non-metro | $1,026 | $1,084 | $1,200 | $1,571 | $1,700 | — |
| Carteret County, NC Non-metro | $907 | $913 | $1,198 | $1,541 | $1,966 | -1.7% |
| Rowan County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $952 | $958 | $1,196 | $1,573 | $2,006 | -6.9% |
| Craven County, NC Non-metro | $897 | $902 | $1,184 | $1,591 | $1,988 | — |
| Watauga County, NC Non-metro | $822 | $988 | $1,177 | $1,504 | $1,974 | -7.6% |
| Jacksonville, NC MSA Metro | $929 | $935 | $1,173 | $1,631 | $1,968 | +2.3% |
| Pender County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $1,016 | $1,064 | $1,166 | $1,622 | $1,956 | +8.1% |
Rocky Mount, NC MSA Metro 2 countiesEdgecombe County · Nash County | $913 | $918 | $1,143 | $1,550 | $1,812 | +6.6% |
| Anson County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $785 | $867 | $1,138 | $1,364 | $1,654 | -6.4% |
| Lee County, NC Non-metro | $874 | $880 | $1,136 | $1,362 | $1,715 | -3.1% |
| Greenville, NC MSA Metro | $891 | $896 | $1,095 | $1,465 | $1,837 | -0.1% |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA Metro 4 countiesAlexander County · Burke County · Caldwell County · Catawba County | $858 | $908 | $1,095 | $1,372 | $1,660 | +4.7% |
| Pamlico County, NC Non-metro | $861 | $866 | $1,077 | $1,291 | $1,618 | — |
| Lincoln County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $917 | $953 | $1,054 | $1,461 | $1,728 | -10.0% |
| Bertie County, NC Non-metro | $790 | $796 | $1,044 | $1,252 | $1,449 | -0.8% |
| Rockingham County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $717 | $793 | $1,040 | $1,286 | $1,463 | -0.1% |
| Clay County, NC Non-metro | $878 | $948 | $1,039 | $1,429 | $1,561 | +1.9% |
| Wilson County, NC Non-metro | $789 | $794 | $1,025 | $1,307 | $1,541 | +1.9% |
| Avery County, NC Non-metro | $761 | $766 | $1,005 | $1,205 | $1,510 | -4.6% |
| Perquimans County, NC Non-metro | $799 | $804 | $999 | $1,382 | $1,387 | +0.5% |
| Hoke County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $756 | $761 | $998 | $1,388 | $1,674 | +1.2% |
| Macon County, NC Non-metro | $681 | $830 | $987 | $1,183 | $1,325 | -3.4% |
| Polk County, NC Non-metro | $824 | $829 | $983 | $1,351 | $1,649 | -6.0% |
| Duplin County, NC Non-metro | $742 | $747 | $980 | $1,175 | $1,377 | +0.4% |
| Harnett County, NC Non-metro | $805 | $810 | $980 | $1,363 | $1,644 | — |
| Alleghany County, NC Non-metro | $740 | $745 | $978 | $1,173 | $1,470 | +3.3% |
| Vance County, NC Non-metro | $738 | $743 | $975 | $1,197 | $1,318 | -4.6% |
| Northampton County, NC Non-metro | $736 | $741 | $972 | $1,165 | $1,344 | -5.3% |
| Jackson County, NC Non-metro | $840 | $879 | $964 | $1,272 | $1,276 | +0.3% |
| Davidson County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $816 | $876 | $960 | $1,316 | $1,591 | +2.9% |
| Person County, NC HUD Metro FMR Area Metro | $739 | $744 | $948 | $1,318 | $1,377 | -8.1% |
| Hyde County, NC Non-metro | $751 | $756 | $940 | $1,204 | $1,413 | -1.7% |
| Cherokee County, NC Non-metro | $645 | $713 | $935 | $1,290 | $1,497 | -0.8% |
| Yancey County, NC Non-metro | $708 | $713 | $935 | $1,233 | $1,238 | +0.5% |
| Ashe County, NC Non-metro | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,220 | $1,225 | -0.5% |
| Beaufort County, NC Non-metro | $732 | $737 | $925 | $1,220 | $1,552 | -0.5% |
| Bladen County, NC Non-metro | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,258 | $1,298 | -0.5% |
| Caswell County, NC Non-metro | $743 | $748 | $925 | $1,270 | $1,390 | -0.5% |
| Cleveland County, NC Non-metro | $758 | $763 | $925 | $1,286 | $1,322 | -0.5% |
| Columbus County, NC Non-metro | $718 | $722 | $925 | $1,109 | $1,225 | -1.4% |
| Graham County, NC Non-metro | $782 | $844 | $925 | $1,199 | $1,390 | -0.5% |
| Greene County, NC Non-metro | $782 | $823 | $925 | $1,189 | $1,390 | -0.5% |
| Halifax County, NC Non-metro | $638 | $742 | $925 | $1,190 | $1,367 | -0.5% |
| Hertford County, NC Non-metro | $638 | $705 | $925 | $1,210 | $1,225 | -7.0% |
| Jones County, NC Non-metro | $748 | $752 | $925 | $1,179 | $1,552 | — |
| Lenoir County, NC Non-metro | $727 | $732 | $925 | $1,241 | $1,441 | -0.5% |
| Martin County, NC Non-metro | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,220 | $1,225 | -0.5% |
| McDowell County, NC Non-metro | $782 | $790 | $925 | $1,180 | $1,225 | -0.5% |
| Mitchell County, NC Non-metro | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,134 | $1,225 | -0.5% |
| Montgomery County, NC Non-metro | $789 | $794 | $925 | $1,252 | $1,552 | -0.5% |
| Richmond County, NC Non-metro | $714 | $814 | $925 | $1,286 | $1,406 | -0.5% |
| Robeson County, NC Non-metro | $744 | $748 | $925 | $1,187 | $1,389 | -0.5% |
| Rutherford County, NC Non-metro | $801 | $806 | $925 | $1,275 | $1,332 | -0.5% |
| Sampson County, NC Non-metro | $663 | $806 | $925 | $1,109 | $1,302 | -0.5% |
| Scotland County, NC Non-metro | $750 | $755 | $925 | $1,244 | $1,249 | -0.5% |
| Stanly County, NC Non-metro | $638 | $705 | $925 | $1,281 | $1,466 | -5.6% |
| Surry County, NC Non-metro | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,109 | $1,406 | -0.5% |
| Swain County, NC Non-metro | $806 | $813 | $925 | $1,264 | $1,390 | -0.5% |
| Tyrrell County, NC Non-metro | $739 | $744 | $925 | $1,286 | $1,390 | -0.5% |
| Warren County, NC Non-metro | $700 | $705 | $925 | $1,172 | $1,239 | -0.5% |
| Washington County, NC Non-metro | $739 | $744 | $925 | $1,197 | $1,391 | -0.5% |
| Wilkes County, NC Non-metro | $782 | $793 | $925 | $1,233 | $1,538 | -0.5% |
Download this table as CSV — every area, studio through 4-bedroom, with county lists and year-over-year change.
About this data
Source: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, county-level file (revised), published at huduser.gov — a U.S. government work in the public domain, republished here unmodified. The typical-rent figure is the population-weighted average across the areas above (county populations from HUD's file); year-over-year comparisons match each area with last year's file by HUD area code. Effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026; last regenerated from HUD's file on 2026-07-20. FMRs cap what a housing authority can pay under the voucher program; your local Public Housing Authority's payment standard may be set between 90% and 110% of FMR. Full method notes: how the rent figures are computed.
Related on Landlord Atlas
- North Carolina landlord-tenant laws — security deposits, rent increase notice, late fees, and entry rules, cited to statute.
- Rental profitability calculator — test a North Carolina property's cash flow against its county's FMR.
- Rent increase notice creator — moving rent toward market? Generate a state-aware notice.