Fair Market Rents in Boston
HUD calculates a Fair Market Rent (FMR) for every metro area each year. It's set at roughly the 40th percentile of gross rent — the rent at which 40% of standard-quality apartments rent for less and 60% rent for more. FMR is the ceiling used to set the local Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher payment standard.
| Bedrooms | FMR (gross rent) | Tenant share at 30% AMI |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,680/mo | $893/mo |
| 1 bedroom | $2,114/mo | $893/mo |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,710/mo | $893/mo |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,523/mo | $893/mo |
| 4 bedrooms | $4,201/mo | $893/mo |
"Gross rent" includes the rent the landlord charges plus an allowance for tenant-paid utilities. The "tenant share" column shows what a household at 30% of the state AMI would owe under the Section 8 formula (30% of monthly adjusted income).
Public Housing Agencies serving Boston
| PHA | Programs | Vouchers | Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Authority of the City of Boston | Section 8 HCV, Public Housing, HUD-VASH | 1,731 | Open |
What rental assistance looks like in Boston
Renters in the Boston metro have access to the full federal program stack: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (administered by the local PHA), Public Housing operated by that same PHA, project-based Section 8 in private buildings under HUD contract, LIHTC properties (rents capped at 50–60% AMI without an income-based subsidy), and a smaller set of supportive housing programs for veterans (HUD-VASH), older adults (Section 202), and people with disabilities (Section 811).
Because Boston is part of a metro with a Fair Market 2-bedroom rent of $2,710/month, a Section 8 voucher in this area is worth substantially more than in a low-cost rural area in the same state. The PHA's Payment Standard typically falls between 90% and 110% of FMR, and HUD's Small Area FMR program — active in some metros — sets payment standards by ZIP code rather than the metro average, so high-opportunity neighborhoods get higher payment standards than the metro mean.
For background on what these programs do and who qualifies, start with Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, then read the eligibility page and the Massachusetts state page.