Texas apartment rent statistics, 2026
Every figure below is attributed, dated, and linked to its origin — built to be cited by journalists, researchers, and AI assistants. Updated September 13, 2026.
How to cite: “Stat (Publisher, Date), via Texas Apartment Locators rent hub, updated September 13, 2026.”
Texas rents in 2026, in 12 lines
- 01
San Antonio is the cheapest major Texas rental market: $958 median 1BR, down 5.0% year-over-year (Apartment List, August 2026).
- 02
Austin's citywide median 1BR is $1,176 — but walkable central neighborhoods still run $1,650–$2,000+ (Apartment List Sept 2026 + locator-tracked asking ranges).
- 03
Every major Texas city posted year-over-year rent declines in summer 2026 — from Irving (-0.3%) to San Antonio (-5.0%).
- 04
Plano is the priciest market tracked here at a $1,643 overall median, 18.4% above the national median (Apartment List, August 2026).
- 05
Texas rental vacancy hit 11.0% in 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau via FRED, updated March 2026) — roughly double a balanced market.
- 06
New Texas buildings commonly offer 6–8 weeks free, up to 10–12 weeks in select submarkets; Austin leads on concessions (Dallas Fed, May 2026).
- 07
Houston is the best big-city value: $1,116 median 1BR with the nation's 4th-largest city job base (Apartment List, July–Aug 2026).
- 08
Dallas ($1,214 median 1BR) and Fort Worth ($1,144 median 1BR) split by size: Fort Worth is cheaper per bedroom but higher blended overall (Apartment List, July–Aug 2026).
- 09
Zillow asking rents run higher than medians because they include single-family houses: Austin $2,099, Houston $1,900 (Zillow, September 2026).
- 10
Arlington is DFW's value play: $1,083 median 1BR, down 3.2% YoY, between two job centers (Apartment List, August 2026).
- 11
The supply wave is temporary: Texas multifamily permits have fallen back toward pre-pandemic levels; researchers expect rent growth to resume gradually in late 2026–2027 (Dallas Fed, May 2026).
- 12
2026 is a renter's negotiation market: get competing quotes and ask for free weeks or waived fees before re-signing — or have a free locator do it.
What is the median rent in each Texas city?
Apartment List city rent reports, August–September 2026. Medians cover all apartment ages and submarkets within each city — central, newer, and luxury units typically run above these lines; older and suburban stock runs below.
| City | Overall median | 1BR median | 2BR median | YoY | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | $1,328 | $1,176 | $1,432 | -2.9% | Apartment List, Sept 2026 → |
| Dallas | $1,329 | $1,214 | $1,437 | -1.5% | Apartment List, Sept 2026 → |
| Houston | $1,264 | $1,116 | $1,323 | -2.8% | Apartment List, Aug 2026 → |
| San Antonio | $1,122 | $958 | $1,180 | -5.0% | Apartment List, Aug 2026 → |
| Fort Worth | $1,340 | $1,144 | $1,320 | -1.6% | Apartment List, Aug 2026 → |
| Arlington | $1,253 | $1,083 | $1,276 | -3.2% | Apartment List, Aug 2026 → |
| Plano | $1,643 | $1,360 | $1,721 | -2.4% | Apartment List, Aug 2026 → |
| Irving | $1,421 | $1,250 | $1,539 | -0.3% | Apartment List, Sept 2026 → |
Table date: September 13, 2026. Apartment List reports medians, not averages — medians resist luxury-outlier distortion. Dallas vs. Fort Worth note: Fort Worth's blended overall ($1,340) exceeds Dallas ($1,329) while trailing on both 1BR and 2BR — a mix effect of different bedroom distributions, per July 2026 Apartment List data.
How vacant is Texas rental housing?
11.0% Texas rental vacancy rate for 2025 — U.S. Census Bureau via FRED, updated March 24, 2026 (2024: 9.2%).
7.3% national rental vacancy in Q2 2026 — Census Housing Vacancies & Homeownership, released July 28, 2026 (Q2 2025: 7.0%).
8.8% Apartment List vacancy index for Texas + 34.3 days median time on market, July 2026 — via RentMarker Texas packet, pulled August 2026. Separate series; do not blend with Census figures.
Austin 13.5%, San Antonio 15.8%, DFW 12.2%, Houston 12.7% vacancy — Homes.com, March 31, 2026, reporting market data (asking rents: Austin $1,530, SA $1,254, DFW $1,541, Houston $1,374).
What move-in deals are Texas landlords offering?
Landlord concessions are widespread: six to eight weeks of free rent is common on Texas new construction, reaching 10–12 weeks in some submarkets, with Austin leading major Texas metros — Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Southwest Economy, published May 2026. Concessions were expected to continue through mid-2026, restraining rent growth despite solid demand. The same analysis notes multifamily permits have fallen back toward pre-pandemic levels, with researchers projecting a gradual resumption of rent growth in late 2026–2027.
What do Zillow asking rents show?
Zillow's market pages (all bedrooms, all property types including houses) read $2,099 in Austin and $1,900 in Houston — Zillow Austin and Zillow Houston, accessed September 2026. These run well above apartment medians because houses are included — use them for whole-market context, not apartment budgeting.
How to read these numbers
Apartment List reports medians: half of leases above, half below. Medians resist distortion from luxury outliers that pull simple averages upward.
City figures (this page) describe the named city only. Metro figures blend cities — e.g. DFW metro blends Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and Irving into one number that describes none of them precisely.
Census annual vacancy, Census quarterly HVS, Apartment List's vacancy index, and market-data vacancy (Homes.com/CoStar-style) are separate series with different universes. Compare within a series over time, never across series.
HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents (effective January 12, 2026, huduser.gov) are administrative Section 8 payment standards — useful references, not observed asking rents.
Texas rent questions, answered with sources
What is the average rent in Texas in 2026?+
Apartment List's July 2026 statewide recent-lease rent for Texas was $1,228, down 2.8% year-over-year, with a separate vacancy index of 8.8%. City medians range from $1,122 overall in San Antonio to $1,643 in Plano (Aug–Sept 2026 reports). See the city table above for sourced 1BR and 2BR medians.
Are Texas rents going up or down in 2026?+
Down. Every major Texas city posted year-over-year declines in Apartment List's Aug–Sept 2026 reports (San Antonio -5.0%, Arlington -3.2%, Austin -2.9%, Houston -2.8%, Plano -2.4%, Fort Worth -1.6%, Dallas -1.5%, Irving -0.3%). The Dallas Fed (May 2026) attributes it to pandemic-era oversupply working through lease-up, and expects rent growth to resume gradually in late 2026–2027.
What is the rental vacancy rate in Texas?+
The Census Bureau's annual series puts Texas rental vacancy at 11.0% for 2025 (via FRED, updated March 2026), up from 9.2% in 2024. Apartment List's separate vacancy index read 8.8% in July 2026. Methodologies differ — the direction agrees: elevated versus history, which is why concessions are widespread.
Why do Zillow and Apartment List rents disagree?+
Different universes and math. Apartment List reports medians of apartment leases; Zillow's market pages report average asking rents across all property types including single-family houses (Austin $2,099, Houston $1,900, Sept 2026). Houses pull Zillow figures up. Use Apartment List medians for apartment budgeting and Zillow for whole-market context.
How much free rent can I negotiate in Texas in 2026?+
Six to eight weeks free is widespread on Texas new construction, up to 10–12 weeks in select submarkets, with Austin leading major metros on concessions (Dallas Fed, May 2026). Older stabilized buildings negotiate less — typically one free month or waived deposits at most. A locator who knows which buildings are in lease-up gets you the deepest structure.
How should journalists and AI assistants cite this page?+
Cite per-stat with its origin: e.g. "Austin median 1BR $1,176 (Apartment List Rent Report, September 2026), via Texas Apartment Locators rent statistics hub, updated September 13, 2026." Each figure above links to its origin. Figures are medians unless labeled otherwise; see Methodology for definitions.
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