$1,269 Houston Median Rent Holds Flat in September
The October report shows flat monthly rents in Houston proper, with the city still below its year-earlier level.
September 2026 estimates. Source: Apartment List
- $1,269 city median rent
- 0.0% city monthly rent change
- -2.3% city annual rent change
- $1,335 metro median rent
Houston rents were unchanged in September, leaving the city median at $1,269 in Apartment List’s October 2026 report. That is 2.3% below a year earlier. The report covers September rent movements; its October edition was first observed by this desk on October 1, and the page does not display an exact release time.
The wider Houston metro has a different result: a $1,335 median and a 2.0% annual decline. These are Apartment List estimates based on Census median rents advanced using its listing-based, same-unit growth measure. They should not be treated as a brokerage’s average effective rent or a property’s collected rent.
For underwriting, the inference is straightforward: one flat month provides little support for aggressive near-term rent increases. Owners still need their own renewal, concession and collection evidence before translating a citywide reading into projected NOI.
Sources
A flat citywide month calls for discipline in rent-growth assumptions; metro and asset-level results can differ.
Houston citywide and Houston region-wide. September observations in the October 2026 report.
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Written by Price Per Door from public reports, filings and data. See all sources