How Much Does It Cost to Live in Orlando? A 2026 Rent and Budget Guide

Updated September 2026. Rent figures reflect Apartment List data as of August 2026.

According to the Apartment List Rent Index, the median rent across all apartment sizes in Orlando is $1,529 as of August 2026, with one-bedrooms at $1,303 and two-bedrooms at $1,619. That puts Orlando about 10% above the national median of $1,390, in the upper-middle of the Florida market rather than at either end of it.

Rents are easing, down 1.53% year over year. A one-bedroom with power, water, and groceries comes to around $1,832 a month at the usage basket used here, before wastewater, gas, transportation, internet, insurance, parking, or anything discretionary.

Orlando Cost of Living at a Glance

Rent anchors this guide, and the advertised price covers one part of the monthly bill. The figures below set a starting range for Orlando.

Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates. Full method and sources are in the appendix.

How to use these numbers: Start with the rent for the unit size you're considering. Add the planning estimates that apply to you, then replace them with listing-specific charges and your expected usage.

What Is the Median Rent in Orlando in 2026?

The median one-bedroom rent in Orlando is $1,303 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index. Two-bedrooms run $1,619 and the all-sizes median is $1,529.

Rents are down 1.53% year over year, with the most recent month essentially flat at up 0.19%. The national median fell 0.76% over the same period, so Orlando is softening about twice as fast as the country as a whole. Over the longer span since the pandemic, Orlando is up 21.00%.

The monthly and annual figures cover different periods, and the twelve-month change is the steadier of the two. What these figures do not tell you is what any specific building is offering right now, so ask each one directly about concessions, fees, and the move-in total.

How the City Median Compares With the Metro Median

According to the Apartment List Rent Index, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro median is $1,522 across all apartment sizes as of August 2026, against the city's $1,529. Those are effectively the same figure, but the two do not track each other at every unit size.

All figures are Apartment List August 2026 estimates.

One-bedrooms line up within about 1%, while the city's two-bedroom median runs about 9% above the metro figure. That is worth knowing if you are pricing a two-bedroom. It is still a comparison between a city and the larger area containing it, and nothing more. It does not tell you that suburbs price lower, that moving outward saves money, or which direction from downtown is cheaper.

How Does Orlando Rent Compare With Other Southeast Cities?

The table sets Orlando against selected Southeast cities and the national median. It is not a ranking of every Southeast rental market.

All figures are Apartment List medians as of August 2026.

Orlando, Atlanta, and Tampa are priced within $17 of one another, a spread too narrow for the medians to decide between them. These are citywide figures and do not establish what any individual building is asking, so let commute, unit quality, and lease terms decide instead.

The real differences are at the top and bottom of the table. Miami runs $398 higher and Jacksonville $207 lower, the widest gap shown here.

What Income Corresponds to Orlando Rent at the 30% Benchmark?

Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,303, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $52,120 in annual gross income.

Each income figure is the monthly rent multiplied by 12 and divided by 0.30, calculated from the unrounded medians. The shared row assumes an equal split of the two-bedroom median between two renters, which is $809.50 before rounding. Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates for Orlando.

The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable. HUD's version includes utilities. The calculation above covers rent and nothing else, so your real housing cost will come out higher.

This calculation uses gross income, while the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator asks for after-tax income and will produce a different estimate.

Florida levies no state income tax on wages (Florida Department of Revenue), so a $52,120 salary in Orlando is not reduced by a state wage tax the way the same salary would be in a state that levies one. Your own take-home still depends on federal tax, withholding, and any local levies where you work.

Treat $52,120 as a planning benchmark, not a salary requirement or a screening rule.

How Do You Set a Rent Ceiling for a Specific Listing?

Start from what you earn:

1. Take your gross annual income.
2. Multiply by 0.30 to get the annual rent your budget supports at the 30% benchmark.
3. Divide by 12 for a monthly rent ceiling.

On a $55,000 salary that is about $1,375 a month, which sits above Orlando's $1,303 median one-bedroom. On $65,000 it is about $1,625. On $45,000 it is about $1,125, which lands below the median one-bedroom, so a solo unit at the median would run above the benchmark at that income.

The arithmetic also runs the other way if you are looking at a specific listing. Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by 0.30 to see the income it implies: a $1,600 listing points to about $64,000, and a $1,200 listing to about $48,000.

Run the number before you tour, not after. Then check it against the Apartment List Rent Calculator, which works from your actual income and debts instead of a flat percentage. Apartment List does not charge renters a fee.

What Should You Budget Beyond Rent in Orlando?

Electricity

Orlando Utilities Commission is a community-owned utility, and its residential rate has three parts on the schedule effective October 1, 2025. The monthly customer charge is $18.50. On top of that you pay 6.783 cents per kWh in non-fuel base charges on the first 1,000 kWh, plus a fuel charge of 4.767 cents. At 500 kWh the three together come to about $76 a month before taxes.

Two things sit on top of that figure. The City of Orlando charges a municipal utility tax and the state adds a gross receipts tax, so your final bill comes out higher than the rates above on their own. The non-fuel charge also steps up to 9.283 cents above 1,000 kWh, which matters in a Florida summer when cooling load climbs.

OUC serves Orlando and St. Cloud. Duke Energy Florida serves much of the surrounding Central Florida area, so if you are comparing an address in the city against one in a neighboring county, check which utility actually serves it.

Water

OUC also supplies water, on a schedule effective October 1, 2026. A residential account on a 5/8-inch meter pays a $10.50 monthly service charge. Usage runs $0.90 per thousand gallons on the first 3,000, so at 3,000 gallons the bill is about $13 a month.

Water is often the smaller surprise. The price climbs steeply the more you use, reaching $2.50 per thousand gallons partway up and more above that, so anyone watering a yard will not recognize the figure above.

Wastewater is billed separately and by a different body depending on where you live: the City of Orlando inside city limits, Orange County outside them. Ask which applies to a specific address, because it is not the same bill as your water.

Transit

LYNX charges $2.00 for a single adult ride and $4.50 for an all-day pass. A 30-day pass is $50.00, and transfers are free for 90 minutes. Express routes run $3.50 a ride and $70.00 for 30 days.

Downtown, LYMMO is free. It is a circulator rather than a system, so it covers the core and not a commute in from the suburbs.

SunRail is the commuter rail option, priced by zone across four counties. A one-way ride runs $2.00 within a single zone and up to $5.00 across all four. A 30-day SunCard runs $56.00 to $140.00 depending on how many zones you cross. One thing to check before you count on it: SunRail does not run on weekends.

Groceries

The USDA Moderate-Cost Food Plan puts groceries for a single adult at about $440 a month, based on the July 2026 monthly cost of food report. That's a national benchmark rather than an Orlando number, so treat it as a starting point and adjust it for how much you cook against how often you eat out.

How Do Solo and Shared Orlando Budgets Compare?

Rent values are Apartment List August 2026 city-level estimates, with the half-share of $809.50 shown as $810. The shared column splits rent, electricity and water between two renters on the same usage basket; groceries are per person. Both totals exclude wastewater, gas, transportation, internet, renter's insurance, parking, and every tax applied to utility bills.

The rent line is what sharing moves most, $494 a month per renter. Utilities split too, but at this usage level they are small numbers next to rent. Sharing lowers the income the 30% benchmark points to by roughly $19,740 a year.

Orlando's Two-Bedroom Median Runs $316 Above Its One-Bedroom

In Orlando a two-bedroom runs $316 more than a one-bedroom at the median, about 24% above the one-bedroom figure (Apartment List, August 2026).

Because that step is smaller than the one-bedroom median itself, splitting a two-bedroom lands below renting a one-bedroom alone.

What Should You Confirm Before Paying an Application Fee?

• Whether water and wastewater are billed to you or included, and which body bills the wastewater

• Whether the unit is all-electric, and what the building's typical summer usage looks like

• Whether the municipal utility tax and gross receipts tax appear as separate lines on the OUC bill

• Whether parking is included, and what it costs if not

• Total move-in cost: first month, security deposit, and any administrative, pet, or amenity fees

Ask the property for its total move-in amount in writing before paying anything. Apartment List does not charge renters a fee, so every fee you are checking for belongs to the property.

How Do You Find Lower Rent in Orlando?

Start with the neighborhood guide: 20 Best Neighborhoods in Orlando, FL.

Then run your actual numbers. The Apartment List Rent Calculator sets a ceiling from your income and debts, and Rate My Rent grades a specific listing against comparable nearby apartments on rent, square footage, and amenities. That grade is a starting point for questions to ask the building, not a verdict on the unit.

Compare Orlando With Your Current City

If you are moving in from somewhere else, the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares your current city against Orlando. It asks for monthly household income after taxes, which is a different input than the gross-income benchmark used above.

Orlando's $1,529 median puts it 10% above the national figure and within $6 of Tampa. Transportation is the line worth planning around here: free on LYMMO downtown, $50 a month on LYNX, up to $140 on SunRail.

Browse Orlando apartments and start comparing real listings.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Rent figures come from the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, which uses a same-unit, repeat-transaction analysis.

Income figures are calculations based on the cited Apartment List rent medians and the 30% rent-to-income benchmark, not measured income data.

The electricity estimate assumes 500 kWh a month at OUC's October 2025 schedule including the fixed customer charge and before municipal and state taxes. The water estimate assumes 3,000 gallons at OUC's October 2026 schedule including the fixed service charge. Both come from OUC's published rates rather than from apartment averages the utility reports, and your own usage will move them.

Frequently Asked Questions About Orlando Rent & Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Orlando?

The median all-sizes rent in Orlando is $1,529 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, with one-bedrooms at $1,303 and two-bedrooms at $1,619. Apartment List reports a median rather than an average because a median better represents a typical apartment and is less distorted by a handful of luxury units.

Is Orlando Expensive?

It is above the national figure but not by a wide margin. Orlando's $1,529 all-sizes median runs 10.0% above the national median of $1,390 as of August 2026 (Apartment List). Within Florida it sits below Miami by $398 and above Jacksonville by $207, and effectively level with Tampa.

Is Rent Going Up or Down in Orlando?

Down, gently. Orlando rents fell 1.53% year over year as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, while the national median fell 0.76%. The most recent month was close to flat at up 0.19%. These are citywide figures and do not establish what any individual building is asking or offering.

Is Rent Cheaper Inside Orlando City Limits Than in the Metro?

At the median, barely. The city median is $1,529 against $1,522 for the wider Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro as of August 2026 (Apartment List), so the city runs about 0.5% higher, which is effectively the same figure. The two diverge at two-bedrooms, where the city runs about 9% above the metro. That is a comparison between a city and the larger area containing it. It does not tell you which specific suburbs or neighborhoods price higher or lower.

How Much More Does a Two-Bedroom Cost Than a One-Bedroom in Orlando?

About $316 a month. The median one-bedroom is $1,303 and the median two-bedroom is $1,619 as of August 2026, according to the Apartment List Rent Index, a difference of about 24%. That is the cost of renting the larger apartment, not the cost per person: two renters splitting that two-bedroom equally would pay about $810 each.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Orlando?

Using Apartment List's August 2026 median one-bedroom rent of $1,303, the rent-only 30% calculation corresponds to about $52,120 in annual gross income. This is a planning benchmark, not a requirement. Florida levies no state income tax on wages, so that figure is not reduced by a state wage tax the way it would be in a state that levies one. Your own take-home still depends on federal tax and withholding.

How Much Is Electricity in an Orlando Apartment?

At 500 kWh a month, OUC's residential rate works out to about $76 before taxes, on the schedule effective October 1, 2025. That is an $18.50 customer charge plus 6.783 cents per kWh non-fuel and 4.767 cents fuel. A City of Orlando municipal utility tax and a state gross receipts tax apply on top, and the non-fuel rate steps up above 1,000 kWh, so heavy summer cooling pushes the bill higher than that example.

Is 30% of Income a Hard Limit for Rent?

No. It is a widely used benchmark, and HUD treats housing costs above 30% of income as cost-burdened. Plenty of renters exceed it. According to Apartment List research, about 51.8% of U.S. renter households are cost-burdened and 26.1% are severely cost-burdened, spending more than half their income on housing, based on 2024 ACS data. Those are national figures, not Orlando-specific.

How Do Solo and Shared Orlando Budgets Compare?

At the August 2026 median, a two-bedroom would cost about $810 per renter if two people split the rent equally, against $1,303 for a one-bedroom you pay for on your own (Apartment List, August 2026), a difference of roughly $494 a month before utilities and fees. That share corresponds to about $32,380 in annual gross income at the rent-only 30% benchmark.