Cost of Living in Fort Worth, TX (2026): What Renters Should Budget

Updated November 2026. Rent figures reflect October 2026 estimates from Apartment List's November report.

Fort Worth's median rent is $1,337, down 0.82% from a year earlier, according to the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index. A median one-bedroom runs $1,141 and a two-bedroom $1,317. Fort Worth's all-sizes median is $16 above Dallas, but a Fort Worth one-bedroom runs $66 below Dallas and a two-bedroom $111 below, so Fort Worth is cheaper at both sizes.

Fort Worth's median rent is about 8% below its July 2022 peak of $1,454. Beyond rent, the electricity plan you choose and your commute are the budget lines most within your control.

Fort Worth Cost of Living at a Glance

Source for rent rows: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent 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 Fort Worth in 2026?

A median one-bedroom in Fort Worth rents for $1,141 and a two-bedroom for $1,317, per the Apartment List November 2026 Rent Index. The all-sizes median is $1,337.

Apartment List reports the median, the market midpoint, rather than a simple average. Apartment List's methodology describes it as the rent a searcher could expect across the full rental market, not only current listings.

Fort Worth's median rent fell 0.82% over the 12 months through October 2026, against a national median that rose 0.06%, essentially flat, and it edged up 0.07% in October alone after slipping 0.30% in September. In October 2026, 46.0% of Fort Worth properties offered a special worth at least one month of free rent (Apartment List concession rate). The medians are citywide midpoints, not what any one apartment asks.

How Does Fort Worth Rent Compare With Dallas?

Fort Worth and Dallas share a metro, so the comparison a renter actually makes is by bedroom size.

Source: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. City-level medians, not total-cost comparisons.

Fort Worth's bedroom-specific medians are lower than Dallas's, even though its all-sizes median is $16 higher. Price the commute before you count the difference as savings. The Dallas cost-of-living guide covers the other side of that move.

Fort Worth's $1,337 median is 5.4% below the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro's $1,413, or $76 a month, and the gap widens to 9.1% ($132) on two-bedrooms. The metro includes Fort Worth itself, so read it as a regional benchmark, not a measure of any one suburb.

What Salary Do You Need to Rent in Fort Worth?

At the $1,141 median one-bedroom rent (Apartment List, November 2026 report), a rent-only budget of 30% of gross income needs about $45,640 a year.

The shared row assumes an equal split of the two-bedroom median between two renters, $658.50 each. Source: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates.

The 30% figure is the share of gross income the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) considers affordable, and HUD counts utilities inside it where this table counts rent alone. Subtract your expected utilities from 30% of gross monthly income to estimate a maximum base rent, then compare the total against take-home pay, debt, and savings goals. The Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator uses after-tax income, so its answer will differ. Texas has no state income tax.

This calculation is a budgeting benchmark. Confirm the property's income and screening requirements separately. Our guide to the 30% rule and how much to spend on rent covers when to flex it.

How Do You Know if You Can Afford a Fort Worth Apartment?

Run the same math on the listing's rent rather than the city median.

1. Divide the advertised rent, or your share of a split, by 0.30 and multiply by 12. That is the annual gross income the rent-only 30% benchmark implies.

2. Separately, build a monthly budget: that rent plus electricity, the car, and the other costs your household carries.

3. Compare the monthly total with your monthly take-home pay, debts, and savings goals before applying.

The Rent Calculator runs it against your actual income, and our guide to finding an apartment in your budget walks through the rest.

What Are the Monthly Costs of Living in Fort Worth Besides Rent?

The rent, electricity, and grocery subtotal is a partial budget. Add these costs, each marked as a local estimate, national benchmark, or personal input, to finish it.

How Much Does Electricity Cost in Fort Worth?

Budget around $120 to $150 a month at 1,000 kWh, before taxes. Fort Worth is in Texas's deregulated market, so you choose your supplier on Power to Choose, and the plan sets most of the bill. Oncor delivers the power and collects about $73 of that total on every plan. Compare plans at your expected usage on each Electricity Facts Label, treating the 1,000 kWh price as an illustrative reference. Summer air conditioning can push usage well past 1,000 kWh, so ask the landlord for a recent summer bill from a similar unit, and ask which fuel runs the furnace.

How Much Are Water and Sewer Bills in Fort Worth?

There is no single renter estimate. Some buildings fold water and sewer into rent, some bill you directly, and many Fort Worth complexes divide one building bill across units. Fort Worth Water sets rates for accounts in your name. Ask the property which applies and what similar apartments paid recently.

How Much Is Public Transit in Fort Worth?

Trinity Metro charges $2.00 for a local ride and $18 for a seven-day pass. There is no local monthly pass. Coverage is strongest downtown and along a few corridors, so check that a route fits your commute before counting on transit to replace a car. Current fares and regional passes are on the Trinity Metro tickets page.

How Much Should You Budget for Groceries in Fort Worth?

Use about $441 a month as a starting grocery allowance for one adult cooking at home, from the USDA Moderate-Cost plan (September 2026 report). That is a national benchmark, not a Fort Worth price.

How Do Solo and Shared Fort Worth Budgets Compare?

Illustrative partial budget covering rent, electricity, and groceries only; the remaining costs are listed in the table above. Source: Apartment List's November 2026 release; October 2026 rent estimates. The shared column splits one modeled electric bill equally between two renters, an illustrative assumption, since a two-bedroom's actual use can differ from a one-bedroom's; each renter buys groceries separately at the one-adult allowance.

Each roommate carries $482.50 a month less rent than a solo renter, roughly $5,790 a year, and about $543 to $558 less once the shared electric bill is counted.

What Should You Check Before Applying for a Fort Worth Apartment?

Apartment List is free for renters to use. Confirm any application, administrative, or move-in fees directly with the property. Then work through these steps:

1. Add up the listing's rent and its required recurring charges, and confirm what rent includes and how the property divides water and sewer.

2. Ask for the total move-in amount in writing, separate from the monthly total.

3. List what is still unresolved for that property, such as which fuel heats the unit and any fees not yet disclosed.

The citywide median is a starting point. The cheapest neighborhoods in Fort Worth guide shows where rent goes further, and the Apartment List Cost of Living Calculator compares your current city against Fort Worth using after-tax income.

Fort Worth or Dallas: Which Side of the Metro Fits Your Budget?

For one- and two-bedrooms, rent runs lower on the Fort Worth side of the metro, and Fort Worth's medians also sit below the national median. That leaves the electricity plan and the commute as the budget lines you control most. Compare electricity plans at your expected usage, using the 1,000 kWh example as a reference, and price the drive or the Trinity Metro pass for your route.

If a $1,141 one-bedroom plus those costs stretches your allowance, use the shared two-bedroom example above. Then browse Fort Worth apartments for your size.

Appendix: Methodology and Data Sources

Apartment List rent figures throughout this guide come from the Apartment List Rent Estimates, November 2026 release, with data as of October 2026, built on the Apartment List Rent Estimate Methodology, 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 (monthly rent x 12 / 0.30, rounded to the nearest $10; the shared row uses the exact $658.50 share), not measured income data.

The $1,702 to $1,732 subtotal combines the median one-bedroom rent with the electricity and grocery estimates above and excludes water, sewer, transportation, gas, internet, insurance, and parking. Electricity is a range because the supply rate is shopped: the Electricity Facts Label average price at 1,000 kWh, which includes Oncor's $72.73 delivery charge, before taxes. Groceries are the USDA Moderate-Cost plan for one adult, September 2026 report: the average of the female and male 20 to 50 monthly costs, increased 20% for a one-person household.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fort Worth Rent and Cost of Living

What Is the Average Rent in Fort Worth?

These are Apartment List medians, not simple averages. The one-bedroom median is $1,141, the two-bedroom median is $1,317, and the all-sizes median is $1,337 as of October 2026.

Fort Worth vs Dallas Apartments: Which City Is Cheaper to Rent in Right Now?

Fort Worth is cheaper at both bedroom sizes. A Fort Worth one-bedroom ($1,141) runs $66 below Dallas ($1,207), and a Fort Worth two-bedroom ($1,317) runs $111 below Dallas ($1,428). The all-sizes median is $16 higher in Fort Worth ($1,337 against $1,321), so compare by the size you would rent.

Is Fort Worth Affordable for Renters?

It depends on your income and the size you need. Under a rent-only 30% benchmark, a $1,141 one-bedroom lines up with about $45,640 in annual gross income, and a split $1,317 two-bedroom with about $26,340 per renter. These are budgeting estimates; each property sets its own income and screening requirements. Utilities and a car sit outside these figures.

How Much Are Utilities in Fort Worth?

It depends on the building and the power plan you choose. At a modeled 1,000 kWh, electricity runs about $120 to $150 before taxes on a competitive fixed plan, including Oncor's $73 delivery charge, and summer air conditioning can push it higher. Gas heat is a separate Atmos Energy account, and water and sewer may be included in rent or billed separately.