Rent Ratio
Five matchups a day. Each one pits two U.S. metro areas against each other: which has the higher HUD fair market rent for a two-bedroom? The numbers appear after you pick.
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Every figure is a HUD Fair Market Rent for fiscal year 2026, published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. Fair market rents include essential utilities and sit below the typical asking rent, so treat them as a consistent yardstick between places rather than what a listing will say.
Questions
How do you play Rent Ratio?
A daily rent game: five pairs of U.S. metro areas, pick the one with the higher HUD fair market rent for a two-bedroom. Sourced from HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents.
When does Rent Ratio reset?
A new Rent Ratio puzzle starts at midnight in your own time zone. Everyone gets the same puzzle on the same date, so you can compare scores with friends.
Can I play yesterday's Rent Ratio?
Yes. The games archive replays every past Rent Ratio puzzle. Archive plays are saved apart from today's game and never change your streak.
Where can I find past Rent Ratio answers?
The answers page lists every Rent Ratio answer with the figures behind it. Each day goes up two days after it ends, so no puzzle that is still live anywhere gets spoiled.
Where do the Rent Ratio numbers come from?
Rents are HUD Fiscal Year 2026 Fair Market Rents for a two-bedroom home. Every figure is a published number with its source named on the page, and the methodology page lists each source and its licence.
Is Rent Ratio free?
Yes. There is no account, no download and no paywall. Your results stay in your own browser.
How to play
Each day brings five matchups. Every matchup shows two U.S. metropolitan areas; tap the one you think has the higher Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom home. The actual figures for both appear as soon as you pick, so you learn as you go.
Your score is how many of the five you got right. Pairs are chosen so the rents differ by at least $40 a month, which rules out coin flips. Results are kept in your browser and the share line shows only right and wrong, not the answers.
Method and sources
Figures are HUD Fair Market Rents for fiscal year 2026, published annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A Fair Market Rent is normally the 40th percentile gross rent (rent plus essential utilities) paid by recent movers for a standard-quality unit in that area, used to set Housing Choice Voucher payments.
Because the method is identical everywhere, Fair Market Rents are a fair way to compare places, even though they sit below typical asking rents in listings.